Creating A Shift In Education

Oliver Schinkten, educational transformation advocate.

For approximately 12 years, Oliver Schinkten was a teacher. He had passion, wanting to empower his students, wanting to make a difference, wanting to assist his students to become lifelong learners. In those years, there was a nagging question that his students brought to him: Why do we have to know this stuff? Why, indeed? Can those who require that students know certain things really tell them why they must know that? And why can't students direct where their education heads, what they learn? That is empowerment.

A few years ago, while he was still teaching, Oliver developed a community-based project learning pilot program at OSHKOSH NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. It was to provide students with hands on experiences that also would benefit the community. The program was a form of empowerment. As Mr. Schinkten said at the time, "After one year, I believe that we have done a marvelous job of changing the culture in our classroom into a collaborative group of altruistic and passionate lifelong learners. I am 100% dedicated and passionate about treating [student] with respect and helping them to change the world."



But Oliver Schinkten was feeling that he still wasn't completely preparing his students for the future, and he had promised himself and them that if he couldn't do that, he'd quit teaching. And so he did. But it wasn't to give up on the world of education. It was to speak out and advocate, in the name of students, for what was missing in education. It was "to empower those who are working to empower kids and deliver them the educational experience they deserve in order to be successful in everything they do in their future."

So, he developed ASSISTED SHIFT EDUCATION CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION, which he calls the "Wikipedia of 21st Century Resources". It contains resources, lessons, ideas, stories, and support for those who are committed to changing education. They send out a newsletter to subscribers to provide the latest information, there are blogs on compassionate learning and on transforming education, regular podcasts by the Bedley Brothers, multimedia projects, and Global School Play Day (GSPD) about incorporating play into the curriculum. There is also a section about the power of mentoring, giving students the power to change the world. The website is rich with information on the many aspects of education.

Most important of all, it is about educators and those who have an interest in education sharing ideas, doing what works and what makes sense. There is a sense of dynamism and empowerment just in looking at the website. Just remember, it all started with a teacher who had a few ideas - and it has grown into something a whole lot bigger.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/oliver-schinkten-oshkosh-north-high-school-oshkosh-wi/.

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