A lightbulb turns on.
Edison sits at his chair, enraptured. What does he see? A superheated carbonised bamboo filament encased in glass? Of course. An illuminated room? To be sure. A business opportunity? Certainly.
However, what made Edison a genius was that he saw more than that. Edison saw possibilities. A lightbulb went off. He saw movie cameras, the first x-ray machines, a way to get electric power first to every home in the country, and eventually to the entire world. His invention now powers our cities, our cultures, even our language and very way of thought! What lessons can we take about teaching from this allegory?
When we focus on just the facts, we often can’t see the forest for the trees. If we instruct students in content alone – things they must know and be able to do – we don’t create Edisons. If we instruct our students in concepts as well – ‘big ideas’ that they can take with them for the rest of their lives – we encourage them to think about content like an innovator would.
At PFL, we want our students to not just know the facts, but to understand how to use them.