Overview
Published in 2015, Matt Miller’s first book offers educators a roadmap for how to break free from “textbook mentality” and start innovating with technology in their classrooms.
Although full of specific strategies for how to use education technology, its primary purpose is to jolt educators out of a fixed mindset about what it means to teach, a mindset, he argues, exemplified by the outdated relic of the classroom textbook. He implores educators to “ditch” stodgy textbook teaching strategies (boring lectures, quiet reading in rows, mindless worksheets) and embrace a messier, less structured, more authentic, and more engaging approach to educating our students.
The shift Miller advocates obviously involves using a lot of new technology in lieu of textbooks, but he also compels teachers to consider whether or not the majority of traditional structures and practices in public education should be tossed out along with the old textbooks.
Written in plainspoken English, with relatable humor, anecdotes from his teaching career, and pithy insights about the antiquated nature of our nation’s public education system, Miller’s book is aimed primarily at the tech-neophyte, though there are plenty of nuggets to keep a more experienced tech integrator engaged and interested.
About the Author:
Matt Miller started his career as a high school Spanish teacher in Indiana, where he taught for over ten years before becoming a full-time educational consultant. After years of blogging and presenting at local and national conferences about the innovative strategies he was using in his classroom, he published his first book, Ditch That Textbook, through Dave Burgess Consulting (of Teach Like a Pirate). Now, Miller is a full-time consultant, blogger, podcaster, YouTuber, and conference speaker and presenter. In 2017, he co-authored Ditch That Homework with Alice Keeler, and in 2019, co-authored Don’t Ditch That Tech with Nate Ridgway and Angelia Ridgway. His latest book, Tech Like a Pirate, is forthcoming.
If you’re interested in learning more about Miller’s transition from the classroom to full-time consulting, listen to this informative podcast interview.
Major Themes:
1. Textbook Teaching is an Antiquated Mentality
You would be forgiven for presuming Ditch That Textbook to be a how-to guide for how to replace analog resources with digital media (at least that was my assumption!). Though he does offer many specific “ditch textbook” strategies, in reality Miller is making a much broader argument about the need for educators to free themselves from the restrictions of “pedestrian teaching practices” (lecturing, asking students to take notes, handing out worksheets) in order to open themselves up to experimenting, innovating, taking risks, all in service of being more authentic, more effective teachers for students.
At the core of his argument is the truth that textbook style teaching emerged out of the Industrial Age in order to produce good factory workers. Now that we’re in the Digital Age, our teaching practices should shift accordingly.
2. Technology Has Changed the Role of the Educator
Whether we like it or not, students no longer rely on schools and teachers to provide them with information. With all information readily available at any moment, teachers are no longer the sole purveyors of knowledge. Students know this, and teachers would be wise to adjust to this new reality.
Instead of being the “sage on the stage,” Miller argues that the role of the educator in the Digital Age is that of facilitator and curator of information. Just because the Internet knows more than a single teacher doesn’t mean that students don’t need us. Students still require guidance as they navigate the digital world and teachers should be their “virtual-learning, travel guides.”
3. The Best Educators Continually Learn
In order to be innovative, relevant educators for today’s students, teachers need to stay connected to the broader teaching community, and must be open and willing to continually learn and grow.
Miller argues that the main way teachers can stay plugged into what’s new and innovative is by regularly reading blogs and books, being active on Twitter, and attending conferences when possible. Staying connected also means keeping up with what’s popular and trending with students and incorporating those trends into your teaching. Here, he cites the example of Minecraft as an opportunity to create learning opportunities out of what students are choosing to do with their free time.
Continual learning isn’t just good for teachers, it also models a key skill students will need in order to be prepared for the future: the ability to continually learn, unlearn, and relearn new information.
4. Content is Meant to be Shared
Whether it’s students sharing what they’ve created with the outside world, or teachers sharing what they’ve created with other teachers, content is meant to be shared.
Miller argues that students will find a greater sense of purpose in their work if they are asked to share it with others in their community, or across the globe. Similarly, he implores teachers who try new strategies to share what they are doing with the greater teaching community so that we might all learn from each other.
5. Technology is No Longer Optional
In order to meet the evolving needs of today’s students, teachers have to teach with technology.
Miller argues that teachers who resist teaching with technology unintentionally perpetuate the fact that the world of education is increasingly siloed off from the rest of the real world. In the real world, answers to questions can be found instantaneously through a device that fits in the palm of the hand; in the world of education, the teacher holds the keys to knowledge and students are still asked to lug around heavy textbooks that supposedly contain special knowledge in their backpacks. In the real world, record almost all information digitally; in the world of education students are still being asked to write in notebooks and create assignments mostly with pencil and paper. Of course the metaphor of schools isolated from reality extends to mindsets as well.
Teaching with technology doesn’t necessarily make one an innovative or even effective teacher, but Miller argues that to neglect teaching with technology ignores the way information is created and shared in today’s world, and inadequately prepares students for the world in which they live.
6. Relinquish control, don’t be afraid to take risks, but don’t think you have to do everything all at once.
Stepping away from the comfort and structure of textbook curriculums likely means stepping into the unknown.
Trying new things and putting students in the driver’s seat can be scary, we’re bound to make mistakes along the way, and things aren’t always going to go as planned. Miller wants us to know that innovating is messy and imperfect, but so is the world, so that’s kind of the point! Plus, students who see teachers taking risks, and inevitably making mistakes as they go, will likely be much more comfortable to take risks themselves.
However, just because you’re trying to innovate doesn’t mean you have to suddenly throw every single thing you do into the trash can all at once. Here, Miller tells a story about the time he tried to go 100% digital all in one go, only to have the endeavor blow up spectacularly in his face. Upon reflection, he realized he had moved too fast, and that some activities were actually best done on paper. Miller wants us to know that small changes can have a big impact, and making a couple of intentional shifts per school year is often more effective than wholesale change. That said, if you’re inclined to rewrite your entire long-term plan and throw out the old completely, he doesn’t want you to be afraid to do that either.
Recommendation:
Overall, Ditch That Textbook is a balanced blend of specific “ditch textbook” strategies with a broader pedagogical theory communicated in easy-to-read language.
Although Ditch That Textbook is primarily directed toward educators who might know they want to make a change, but aren’t sure how to take the plunge, teachers at all stages of experience with integrating technology can get something out of Miller’s book. I, for example, was inspired by Miller’s insistence that you should go global with student work and to create a globally connected classroom. I don’t do nearly enough reaching out to other classrooms and educators, and Miller has inspired me to do so.
Miller’s folksy tone and easily digestible language belies a pretty radical message about the current state of public education. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to extend the symbolism of the trashcan beyond just textbooks. If the textbook is an outdated relic from the Industrial Age, couldn’t the same be said for nearly the entire system of public education that’s been codified through publishing companies, district policies, teacher preparation programs, credentialing requirements, standardized testing, and measures of teacher effectiveness? Given the dramatic shifts he overtly advocates, it’s remarkable he’s able to make his “ditching textbooks” philosophy seem so easy, obvious, and ultimately inevitable.
At times I would have preferred Miller to stay a bit more focused on the goal of jolting educators out of their comfort zones. Though an important subject, the “Choose to Cheat” chapter about work-life balance seemed outside the purview of his primary argument, and didn’t seem to fit.
I also wasn’t wholly convinced that the word “ditch” needed to be turned into an acronym (Different, Innovative, Tech-laden, Creative, Hands-on), if only because it’s simply too much of a mouthful for me to remember and make actionable.
Others might take issue with the relative lack of empirical evidence supporting Miller’s claims about the superiority of the alternative teaching methodologies he advocates. Although it would be outside the purview of this book to comb over case-studies and academic research, his argument would be bolstered by citing a few reputable sources that prove student-choice, student empowerment, and teaching creativity and innovation lead to greater student outcomes.
To this point, mostly absent from his book is any discussion of the impact of alternative teaching practices on student achievement, and more specifically, on student achievement for students from under-served communities. As an urban educator who faces the challenges of the opportunity gap on a daily basis, I’m always looking for that connection to be made. That said, his emphasis on creating a joyful, engaged classroom environment where students learn 21st century skills using 21st century devices does apply directly to the needs of underserved students, and it’s a message that needs to be spread more widely.
Minor issues aside, Ditch That Textbook is essential reading for anyone looking for inspiration to dramatically shift their teaching practice, or for a reminder that the messy, imperfect, never-ending path toward becoming an innovative, inspirational, and better teacher for our students is a worthy, noble endeavor.
4 out of 5 stars
