25 Common Education Mistakes We Can Fix Right Now

Everybody makes mistakes. The fact is that people and organizations run by people are subject to human error at every turn. Schools are no different, but these are some common education mistakes we can fix right now. 

The points below are from a TeachThought article written by Terry Heick, who prepares us well for an introspective journey toward improvement. Addressing how we can transform education mistakes into meaningful moments of progress must be at the forefront of our personal and collective development as educators. Says Terry:

"What mistakes do we constantly make in education that hold us back from the best versions of ourselves? From realizing our collective potential as a construct, field, and industry? What mistakes do we make over and over and over again, expecting a different result each time?"

Here is a quick look at some of Terry's big list. Read his full article on TeachThought.

25 Education Mistakes We Must Strive to Fix

1. Forgetting learning should be fun.
2. Stigmatizing failure.
3. Assuming all kids need to know the same things.
4. Planning backwards from standards.
5. Starting school at 7 o’clock in the morning.
6. Building big schools and expecting personalization.
7. Prioritizing uniformity while expecting creativity.
8. Teaching content instead of thinking.
9. Reducing understanding to letters and numbers.
10. Talking about ideas instead of their effects.
11. Valuing answers over questions.
12. Failing to protect, optimize, support, innovate, and otherwise increase teacher planning time.
13. Designing curriculum based on content instead of thinking and action.
14. Forgetting that play is the highest form of learning. 
15. Looking backward instead of forward.
16. Resisting allowing technology to radically alter our classrooms.
17. Treating curriculum as if it is linear.
18. Blaming technology when the pedagogy is bad, and vice versa.
19. Failing to compensate for the heart-breaking conditions some students live in.
20. Confusing the terms rigorous, complex, challenging, and difficult.
21. Separating curriculum, assessment, instruction, and technology.
22. Valuing teacher compliance over teacher capacity.
23. Letting teachers talk more than students.
24. Under-valuing relationships with students (including formal mentoring programs).
25. Thinking of school as “college and career prep.”

Read 52 Mistakes We Need To Stop Making In Education on TeachThought.

Additional Reading

• Here’s Why Social-Emotional Learning Belongs in Our Schools
• Why Some Students Dislike School But Love Education
• 10 Empowering Messages to Share With Your Students