Dennis Harper Keynotes Brazilian "Educator 2001" Conference

Dr. Dennis Harper spoke on the topic, "Students: The Forgotten Majority in Our Schools."

May 5, 2001 � Sao Paulo, Brazil

I am writing this in Brazil after having spent a week visiting schools and talking to educators from primary schools to colleges of education. This morning I had the humbling experience of delivering the keynote speech at the Educator 2001 conference in Sao Paulo. In spite of the fact that they listened to me, I really felt that I was there to listen to them. 18,000 educators came together and clearly said, "I care about students." The numbers of educators and the clear dedication to transforming the education process to better their country was overpowering.

Brazil has recently decided to purchase 100,000 computers for schools over the next few years in an attempt to teach both technology skills and improve learning. This large nation and economy have many of the same problems that beset the United States � the digital divide, inadequate school facilities, little Internet connectivity, a teacher shortage, antiquated curriculum, and an overemphasis on testing. Brazil also has a long history with utilizing technology in ways that allow students to construct their own knowledge, e.g., Logo is still a strong force in many schools.

The title of my address this morning was �Students: The Forgotten Majority in Our Schools.� The main points were:

• Students make up 92% of K-12, posses 95% of the technology know-how, and are 100% of why schools exist.
• It took the United States 143 years to grant women the right to vote and contribute to society and 192 years for African Americans to fully have the right to vote and contribute to society. Yet 225 years after the birth of the U.S., students (78 million kids under 18 years old) have little say about their schooling.
• Dan Tapscott�s observation that for the first time in history students know more than their teachers about a subject fundamental to society.
• By inverting the teaching paradigm, we could attain the promise of technology in education. Instead of training teachers with technology skills in order to improve student learning, we must train students with technology skills in order to improve teachers� teaching.
• That can we only improve schools with students and educators working together.
• And most importantly - Students need to be the change agents and not the objects of change.

In the recent history of schooling, the prevailing paradigm has been that students are taught and teachers teach. The teachers have the knowledge, and it is delivered to the students. Therefore, in this world view, the teachers must be taught the content before they can disseminate it to the students. When applied to technology, this means that teachers have to be taught the technology, and only then they can deliver that knowledge to students.

However, we are at a stage in history where this is not true, and definately not practical. We have tried to teach technology to teachers and primarily failed. Report after report shows that teachers feel inadequately prepared to bring technology into the classroom. We blame the teachers, blame the technology and blame the students. This is false. It is the paradigm that is wrong - we must find a way to allow the students to bring their comfort with technology to the table and share it.

It is not necessary for teachers to have all the technology skills � the students can do the technology and the teachers can provide the content. This in no way disempowers the teacher or means they lose control. The teachers have the pedogogical knowledge and the wisdom, the students have skill, time and energy. Together they can use these skills to change the learning environment for the better.

As I spoke, I was concerned that the audience was too large and diverse, and that my points would be lost like a pebble in the ocean. I listened as my words were instantly translated into Portugese by an amazing young woman who was fluent in five languages. It made me speak more slowly than usual, and gave me time to think about the impact of every line. The crowd was polite but enthusiastic and cheered at my slightly delayed points, and yet I wondered what they really thought.

However, after the speech, there was the opportunity for the audience to give comments and ask questions. I was taken aback by how quickly this audience not only understood but embraced the philosophy.

• A physics teachers from southern Brazil - �I can tell you that the Gen Y philosophy works because in my Physics classes, it is the students that help me utilize technology to teach the subject.�
• The director of education for the municipality of Sao Paulo (a city with more than 25 million people) � �You have given me some good ideas and I will share them with the Mayor on Monday and attempt to collaborate more with our students in designing educational practices.�
• A university professor of teacher education � �You have caused me to rethink my philosophy of education and how we need to train our future teachers.�
• The director of distance education programs for Brazil � �I can now see that we need to involve the students both in the technological and pedagogical aspects of our distance learning model.�

I leave Brazil with high hopes for technology infusion both here and in the United States. Most importantly, high hopes for the future of including students in the process of improving schools. There is simply no way to leave students out of the equation - they are too important a part of the process and are the only group large enough to provide the much-needed resources to complete this huge task ahead of us. We simply cannot afford to continue to ignore 92% of the population. We need their help, their motivation, and their energy to be directed towards authentic solutions to implementing technology in our schools.

Forward,

Dennis Harper

May 5, 2001