The real experts of education reform | Oliver Sicat | TEDxOrangeCoast

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. "Empower our students and teachers, who are closest to the problems of learning, to make decisions", says Oliver Sicat. In his talk, Oliver explains how students, teachers and parents are the key to really impacting the education reform, and the education of tomorrow.

Oliver Sicat is the CEO of Ednovate, a personalized learning charter management organization founded in partnership with USC that is redesigning the American High School experience.

Before that Oliver served as Chief Portfolio Officer within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). As an executive cabinet member, he improved student achievement results for 403,000 students attending 675 schools.

Oliver has also been a successful teacher, non-profit founder and charter school principal. In 2006, Oliver was named Teacher of the Year in the Boston Public Schools, and his non-profit, Emagine, was nationally recognized for its work preparing first-generation college students for college. He moved to Chicago to build a school for the Noble Network of Charter Schools, and under his leadership, it became the #1 non-selective school in Chicago in 2011 and remains #1 today.

Oliver graduated from the University of Southern California and received his Masters degree from Harvard University

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[artsmashhh]

9 years later, still declining and still nobody fixes it. frustrating.

[timliddy]

What this is describing is what a Montessori system is. Just go into a AMI certified (that’s very important. Montessori learning program have been watered down over the last ten years or so) institute and watch the children work. It’s like a well-oiled machine. They are independent, mentors, and have the ability to use what they love and are truly interested in to go further with other curriculum.

Maria Montessori’s mantra was “follow the child”. She was not only a genius educator but also was ahead of her time.

[NicholasNerios]

An idea for a self paced schooling and higher education.

Proposed plan: all education would be funded by the government, to finance this we would tax business's based on educational needs per business and staffing requirements.

This ensures everyone can pace them selves in their education, removes the financial burdens on the student so they can stay focused on their career field, this ensures graduates are fully trained and capable when entering the job market.
Ai systems will most likely replace many careers in the educational system, but most learning would be remote and at the leisure of the individual, allowing for a more in depth course of study, reducing student failure and drop out.

Business's, governments, and entertainment fields would flourish.

[DubDubYT]

This man gets it. The more freedom an individual has in his or her educational experience, the more likely he or she will succeed. He mentions allowing students when, where, and how students should learn, which I agree with. But why not add allowing students to determine what they learn? Yes, there should be some set of common knowledge every student has, but there should also be a great deal of independent study of passions and interests. That in my opinion, would complete his system of schooling.

A few more suggestions/comments:
- A huge variable not being mentioned by many people is the attitudes possessed by students. I can speak for myself: sex, drugs, and alcohol are widespread at my school, and students don't care much at all about learning: they just want a good time, getting fucked up at parties and smoking weed all the time. I'd be a liar if I were to say that I haven't thought about trying living that kind of lifestyle. That said, I don't engage in these behaviors because I understand the cost of those actions and lifestyle, and I'm intrigued by how bright my future could be if I were to bust my ass in school. If only my peers had the same perspective.

- My biggest gripe with my schooling is the homework and assigning of any additional work, like projects or essays to do in my "free time". Homework is time-consuming, tedious, and more often than not unhelpful. If I feel like I need to reinforce my learning, I can study my notes, or Google any help or explanation I need. What homework really does is steal my time, and this time could be spent on getting a job or pursuing my other hobbies and passions


Well that's it. If our education system could model what this man said and what I've added, I truly think the United States would be back on top of the world in terms of education.

[wyatttill]

A very practical solution to the problem packed into a great speech. I would like to see how this works in person. I have a hard time understanding how a teacher is expected to juggle a "free learning environment" as Oliver suggests.

How do we get kids to want to learn without making costly changes? Bring in speakers in different fields to teach new content once a week. This is how kids build aspirations....which leads to a desire to learn.

[phemelototwew]

Montessori education has been there for years with l the solutions to how education should be but still, the world refuses to embrace it and nowadays everybody wants to rectify education, I just don't get it

[meg-zvdm]

i aspire to be a math professor. i love math, it's my passion, and i truly started loving math because of my eighth grade algebra teacher. i had some crappy teachers after that, but that love stuck with me. and when i met my trig professor at college, he inspired me to become a professor myself. i just wish there was more i could do than be one teacher. i keep up with politics and i've never thought of it as a profession but i am so passionate about education reform

[thsone]

I hope he is doing more ted talks. Cuz we need his education ethics more than anything today

[anthonyguiso]

An interesting study in progressive education. I noticed this video is 5 years old, and would be interested in seeing how it has developed since the recording of this presentation, and if Ednovate is adding new ideas to distance learning during the 2020-2021 school year. 👏👏👏

[jjc]

No reform will change education for the better if the root of the problem is not addressed. The root of the problem is the American culture. People in the US don’t value education and make it a priority. Americans parents treats public schools as day care centers. What academic institution lets students pass their classes with doing one assignment the entire school year? Government can keep throwing money into the school system, not they do at all, instead cut the budget, but that is not the problem, not money, it’s Americans and Americans parents’ philosophy and thinking of what they think an education system is to provide for them vs what the real purpose of the system is and what is it there for, that is to educate, not to babysit. Parents takes kids out of school for a vacation during the school year and drops them back off when they want. What about the kids academics, and missing work, not to worry, the teacher will excuse it, cause parents complains to the principal. This is why America is ranked almost dead last in academics compared internationally with other countries. Very sad.

[yaimavol]

If I had an Asst Principal poking their head in my class every day telling me where I'm supposed to be in the book, that would happen once or twice, and then it wouldn't happen again. I would be poking my head in his office.

[victoriamatthews]

You need to solve the archaic structure of the school system that nobody addresses. Sports and socials promoted by the schools are more important to most students than academics. Perhaps, these are the reasons why foreign students are more advanced academically compared to American students.
Indeed, schools are microcosms of society. Most students are not interested in education when they are bombarded with the media’s message of fame and wealth. On the average, NBA players make $5.15 million, and according to Forbes, actor Will Smith's net worth is estimated at $260 million. Teachers are underpaid, over-worked, manipulated by administrators, pressured by parents, and are not admired by most students.

[Tutored_Sauvage]

"I taught high school math and loved everyday of it" this guy is clearly a liar dude

[frattaro]

It's an incremental improvement. I don't think it addresses a number of fundamental issues with modern education. I'd love to see how many students remember how to reverse-FOIL a polynomial 5-years out -- is it useful to teach that if they don't pursue that?


It's still bottom-up teaching - in math, we have calculators - you could empower students much more and faster by teaching them how to use a calculator to solve problems, and then if they're really interested in the mechanics of how the human brain processes addition, they should be free to explore that.


Like melody with her algebra tiles - what if she were able to pursue art full time - leading her into the geometry of typography - backfilling the math when necessary. She wouldn't be learning algebra because it's prescribed for 14 year old children, but rather she'd be learning it because she wants to be better at art. She'd likely be earning royalties on the typographic sets she created before she's 18.

[marcjones]

This is great, but I knew how to factor polynomials in middle and high school. Never used it in any job, because MOST people will never use more than basic algebra at a job or in life. That is a waste of most people's time. Our public education needs to teach tangible skills for better paying careers in todays work force. Begin teaching trades, medicine, and technology in middle and high schools... Teach trigonometry in college for astronomers and engineers who will actually use it.

[sunset]

The book "Bad Biz: Your Guide to Starting a For Profit College" by Corin Devaso is an interesting read. It's satire that shows how some colleges scam.

[donmayers]

I do understand the need for autonomy and freedom with in the educational sector. However the cost would astronomical.

[sleepingmelons]

24000 views? smh I wonder how many people actually want to see reform? In my opinion this is a pretty serious issue here in the US, wait cant I just move to Canada eh?

[TEZAFIM]

Students’ mental health should be a priority, but i feel this is rooted by common issues, which are becoming huge concerns for high school and college students today, making education almost a pure form of stress. such as how they are simply being swamped with homework and pressure to complete this homework. this wouldn’t be such a large issue if not combined with the education that is not needed, as they come with work that adds up and overwhelms students. it seems like if anything we need to wipe this education system off the map and start over, but that’s not what we want. the easy way to fix this would be to cut homework completely out of the picture, and while this is not entirely necessary, it would make school as easy as it should be for teens and young adults in the blink of an eye. BUT, they would still be going to class an hour a day, 5 days a week, to learn physics, when they really want to become an english teacher. Those are some of the roots of the mental health issues and low GPA that our country is facing today. Personally, i am somewhat of a skilled learner, but i see that understanding is not easy for every student because of how teachers teach, or maybe how they are allowed to teach. i think we should start by making the whole thing easy enough, because let’s be honest, it shouldn’t be hard. students should be able to come to school and learn what they want or need to learn, simple as that. the way grading depends on homework rather than understanding is blasphemous. i want an education system where everyone can learn what they want without any restrictions or pressure. how can we achieve this? make grades and labor independent, or take extra labor out of the picture. create a learning environment for learning rather than for working. make school feel more rewarding. very, very smart students are dropping out today because they don’t feel smart in school, they don’t feel like school is making them smarter, or they feel like school takes up too much of their time. many student just see the flaws in the system and don’t want anything to do with it. yet many are still in belief that you have to go to school, and then college after that, to do big things. the way things are looking right now, if you are well educated, you should avoid college at all costs because all it will do is take time, energy, and money, and there is still a chance of failure. even for the well educated. the problem: college and high school are the same, only minors are required to get a high school education. at least some students can get a high school education online, right?

[youngidealist]

Teach factoring polynomials with prime numbers. It's mechanical, not a jedi mind trick.