Review of Teaching for Tomorrow by Ted McCain
Problems Solving Skills and Project Based Learning
If you're looking for a professional development resource on 21st Century Learning, Ted McCain's book on teaching problem solving skills may be a good resource. But the book, Teaching for Tomorrow has a few small drawbacks you should be aware of.
Problem Solving Skills
McCain’s 85 page monograph is focused on the theme of 21st Century Learning and addresses an obvious problem in public education, the lack of emphasis on higher level thinking skills in much of the curriculum and pedagogy. Chapter Three of his book outlines some excellent steps to teaching problem solving skills.
Chapter Three of McCain’s book, Teaching Student How to Problem Solve, is by far the best part of the book. His discussion of the steps to solving a problem is insightful: define the problem, design a solution, do it, and debrief. He offers some excellent suggestions in the chapter as to how to evaluate the actual process of problem solving.
The section on problem solving and its focus on how to carry out and assess project based learning make the book a worthwhile book study for teachers. Rarely do you see such a lucid presentation of these skills.
Problems With McCain's Research
McCain discusses what he calls “the post-secondary myth” – the idea (or myth) that critical thinking gets taught at the college level, and that teachers often feel justified in leaving critical thinking skills for college instructors to impart. The “myth,” according to McCain, rests in the fact that seven out of ten high school students will not go on to get any post-secondary training.
McCain’s argument seems purposely misleading. Here’s why… McCain uses figures from the U.S. Census Bureau to measure post-secondary education. He gets those figures second hand, from USA Today, instead of accessing the data directly from the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau reports on the percentage of the population aged 25 and older that claim to have a Bachelor’s degree.
That presents two problems. The first is that the figures are skewed – probably radically. A recent study published by the University of Indiana noted that 60% of 25 to 34 year olds in the U.S. either have at least a Bachelor’s degree or some college experience, while only 38% of people over 65 claim to have at least attended some college. teachers are concerned with the youngest portions of society; McCain is judging them based on what high school graduates did in 1957. That’s misleading.
Equally misleading is the idea that McCain looks solely at graduation with a four-year degree as the measure of post-secondary education. He ignores a huge sector of the educational experience and discounts the rise of the community college in America completely. There is not a single certified nursing assistant, licensed practical nurse, dental hygienist or radiology technician. Associate degrees in fields like business administration and accounting, engineering, and criminal justice are ignored. What makes McCain’s dismissal of such programs so irritating is his background in technology; he must know very well that some Cisco certifications are worth more (in terms of salary) than a college degree, but can be obtained in as little as nine months - and carry no college credit.
More "Don'ts" Than "Does"
Chapter Two of McCain’s book is entitled “Six Ways to Teach for Independent and Higher Level Learning.” The title is problematic. McCain spends much of the next 31 pages telling his readers how not to teach, without providing much in the way of the new models his title seems to promise. Teachers should not lecture, not primarily at least. They should not to present content without context. Teachers should not give away the answers by presenting student with the final products of their own thinking. Teachers shouldn't constantly “help” their students.
The one “way” to teach that McCain offers in the chapter is to stress problem solving over lecture. He describes role play as method for accomplishing this. The method offers promise. McCain’s sixth “way” is not an approach to teaching itself but to the evaluation of learning. The result is that McCain takes away much more than he gives in terms of teaching approaches is Chapter Two.
McCain's Attitude Toward Teacher
McCain’s repetition of variations of the phase “it took me years to learn this” gets tiresome at times. The book's tone gradually seems to become one of a patronizing false humility. The veil of that false humility parts briefly on page 22. McCain is writing about the need to provide context for content. He has created an exaggerated dichotomy between the “real” world and school. He is enjoining teachers to help student relate what they learn to the “real” world. And then he lets this slip:
- Perhaps establishing a connection between schoolwork and the real world is a challenge for teachers because many of them have spent little time in jobs outside the school system and thus do not have a broad base of work-world experience to draw upon.
Ouch! If you'd always suspected that teaching kids wasn’t really work, there's confirmation. Seriously though, the statement is insulting. All professions have their unique cultures. McCain’s statement is not only insulting, it reveals at least some of the basis for his real-world vs. school-world dichotomy.McCain's book is more useful at the secondary and middle school levels than in elementary school because of the growth of scripted curriculums. The more scripted your curriculum, the less freedom you have to implement McCain's suggestions. The chapter on problem solving skills is excellent and worth the investment involved in buying the book.
ConclusionsMcCain's book is more useful at the secondary and middle school levels than in elementary school because of the growth of scripted curriculums. The more scripted your curriculum, the less freedom you have to implement McCain's suggestions. The chapter on problem solving skills is excellent and worth the investment involved in buying the book.
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