Understanding Design Through Subtraction
“We need to look closely at our schools and figure out everything that we don’t need to be doing anymore.”
“Pundits call for ‘accelerating learning’ as if teachers have been doing ‘unnecessarily slow’ learning all those years.”
Subtracting Communications
And I got almost to the closing line, and I thought, “Number one, if I send this, they’re all going to reply to me tonight when they should be with their families or doing some something fun. And number two, I would get better information if I just called them all on my way to work.”
Subtracting Rules
Subtracting Bureaucracy
Subtracting Curriculum
Related Resource
For more stories of Subtraction in Action, listen to MIT’s TeachLab podcast at TeachLabPodcast.com.
Getting Started with Subtraction
Reflect & Discuss
➛ In what ways is subtracting harder than adding new programs and initiatives?
➛ Start small—what’s one program or process you could eliminate from your school or classroom that isn’t an effective use of time?
➛ How do you think simplifying programs or curriculum in your school would affect staff morale and efficacy?
References
Adams, G. S., Converse, B. A., Hales, A. H., & Klotz, L. E. (2021). People systematically overlook subtractive changes. Nature, 592(7853), 258–261.
Klotz, L. (2021). Subtract: The untapped science of less. Flatiron Books.
Mehta, J., & Fine, S. (2019). In search of deeper learning: The quest to remake the American high school. Harvard University Press.
Mehta, J., & Peeples, S. (2020). Marie Kondo the curriculum. [Blog post]. Shanker Blog.
Reich, J., Buttimer, C. J., Fang, A., Hillaire, G., Hirsch, K., Larke, L. R., et al. (2020). Remote learning guidance from state education agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic: A first look. EdArXiv.