12 Contrarian Statements
Saturday, November 30, 2013 at 07:16AM
Contrarian: : a person who takes an opposite or different position or attitude from other people. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrarian>
The introduction my friend and colleague Gail Dickinson once gave me before a conference keynote remains the one of which I am most proud:
Doug not only pokes holes in sacred cows but drags them into public places and commits indecent acts with them.
It is with great glee that I often tackle sacred cows, but I also like to think it is with great purpose as well. While I believe, to a degree, in the "wisdom of the crowd" philosophy, I also remember the old parenting adage, "If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff as well?"
Anyway, here are some positions I've taken that I hope have rocked the boat a little:
- Adhering to copyright's safe harbor guidelines and other non-user friendly fair use advice is unprofessional. See here and here and here.
- Technology should not transform education. I harbor deep skepticism about the ability of technology to change education in powerful and positive ways. Yes, sometimes technology can support (or even make possible) best teaching practices - but teaching and learning always come before the technology.
- Fixed schedules for librarians can be a good thing. There IS value in a library program that includes regularly scheduled classes.
- Collaboration is not always a good thing. Fine if it is a means to an end, but not an end in itself as library literature too often assumes. See here and here.
- State/national program standards are irrelevant. School libraries and technology programs should be tailor-made to suit individual schools rather than conform to a set of state or national standards.
- Education is not capable of large scale change. Society doesn't really WANT schools to change.
- Librarian offices are detrimental to effective libraries. Librarians should not have offices. Their desks should be on the floor. Where they are accessible to students and staff. Period.
- "Best of" lists are not in the best interest of PLNs. Even when one is on them.
- Requiring a print source in student research is not needed. No, one of the requirements of a term paper resource list is not print.
- That "21st Century Skills" are nothing new. We're just asking all students, not children of the wealthy to master them.
- Reading and writing are being trumped by media literacy. If you can't interpret and communicate in visuals and sound in this post-literate society, you're in trouble.
- Face-to-face educational experiences will always be better than online. Sorry, I have personally yet to experience an online class, presentation, MOOC, or meeting that even comes close to the learning I experience when working with others in real time, in the same room.
Patton is reputed to have said, "If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." If you are not quesitoning every movement, every philosophy, every change effort, every piece of leadership advice, every marketing gimmick, start.
Including not always agreeing with me.
Reader Comments (2)
Fantastic. I could have written this post. You may not be as contrary as you think! I would have added that I think PARP programs stink. Funny how I found this site via a top 50 librarian blogs... Looking forward to reading more.
Thanks, Allison. Is the PARP program you mention Parents as Reading Partners? Sounds rather benign to me so I must be missing something.
Doug