Teaching to the Test

What do we lose when schools teach to the test? Aside from the obvious loss of meaning and debasement of content, we lose the chance to tap into the joys and engagement of experiential learning.

In the past I learned that from attending The Penland School of Crafts and absorbing printmaking techniques from the students around me. How did I learn printmaking there? I learned by failure, success, stumbling, and striving, and often by frustration.

Sometimes activities, like scuba diving, seem so technical at first that it seems impossible to achieve the required skill. Even after I had my scuba certification I had my difficulties. But as one of my diving buddies told me, "Getting your certification is just a license to learn."

Why can't we see that our children need a "license to learn".