Post 4, The Element: Part of Sir Ken's premise for pursuing "the element" is the impact of technology and demography on the future. Technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that even today's tech-savvy teens will be "old school" before you know it. He notes current trends suggest China, Russia, India and Brazil will continue to play important roles in world economy. With global mobility, population growth, technology-driven changes, etc, his conclusion is: "The only way to prepare for the future is to make the most of ourselves...make us more flexible and productive." Agree? If so, what should children be learning in today's classrooms?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
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I think it's more difficult than ever to nail down the things children should be learning in our classrooms. Given the unprecedented rate of change that we are experiencing globally, we no doubt have to be more adaptable than ever. Aside from subject matter, I think we need to help students find and form their core values as individuals. Then, we need to show them how to operate in a world that constantly challenges those values. I think it is important for us to help students understand how their worldviews are filtered through their own perspectives, and at the same time, how others have a different "filter". But we should be striving to find ways to allow those worldviews to coexist in harmonious ways without compromising our own values.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the subjects we teach in schools are concerned, here is my opinion: I think we isolate them too much, especially in middle and high school. That approach worked well following the industrial revolution because it fit a factory model of schools. After all, most jobs were in some sort of factory. Todays world is much more "organic". We are less isolated. We are not as locked in to one specific career. Communication in all forms is becoming ever more important because of our increasing interaction with other cultures.
Children ae saying things like, "I don't like math" or I'm not good at English" or "Why do I have to take History?" Our approach to teaching these things really requires a complete paradigm shift. They don't understand or like these subjects because they don't see how they fit into their lives. And they're not learning them within a context that they are passionate about.
For example, I never fully appreciated the things I was learning in school until I began to frame them within the context of art (my passion). Through that lens, for me, everything started falling into place. History no longer was this seperate entity that was irrelavant to my life. It came alive as I made the connections how it drove those great works of art that I so admired. Math began to make more sense as well when I began learning about proportions and how Greek artists would base their sculptures on mathematically precise measurements (also another link back to history). English even began to make more sense when I learned that many of those great paintings I loved were based on literature.
If we can figure out how to let children come to schools and pursue their passions while we effectively integrate the things we're already trying to teach them I think we may have an effective school model. Because, let's face it, most students are just going through the motions of school because they have to be there, not because they're waking up saying, "I can't wait to get to school so I can do what I love."
I guess I took the long way of explaining that we're currently not designed to put students in their own element. We're not even designed to help them find it on their own. It's basically a game of chance. However, I think we have good intentions, and it's entirely possible to create a school that fits our current, ever-changing world. We just have to think outside of our conditioning box!
I think we need to teach kids the basics, reading and math. Then we need to make our classrooms an environment that is rich in resources and technology. Teachers should expose the children to research, problem solving, critical and creative thinking so they can have the tools they need to become experts in the subjects they are interested in.
ReplyDeleteFive years ago, my son had computer keyboarding taught to him at City Park. He received a grade for it. I think that is a skill kids should learn. I also think that research and study skills should be a class in the middle school.
I firmly believe quality should outweigh quantity regardless of what we choose to teach students.
ReplyDeleteAll children need to learn academics and social responsibility. Children need to learn how to search for answers and problem-solve. How they learn and how we teach them either fosters or destroys their passion for learning. As educators, I believe that we must be facilitators of learning which is far more challenging than being an oracle of knowledge.
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