School Lines Why? The Limbics vs the Neocortecles Lester Flockton
lester.flockton@gmail.com
‘Start with Why’ is the title of a global best seller and the Over the past decade or two, education and schools have been third most watched TED talk. The author and presenter is subjected to an almost constant stream of others’ bright ideas leadership guru Simon Sineck, who is possibly best known for and thoughts that have begged the question, why? If they claim popularizing the concept of ‘the golden circle’. The golden circle their recipes for success are ‘evidence based’ (neocorteclismic) has three concentric rings. The outer ring is labelled ‘What’. or ‘aspirationally’ virtuous, yet our experience and intuitions Everyone knows what they do, says Sineck. The next ring is cast doubt on their validity for our particular circumstances ‘How.’ He says some know how they do what they do. The inner (limbicismic), then we should be asking why acquiesce? Sadly, ring is ‘Why’, and he claims very few people can explain why and all too often, the progenitors of their bright ideas also have they do what they do! the power to demand (e.g. National Standards). But that is not Yet according to Sineck’s research, all inspiring leaders begin the case with everything that should withstand the why question with why. Furthermore, his studies of these leaders reveal that as a precursor to acceptance or non-acceptance. Some examples: they typically and largely function Why, does our system persist with from the limbic system of the brain the Numeracy Project approach to – the part that is responsible for our Why is New Zealand mathematics, when there is repeated emotions, our intuitions, trust, loyalty, – and particularly some evidence that it is failing far too etc. On the other hand, those who many of our children and proving operate from the outer circles (the politicians and their burdensome for large numbers of what and the how) typically function teachers? from the neocortex, that part of the servants – reluctant to Why do we subscribe to the brain responsible for our rational and acknowledge the problem Ministry of Education’s literacy analytical thoughts and language. This progressions when they are clearly system enables us to cope with vast of disparity as a class inappropriate and unrealistic for so amounts of facts and figures. many children for whom the criteria It is easy to articulate how to issue, a phenomenon wider should be clear and uncomplicated? do something, but much more than the education system Why do far too many schools demanding to explain why, and and teachers follow the achievement perhaps even harder to satisfy the . . . objectives (AO’s) at the back end of why before deciding whether or The New Zealand Curriculum for not to proceed with or support this, that or the next and latest making judgements of achievement and progress, when they approach, guideline, panacea, policy, or practice. Or, more to the have been proved to be deeply flawed, for such a purpose? point, resisting the easy way of simply succumbing or swinging Why do far too many believe that measurement and data to someone else’s why you should do this, that, or the next thing are the cornerstones of improved teaching and student without attempting the rigorous challenge of why? achievement, when the huge and vast data tracking industry in National Standards, for example, proved it made very little It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain if any difference. a thought or idea without swallowing it. Aristotle Why do too many think that teacher inquiry should be mini Because others (politicians, some of their servants, researchers, research projects when it should more properly be part and parcel academics, neighbouring principals, so-called ‘expert teachers’) of day-to-day teaching practice (pedagogy). might believe in their why, should it follow that we should also Why are we pushing on with inequitable CoLs which were the believe in their why? I have reached the view that we should previous Government’s idea for raising student achievement, always examine their why by asking our own why, knowing that when there is little evidence that this is happening on a scale vast amounts of facts and figures produced or manufactured can relative to the ‘investment in educational success’? be as revealing of the neocortecles’ mindsets as much as the facts Why are so-called modern learning environments (open plan and figures themselves. The limbics, who are more inclined to barns) being foisted upon schools despite wafer-thin evidence of ask their own why are more strongly disposed to drawing on their superiority over more conventional environments where their experiences, their feelings, intuitions and hunches when pedagogy can be equally effective, if not more so? deciding whether or not to swallow a neocortecle’s why. Why is our system chronically incapable of providing the right