Go deeper, not wider.” The Third Path integrates everything by “shifting the classroom focus from tasks to relationships, from check-lists to check-ins.” Then, the hook : “It views education as a journey of human development, not just for the student, but for the educator too. Prospective teacher-supporters are exhorted to “ Do different, not more. The Third Path pedagogical catechism envisions an imagined educational universe with three distinct paths: Path 1 (academics) Path 2 (well-being) and Path 3 (relationships). The “Relationship-based Approach to Well-Being and Achievement” teacher education program, funded by Nelson Education, features conventional workshops, You Tube videos, podcasts, and weekend conference retreats. That movement elevates “teaching through relationships” to a “core value” and proposes a third way forward – what amounts to a 21st century fusion of academics, well-being, and mindfulness. The central tenets of the The Third Path have also given rise to the “Third Path” movement to promote Relationship-Based Education (RBE).
It also appears to have turned the heads of the educational thinkers mobilizing under the banner of Ontario ASCD, a northern frontier branch of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, based in Alexandria, Virginia. David Tanter‘s 2018 Nelson Educators textbook, The Third Path, prescribes something completely different for today’s individualistic and anxiety-filled generation. The best teachers, in every school, have always done so while challenging students with high expectations, engaging learning activities, and an intellectually stimulating curriculum. Taking time to really get to know students sounds like good common sense for teachers.