Teaching for Tomorrow is a short and practical book.  The first chapter frames the problem with an introductory section titled, “How I Discovered I was a Highly Educated Useless Person,” followed by the section, “How I Discovered I was Producing Highly Educated Useless People.”  The introduction then briefly compares skills needed for success in school with those needed for success in the “real-world.”  He closes by stating that it is time to rethink the way we teach.

 

The premise of the book is that we need to teach for independence.  In the second chapter, McCain describes the following six ways to do this:

1. We must resist the temptation to “tell.”

2. We must stop teaching decontextualized content.

3. We must stop giving students the final product of our thinking.

4. We must make a fundamental shift – problems first, teaching second.

5. We must progressively withdraw from helping students.

6. We must reevaluate evaluation.

 

The third and final chapter introduces a simple, but powerful, framework for solving problems.  I have used the 4D’s of problem solving in a variety of situations from curriculum design to strategic planning.  I also teach the 4D’s explicitly in many of my classes. McCain describes each “D” and places it in the context of a problem-based lesson.  He also provides example forms to help students organize the problem solving process.

 

The 4D’s of Problem Solving

Define the problem.

Design a solution.

Do – Put the design into action.

Debrief – How did it work?  Could we modify our solution to get better results?

 

Teaching for Tomorrow is a quick, but good read!