Perspectives in Education: Relating to Tony Wagner

Question: Choose a quotation related to education. It might be a quote from lecture, a quote from the list posted here, or a quote you found independently. In a post, unpack that quote. Think about what it makes possible and impossible in education. What does it say about the teacher, about the student? How does it related to your own understandings of curriculum and of school?

Quote: “What matters today. . . is not how much our students know, but what they can do with what they know.” -Tony Wagner

As a future educator, my goal is to teach students things that will stick with them forever and benefit their future, while allowing creativity to let them strive to be whoever they want. This quote by Tony Wagner supports who I want to be as a teacher as well as how I want my students to learn through the tools I provide. This quote says “What matters today. . . is not how much our students know, but what they can do with what they know.” To begin unpacking this quote, I will explain some of the things that I find this quote makes possible and impossible.

This quote makes it possible for me as a teacher to provide knowledge for my learners that they can apply now and in the future. This quote forms a possible outcome, but it also creates impossibilities. What is impossible is simply what they don’t know, so when they’re faced with a situation that they have not experienced, then it may not have a positive outcome or the student may become frustrated and possibly give up.

When reading this quote, it says different yet similar things about the teacher and students. The teacher needs to understand what level the students can comprehend and teach to that level because the teacher can’t teach everything, yet when it comes to the student, they can only learn and retain so much. The teacher provides the basics so the students can apply knowledge for their age, however, we may not be teaching them enough, and therefor they miss out on some things. Additionally, there are some students who understand and can apply their learning beyond the concept and others who don’t understand the basic learning, therefor holding back some students who do not realize their full potential.

Throughout school I learnt things that either stuck with me, or did not. Curriculum is designed to set out a guide for teachers, they then adjust these teachings to suit the needs of all students at a level that will be comprehended by the majority. At the time I often found that the curriculum provided was not always useful for my future, as time went on I realized that lots of the things I thought I would never need again were becoming apart of my daily life. The knowledge I gained from school and the curriculum taught me important everyday life skills and gave me the foundational knowledge that has allowed me to peruse an education degree so I can pass that on to other students.