Some Confirmation in James Clear's Atomic Habits

Greetings all!

Like 9/10ths of the rest of you, I’ve been reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. Okay sure, maybe not the most original idea, but hey – I like the notion of maximizing my already efficient life, and this book has done two things: one, it’s confirmed some things about habits and good practices that I intuitively knew. Two, it’s offered several valuable insights that I have incorporated into my day-to-day and helped me become even more productive. I call it a win, and the book is a straight-forward read that you could easily knock out in a weekend. My advice: take notes.   

Anyway…I was pleased that a forward-thinking fellow critiques the use of so-called “tried and true” assessment methods in education. In a section on tracking habits, Clear laments how many of us are driven by a number rather than the purpose behind our goals, suggesting that the human mind wants to “win whatever game is being played.” So, I will forgive the use of the passive voice in this instance and voice my agreement. He states, “We focus on working long hours instead of getting meaningful work done. We care more about getting ten thousand steps than we do about being healthy.” And here’s the donut: “We teach for standardized tests instead of emphasizing learning, curiosity, and critical thinking.”

In my estimation, Clear sums things up accurately – and I might add, it’s our tendency to follow this track precisely because it is a well-worn road. Fellow teachers, please consider this: the realities of the present and future require that we challenge our students to think, not prepare for standardized tests. This will be more challenging for students but they’ll actually learn something and develop skills with practical applications. You might discover that this means greater effort on your part too! Yup, creating prompts, piecing together students’ thinking processes, and developing creative lesson plans allowing for viewpoint diversity are all things you’ll have to take more seriously. Unless of course, if simply “acing the test” is your goal. I hope not. Because at the end of the day, anyone can ace a test. It’s the kids who learned how to think and read evidence in sophisticated ways that will lead the path forward.   

With compliments,

Keith