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The "How" Can Not Be an Excuse

Once the "what" is decided, the "how" always follows. We must not make the "how" an excuse for not facing and accepting the "what."

Quote by Pearl Buck

I recently came across this quote. It struck a chord with me. How often do we give up on a great idea, because we disagree on the "how."?

Comments

  1. Michael WalkerApril 20, 2009 at 3:57 AM

    Interesting...
    When some teachers talk about writing curriculum, they often focus on the "how", as opposed to the "what"! I think for curriculum directors, it may be just the opposite! ;-)
    I thought your recent post on the debate over content vs. 21st Century skills ties in to this... They are not mutually exclusive!
    The 21st Century skills show HOW the WHAT will be taught/learned!

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  2. dzukorApril 20, 2009 at 4:59 AM

    Thanks for your comments Michael. I hadn't thought about it that way. I was thinking in terms of people using the "how" as an excuse to stop trying new things. For example, incorporating more Internet research into your course may be the what. Teachers might agree that this is an important skill to be taught in class. However, we often see moving to a new way of doing things as difficult so we use the "how" as a reason not to start doing more research.

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