In Defense of ... Foundation Building

In 21st century America, we are in such a hurry, and most industries cater to that "need for speed." We correlate speed with excellence, and each new iteration and update of technology brings the same function, just faster. Faster is better, and every fiber of our being has been trained to align with this motto. We have little patience for a process that takes longer than we think it should; of course, in our hyper-tech world, a slow internet can turn debilitating for those who "need" a fast connection. While faster is better in some aspects of life, other things just take time. 

Building a strong educational foundation is one of those things that just takes time.

Unfortunately, many parents, students, teachers, and administrators have applied a rushed world paradigm to education, reducing the quality of the foundation that is built. We rush through textbooks, test out of classes, skim books, reduce memorization, and cut enrichment electives that don't progress us as quickly as possible to graduation. For some reason, we want to get to the end (graduation) as quickly as possible without appreciating the process. This is counter to everything we know about learning theory. Effective education is not a race; it takes time.

It is difficult to defend foundation building in education due to our information age, i.e., why build a knowledge base when I have all information at my fingertips (via my smartphone)? But I will try in this blog to defend the importance of building a strong foundation in education. 

In building a house or skyscraper, the foundation is essential; setting a strong foundation supports later construction. In fact, the deeper the foundation, the taller the potential building. If a contractor rushes through building the foundation and skips steps, he jeopardizes the entire process. In education, if students have not built a strong foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic (and all other subjects), they will be hindered in success at the higher levels of study. 

Schema Learning Theory

The schema learning theory (Piaget) emphasizes the importance of a strong foundation for deep learning. Paraphrasing the theory, we all have webs of knowledge (schemas) in our long term memory, and deep learning occurs when we attach new material to information already in our previously created knowledge schemas. We need to first build a schema (foundation of knowledge) in order to have new material "stick" in our brains. If we don't have a breadth of fully developed schemas, we don't have much to attach new knowledge to in our long term memory.

With smartphones and our "I can just 'google' it" mentality, our schemas are under-developed. Now, "googling" answers can get students quite far in education today, but the impact of a weak foundation will be seen later in the learning process. Without a strong foundation, students taking more difficult classes in high school and college will struggle. In short, according to the schema learning theory, they won't have anything in their brains in which to attach the new material. Deep learning will not occur.

Building Blocks

Although it takes time, students need the building blocks before advancing to higher level subjects. In theory, state standards help accomplish this by ensuring what is taught at each level is a building block for the next level. This is "schema" or foundation building.

In reality, students today have weakened foundations. This can come from a variety of things. Examples below come from the STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math).

1. Math Facts -- We have seen a reduction of time on computational math facts. Calculators can produce faster and more accurate answers, but they rob students of a strong math schema or foundation. Practicing the brain work of math computation without a calculator takes time but slowing down for work in this area will help students in the future.
2. Science -- Student engagement is important, but sometimes teachers design fun science lessons for engagement instead of teaching the foundational (but more boring) lessons. While student engagement is important, all lessons need to build a strong science foundation. 
3. Legos -- Parents replacing Legos during free time at home with video games or phones. Students will stay engaged with their gaming system or phone, but they are losing the creative and tactile learning that happens while building with Legos. Selecting free time activities (at home or school) that encourage problem-solving and creative or innovative thinking skills will help build a strong foundation.

Thinking of foundation building in the STEM subjects requires a coordinated scope and sequence with teachers at all levels. This is even more important in STEM than in the humanities as so much of math and science builds on previous knowledge.

Read Broadly and Deeply

Reading is one of the most time consuming modes of learning; however, it is essential to build a strong foundation, especially in the Humanities subjects. Students must read broadly to build a variety of knowledge schemas. A strong reading foundation is essential to succeed in higher level Humanities courses.

1. Just Read -- setting aside time during the school day to read is an essential foundation building activity. Adopt and promote programs like DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) or SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) will build a lasting foundation. Encouraging summer (or outside of school) reading will also help counter the anti-reading culture that students are fed at home and through the media.
2. Allusions come alive - Literature is filled with biblical and mythological allusions; if students don't know those stories, the richness of the allusion is lost. When I taught AP English in a Christian school (students with a relatively strong biblical schema), I spent time on mythology to build that schema. Rarely did we encounter advanced literature without references to the Bible or mythology. Without a strong foundation, these allusions would not have "stuck."
3. Material to synthesize -- Synthesis is a higher level cognitive skill, but students need a broad range of material to synthesize in essays, classroom discussions, and presentations. Students without a strong foundation have nothing to synthesize.

Be Foundation Builders

As educators, we need to see our jobs, at all levels, as being foundation builders (schema builders) so that students can thrive at the next level. It takes time to build a foundation, and we may not be able to get through the entire textbook or we might need to adjust our curriculum. It may mean we bring in Legos before embarking on a bridge building project or study the book of 2 Samuel before reading Dryden's "Absolum & Achitophel." Take time to diagnose the student's foundation and then design foundation building activities in the weak areas. It will pay off in deep learning. 

Building foundations (schemas) is important enough to slow down the educational train, especially as everything else in our world speeds up.