I’ve been thinking about something I read in Who Not How by Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan. It’s a really insightful book if you’re up for an unsolicited recommendation.
Our education systems are brilliant at teaching competition but, frankly, appalling at teaching collaboration.
We rank. We grade. We scale. We pit kids against each other in quiet little academic races. We celebrate the ‘top’ and gently forget the rest.
And that’s the opposite of what the research says our kids need for future success.
The world our kids are going into doesn’t reward the smartest individual. It rewards the best collaborator.
The people who can build bridges, work as a team, share ideas, and connect others – those are the ones winning at life. It’s not a hunch, it’s proven.
The world rewards people who find other ‘whos’ to make their big dreams happen and to solve big problems. And it simply doesn’t reward adults who’ve been conditioned to think their own isolated performance, effort or ability is what’s required of them.
Want to get fit? A who in the form of a personal trainer or coach to work with is a huge advantage.
Want to be financially stable? How about finding a clever advisor who rather than studying lengthy, arduous degrees in accountancy and economics.
The world recognises not those who ‘do it yourself’ but those who ‘do it with others’.
And if we’re honest about our contribution to that in schools…?
Some of the current push toward direct and explicit instruction is dragging teachers away from developing collaborative skills. We’re spending more time delivering and testing. We’re spending less time compelling kids to solve, discuss, negotiate, create and wrestle with ideas together.
School leaders, I’ve got a question for you: Is your school a place where connection is just encouraged… or is it engineered?
A timetable that ensures, rather than hopes for, collaboration. A pedagogy that designs for it. A culture that expects it.
Because if we’re just teaching content, we’re giving them half an education. Connection isn’t the warm fuzzy extra. It’s the skill that future-proofs the students in your care right now.
Well may we constantly announce that we want our kids to be successful beyond their days in our schools. But where’s the proof?
Keep fighting that good fight,
P.S. I hope you can join me for my PL workshops across Australia and New Zealand.
We’ll tackle student engagement, teacher burnout, and behaviour challenges – not with theory, but with proven, practical strategies grounded in solid research and a relentless focus on relationships.
Two major pain points. Two workshops. One game-changing approach.
Restorative Teaching: The Next Frontier of Student Engagement Workshop
For Teachers and Education Practitioners
Dates, locations and registrations
Leading Whole School Behaviour Improvement Workshop
For Principals and Aspiring School Leaders
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