Formal, sterile, and academic

As schools ponder the difference between "instruction" and "learning" and faces with standardized tests that demand the first and not the second, they have to eliminate one little thing that gets in the way -- a child's curiosity. Here are some ways to squelch curiosity, provided by Terry Heick in an article on Alternet:

* The teacher decides what is to be learned when and how.

* Insist there is one right answer. Focus on that, not the questions or the process of getting the answer.

* Make sure learning technology sticks to firm boundaries. And YouTube doesn't.

* Use collaboration to avoid individual thought and reflection.

* Avoid art, music, or physical movement.

* If there is no data showing a teaching method works, don't use it.

* Keep lessons formal, sterile, and academic. Certainly don't use family traditions, cultural legacy, and individual talents.

* If it is not planned, it is play. If it is play, it isn't learning.

* Focus only on the standards.

* Be careful not to show your own curiosity.