Dr. Michael Wesch & Baby George

    In the TED Talk "What Baby George Taught Me About Learning", Dr. Michael Wesch poses some interesting points about how students experience education and what makes students successful in school. Dr. Wesch believes that students should not be tied down by the idea that grades are the be-all end-all for academic success and disagrees that school is not "cut out for everyone". Learning isn't for everyone? Perhaps schools are just not pushing students in an individualized direction and keeping students in the lane of standardized testing and accountability. Dr. Wesch describes the importance of making learning "worth it" and promoting the personal growth that comes with this learning. He emphasizes that school is not always about the length of the paper or the points earned for a specific assignment. 

    His son, George, adds a fun analogy to this video because it illustrates what happens to our students in the education system. When George falls while trying to go down a step, he smiles and tries again. George knows that he will get it eventually and he is having fun trying. When George does get the hang of going down the stair, it is exciting and he can move on to bigger challenges (like jumping off the sofa!). Our students should experience school in a similar way. Students should know that it is okay to work at a different pace and make mistakes as long as they are having fun and working towards something that is meaningful to them. When a student receives an "F" on an assignment, this sends the signal that their work and they, themselves, are a failure, rather than offering a chance to improve and work towards meaningful tasks.

    Dr. Wesch acts on these beliefs in his classroom and makes a point to understand his students on a personal level in order to make his teachings effective. Dr. Wesch stated that he has lunch with all his students one-on-one and gets to know them in a way that sitting in a lecture does not allow. He expresses that there are three questions that are important for an educator to understand their students, "Who am I?", "What am I going to do?", and "Am I going to make it?". By asking these questions and having conversations with students who, at a glance, seem uninterested, he is able to understand someone's background and make sense of various situations. In addition to understanding the background, Dr. Wesch is able to point these students in a direction that makes their education meaningful and "worth it".