Better Together Book Summary - Better Together Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Better Together summary

Name: Better Together
Rating: 4.5 (13 reviews)
Author: Lydia Dobyns and Tom Vander Ark

Lydia Dobyns and Tom Vander Ark

How to Leverage School Networks for Smarter Personalized and Project Based Learning

4.5 (13 ratings)

24 mins

Table of Contents

Better Together
summarized in 8 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Learn how to create enriched learning experiences that prepare students for life beyond school.

Teachers are under so much pressure to prepare students for exams. In an attempt to get each child successfully across the line, educators are forced to sacrifice crucial learning qualities like engagement, differentiation, and all the interpersonal skills that turn students into successful citizens.

Deep down, teachers know the system isn’t doing anyone any favors. They’re stressed. Their students aren’t engaged. Their principal is panicking about being penalized for the school’s low graduation rate. They feel like hamsters stuck in the wheel.

But there is a way to break the cycle. It can transform any school into an energized learning environment where staff are supported, students’ individual needs are met, and kids are empowered to take ownership of their learning.

So what is this metamorphic resource?

It’s learning networks. They are many and varied, catering to different needs. You just need to find out which one is right for you.

In these blinks, you’ll discover

the unexpected secret to successful online learning;
why learning shouldn’t always happen in a classroom; and
how valuing generosity makes you a better teacher.

Connecting educators through school networks creates better learning outcomes for students.

Imagine you’re a teacher struggling to improve student engagement. You’re finding it difficult to strike a balance between getting students interested in lessons and preparing them for exams. And since everyone at your school is focused on test scores, no one has the headspace to workshop potential solutions. If only there were a community that could give you the support you needed...

School networks are one of the most valuable resources for educators. They provide member schools with access to learning models, resource libraries, professional development opportunities, and technological tools. Also importantly, they give teachers a shared vision for learning, as well as access to peers in other schools.

The key message here is: Connecting educators through school networks creates better learning outcomes for students.

There are around 7,000 charter schools in the US. A third of these belong to school networks like the New Tech Network, Big Picture Learning, and the National Academy Foundation. According to research conducted by Stanford University, these schools outperform those that aren’t part of a network. Let’s examine why.

Firstly, since networks don’t rely on an individual leader, they provide ongoing stability. Each network has its own vision for education – like using the Montessori method, for example. It won’t matter who’s at the helm; the vision will outlast the inevitable comings and goings of leaders. Unlike schools at risk of having their agendas changed each time a new board is elected, member schools benefit from consistency. Less disruption means educators have the stability they need to fully implement changes to curricula and learning models.

Secondly, networks are idea-exchanging hubs. Teachers facing similar challenges – like how to support students with special needs – can benefit from each other’s experiences. Or they can draw on a huge pool of classroom tools, adapting them for their own needs. This leads to continual improvement: if a teacher improves a classroom tool, he can add his new version to the network’s library, making it available to everyone.

Teaching is a demanding, often frustrating profession. But a supportive and energizing community helps make it sustainable. Imagine how much you’d benefit from expanding your community from a few dozen to a few hundred, or maybe even a thousand! It may well revolutionize the way you teach.

While online learning holds great potential, it isn’t an effective way to teach school students.

Jump onto any social media platform, and you’ll be bombarded with suggestions: Do you know this person? You should follow this group. Here are some pants to match the shirt you bought last week.

So many of our online experiences are personalized, thanks to background algorithms that track our behavior. Imagine what learning would be like if we could customize teaching to the same degree. Algorithms could anticipate what students need and offer them tailored learning plans. If it’s already happening when we shop online, why isn’t it happening in education?

Student engagement improves when learning is personalized and project-based.

In 2012, San Jose’s Katherine Smith Elementary was a low-performing school in a low-income neighborhood. Its teachers focused on test preparation and low-level tasks. As a result, its students weren’t excited about learning, so the cycle of underachievement continued. Less than a decade later the students of San Jose’s Katherine Smith Elementary are flourishing. Empowered and focused, they enthusiastically take ownership of their learning.

So, what led to this extraordinary transformation?

To foster the next generation of innovators, teaching must focus on learning experiences, not results.

Jared wasn’t doing well at his traditional high school in Boise, Idaho. But luckily, he had initiative. When he heard about an unusual school called One Stone, he transferred. Under its nontraditional learning model, which uses design thinking to solve real-world problems, Jared transformed from a struggling freshman into an empowered learner and budding coder.

The key message here is: To foster the next generation of innovators, teaching must focus on learning experiences, not results.

Connecting education to the real world is a powerful way to engage students.

Across the Teton Science Schools network, a number of students aren’t at their desks. But they’re not playing hooky. They’re participating in Field Education programs, which use place-based education to create authentic learning experiences.

In place-based education, students complete projects grounded in real-world examples. For instance, students in a Field Education program tested water quality in their neighborhoods. This type of learning framework not only connects students to their local landscapes, it also helps them reflect on local culture and social practices. While using inquiry-based learning to develop their projects, students see themselves as part of their local community.

A student’s learning experience significantly improves when teachers take responsibility for it collectively.

Think back to when you were in high school. No doubt you had a different teacher for every subject, and each of those subjects was taught in isolation. But this style of learning is contrary to human nature. Humans like to learn within networks.

The key message here is: A student’s learning experience significantly improves when teachers take responsibility for it collectively.

A clear vision of what you want to achieve will help you identify which learning network will work for you.

Congratulations, school leader! You’ve decided to join a learning network to transform education at your school – but there are a number of networks to choose from. They all have pros and cons, and offer different resources and benefits. So, before you pick one, you need to have a clear idea of what kind of school you’d like to create and how strictly you’re willing to adhere to what each network offers.

The key message here is: A clear vision of what you want to achieve will help you identify which learning network will work for you.

To change a child’s learning experience, you must change a school’s culture.

Remember Katherine Smith Elementary School from an earlier blink – the school that was transformed when it joined the NTN? Well, it’s true that the school’s new learning model significantly increased student engagement. But that’s just part of the story. Without a complete organizational shift, the new model would’ve had limited success.

Part of Principal Brengard’s vision for Katherine Smith Elementary was to give students life-changing social and academic confidence. This was particularly important since most of its students came from low-income families who didn’t speak English at home. According to Kathy Gomez – superintendent of Katherine Smith Elementary’s school district – you can’t change a school without a cultural shift.

Want to see all full key ideas from Better Together?

Key ideas in Better Together

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Better Together about?

Better Together (2018) is an examination of how school networks are transforming students’ education experiences across the United States to make them college and career ready. It illuminates how networks provide new learning models, foster ongoing professional development, and facilitate personalized education to help each child reach their full potential.

Best quote from Better Together

A spirit of openness can help build trust with staff, so they believe they have the freedom to change.

—Lydia Dobyns and Tom Vander Ark

Who should read Better Together?

Educators establishing new schools with nontraditional learning models
School leaders wanting to increase student engagement levels and performance
District superintendents looking to innovate learning

About the Author

Lydia Dobyns connects two important areas of knowledge for modern education: policy and technology. As president and CEO of the New Tech Network she works to design innovative and effective education environments across the US.

Tom Vander Ark is CEO of Getting Smart – an organization that advises schools on how to establish and attain their education goals. He is the author of Smart Parents, Getting Smart, and Smart Cities. Vander Ark previously worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as Executive Director of Education.

© Lydia Dobyns and Tom Vander Ark: Better Together copyright 2018, John Wiley & Sons Inc. Used by permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. and shall not be made available to any unauthorized third parties.

Categories with Better Together

Education

Books like Better Together

No Excuses!

Brian Tracy

The Power of Self-Discipline

17 min

4.2

Evidence-Informed Learning Design

Mirjam Neelen & Paul A. Kirschner

Creating Training to Improve Performance

The Learning and Development Handbook

Michelle Parry-Slater

A Learning Practitioner's Toolkit

Learning to be Creative

15 min

4.4

Creative Schools

Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica

Revolutionizing Education from the Ground Up

The Psychology of Persuasion

33 min

4.6

Most Likely to Succeed

Tony Wagner & Ted Dintersmith

Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era

20 min

4.2

Impromptu

Reid Hoffman with GPT-4

Amplifying Our Humanity Through AI

17 min

4.4

Don’t Go Back to School

Kio Stark

A Handbook for Learning Anything

Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life

31 min

4.6

Triggers

Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter

Creating Behavior That Lasts – Becoming the Person You Want to Be

16 min

4.2

The Importance of Being Little

Erika Christakis

What Preschoolers Really Need From Grown-Ups

Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

21 min

4.3

The Invention of Nature

Andrea Wulf

Alexander von Humboldt’s New World

The Science of Seeing Differently

26 min

4.4

Your Brain on Art

Susan Magsamen & Ivy Ross

How the Arts Transform Us

The Science Transforming How We Learn

19 min

4.1

This is Service Design Thinking

Marc Stickdorn and Jakob Schneider

Basics, Tools, Cases

13 min

4.3

Creative Acts for Curious People

Sarah Stein Greenberg

How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways

Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience

15 min

4.3

The Power of Discipline

Daniel Walter

How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals

How to Stop Struggling and Start Living

Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How.

20 min

4.5

The Last Safe Investment

Michael Ellsberg and Bryan Franklin

Spending Now to Increase Your True Wealth Forever

Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content

18 min

4.1

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

Matthew McKay

Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

15 min

4.6

The 48 Laws of Power (New Version)

Robert Greene

The secret methods to getting what you want

33 min

4.2

What’s Going on in There?

Lise Eliot

How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life

Six Steps to Unlock Your True Motivation, Harness Your Willpower, and Get Out of Your Own Way

What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money – That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

18 min

4.6

Good Habits, Bad Habits

Wendy Wood

The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick

For the Many, Not the Few

An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships

A New History of the World

Where Artificial Intelligence Ends and Human Creativity Begins

20 min

3.9

The Psychology of Intelligence

Jean Piaget

A theory of intelligence and cognitive development between birth and adolescence

25 min

4.4

Who Not How

Dan Sullivan with Benjamin Hardy

The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork

The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization

How to Build Habit-Forming Products

21 min

4.6

101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think

Brianna Wiest

Philosophical Meditations That Will Change Your Life

Computational Thinking for the Rest of Us

The Global Refugee Crisis and What to Do About It

Overcoming in Uncertain Times

A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included)

9 min

4.5

Baby Steps Millionaires

Dave Ramsey

How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth-and how You Can Too

15 min

3.9

The Procrastination Cure

Jeffery Combs

7 Steps to Stop Putting Life Off

16 min

4.5

One Small Step Can Change Your Life

Bruce Deel with Sara Grace

A True Story About the Power of Giving People Second Chances

23 min

4.4

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.