False Dichotomy

Too often in education we distil complex issues to simple dichotomies of right and wrong, black and white, pass or fail. We have noticed that one divisive dichotomy is a long-standing debate that seeks to define the pedagogical model that is best suited for teaching our students.

Conventional teaching, which has been in place in its current form for more than 100 years, is focused on what is called 'direct' or 'explicit instruction' which are types of a 'passive learning' models. The colloquial expression for this approach to teaching is Sage on the Stage.

An alternative model of teaching emerged in the last century using an 'active learning' model that morphed into several pedagogies, such as 'inquiry-based' and 'project-based' learning. These models fall under the banner of Constructivism. Here, the role of the teacher is seen as different, sometimes expressed as 'guide on the side'. The theories and practices of this model go back to Piaget, Dewey, Montessori, and others.

As we seek to understand this debate, it may be helpful to recognize that the types of thinking encouraged by these two models are fundamentally different. The first model encourages 'convergent thinking' where the knowledge is defined and the answer is known. The second model encourages 'divergent thinking' where the knowledge and the answer are to be discovered.

The way forward is understanding that in the complexity of learning in the context of schools, we are hamstrung by such simplistic 'black and white' arguments. In our attempt to understand and control we fail to learn.

What many might fail to recognize is that this debate between passive learning and active learning obscures a deeper truth about the role of both convergent and divergent thinking in the creative process. Both are essential. We need Learning Rather Than Schooling.