81
Volume:
2018
,
November

The Purpose of Purpose

Submitted By:
William "Bee" Stribling, Ed.M Candidate, Klingenstein Center, New York, NY

Teaching for Purpose: Preparing Students for Lives of Meaning by Heather Malin
Harvard Education Press, October 16, 2018 

Heather Malin, TC '01, has spent the last ten years at the Stanford University Center on Adolescence. From this experience, and based on her research, she has reflected on how cultivating a sense of purpose is essential to reaching all students. Her book provides educators with concrete examples of how young people can develop purpose in different domains and the capacity for meaningful participation in the world around them. She balances out the real world stories of meaning making with a theoretical framework that underpins the need for creating a purpose for those we teach. All educators should be able to teach for transfer; a great way to do so is to give students a chance to contribute to something "larger than the self." Malin challenges her readers to think about how they can create self-directed learners that are both innovative and critical thinkers. In an educational world where the goals of learning and what we assess are often at odds, effective teachers can agree that students who feel like they belong, are motivated, and are participating in their own education are more likely to find a purpose in and out of the classroom.

Categories
Teaching Practice
Science of Learning