Abstract
In What Really Matters?, Bernard Bull argues that “meaning” in education should not be abandoned for “trends, unexamined policies and practices, or political positioning” (p. ix). Bull encourages his readers to reflect deeply on those issues which provide the foundation for a humane, authentic educational system that engages its learners.
Because the current trend among many educators is to adopt the approach which is best for most students, some students’ gifts, talents, and abilities remain undetected. Bull emphasizes the need to identify and cultivate these differences in learners. According to Bull, “For education to have the greatest impact, it must teach and celebrate commonalities while placing just as much (maybe more) attention on the uncommon that is present in each person” (p. 8).
Bull addresses testing and assessment as his second issue. He states that “the testing tail wags the educational dog” (p. 13). The author suggests that educators are more concerned with how well students perform on academic assessments rather than on how much students have learned. Bull refutes this “deficiency model” in favor of identifying students’ strengths and fortifying them.
Academic credentialism is the next topic of discussion. Bull does not view academic credentials as the panacea of society’s greatest social needs. Credentialism leads to exclusion and provides no avenue for the self-taught. Bull argues that a credential does not guarantee a competent person or a person with character.
Following credentialism is the issue of non-cognitive skills. Educators’ overemphasis upon standardized tests minimizes skills such as “grit, courage, conscientiousness, integrity, personal ownership, the capacity to postpone gratification, collaboration skills, the ability to plan and prioritize, and many others” (p. xii). Researchers have found that high GPAs and standardized scores do not guarantee academic success.
After addressing wasted talents, gifts, and abilities; testing and assessment; credentialism; and non-cognitive skills, the author focuses on agency. Bull suggests that teachers nurture independence and agency in their students. Educators should seek to develop self-directed learners so that students can accomplish a task without teacher input.
Giving all learning purpose and meaning is Bull’s next area of attention. In the author’s own words, “Meaning matters” (p. 59). When “the school leaders, teachers, parents, and others are of one voice on the core elements of who they are, what they are and why they are,” (p. 59) then more emphasis can be placed on students’ well-being, engagement, learning, and calling.
Relatively new to the educational world is the “digital divide.” The reasons for this divide are many: self-restrictions, low access, limited training, lack of immersion, restricted access, and unlimited access. Educators are charged with the responsibility of growing confidence and cultivating competence in their students toward technology so that their students can utilize technology to its greatest advantage. Technology has its advocates and its opponents. Some supporters view technology as “the savior from our greatest social and human needs” (p. 70). Others highlight the negative aspects of technology. Bull considers both the positive and negative facets of technology and chooses, ultimately, to support technology because it increases access, opportunity, and democratic values.
Velammal Vidhyashram, an eighth-grade student who is already operating his own business, guides the discussion of the ninth educational issue, “Vocation and Work.” Vidhyashram recommends three steps to guide students to a rich educational experience and to a determination of their call: (i) identification of the problems in the world; (ii) evaluation of which problems compel students to act; and (iii) utilization or acquisition of knowledge to address those problems about which students are passionate.
Bull closes his book with a defense of the liberal arts as tools to cultivate literate, thinking citizens who “will promote and uphold the principles of a democracy” (p. 94). These foundational ideas should be addressed throughout society because they help individuals understand “calling, purpose, mission, agency, humanity, even what it means to be educated” (p. 96).
The author effectively challenges his readers to think critically about the issues facing contemporary educators and succeeds in clearly communicating his thoughts to both general public and scholarly audiences. However, for some readers, the inclusion of additional analysis, grounded in literature, might be desired for a more comprehensive and persuasive understanding of What Really Matters in contemporary education.