Schools don’t prepare children for life.
There is a growing feeling today that something is wrong with our system of education but what is it?
We send our children to school to prepare them for the real world which is changing very very fast, but our schools haven't changed much for hundreds of years.
In fact thought leaders from around the world agree that the current system of education was designed in the industrial age mainly to churn out factory workers and this Industrial Age mentality of mass production and mass control still runs deep in schools.
Industrial age values
We educate children by batches and govern their lives by ringing bells. All day long students do nothing but follow instructions. Sit down; Take out your books; Turn to page 40; Solve problem number three; Stop talking.
At school you're rewarded for doing exactly what you're told. These, are Industrial Age values that were really important for factory workers. Their success depended on following instructions and doing exactly what they were told, but in today's world how far can you get by simply following instructions?
The modern world values people who can be creative, who can communicate their ideas and collaborate with others. but our children don't get a chance to develop such skills, in a system that's based on Industrial Age value.
Lack of autonomy and control
At school our children experience a complete lack of autonomy and control. Every minute of a child's life is tightly controlled by the system, but in
today's world if you're doing important work then you're managing your own time, you're making your own decisions regarding what to do and when to do it. But life at school looks very different. The system is sending a dangerous message to our children, that they are not in charge of their own lives, they just have to follow whatever is laid down instead of taking charge and making the most of their lives.
Experts believe autonomy is incredibly important for children. It's no wonder then that our children are bored and demotivated by school. Can you imagine how you would feel if you were told exactly what to do for every minutes of your life?
Inauthentic learning
Most of the learning that happens in schools today is not authentic because it relies on memorization and rote learning. The
system defines a generic set of knowledge that all children must know. And then, every few months we measure how much has been retained by administering exams.
We know that such learning is not authentic because most of it is gone the day after the exam! Learning can be much deeper and more authentic. it can be so much more than just memorization and retention but that's the only thing we measure, and test scores are the only thing we value.
This has created an extremely unhealthy culture for students, parents and teachers. Children are going through endless hours of tuition, staying up all night memorizing useless facts that they will forget very soon.
No room for passions and interests.
We have an extremely standardized system where each child must learn the same thing at the same time in the same way as everyone else.
This doesn't respect the basic fact of being human - that each of us is unique and different in our own way. We all have
different passions and interests, and the key to fulfillment in life- is to find your passion.
But do the schools of today help our children find and develop their passion?
There seems to be no room in the current education system for the most important questions in a child's life: "what am I good at?", "what do I want to do in life?", "how do I fit into this world?"
The system doesn't seem to care.
There are so many greatly talented people who failed in the traditional school system. Fortunately they were able to overcome these failures. But not everyone can. We have no measure for how much talent, how much potential goes unrecognized in the current system.
Differences in how we learn
Each of us is also different in how we learn in how much time we take to learn something and what tools and resources work best for us. But the
system has no room for such differences, so if you're a bit slow in learning something you are considered a failure, when all you needed was a bit more time to catch up.
Lecturing
In the current system children are lectured for more than five hours a day, but there are a few big problems with lecturing. Sal Khan from
Khan Academy calls lecturing "a fundamentally dehumanizing experience. Thirty kids with fingers on their lips not allowed to interact with each other".
Also, in any given classroom different students are at different levels of understanding. Now, whatever the teacher does, there are bound to be students who are either bored because they're ahead, or confused because they're behind.
Because of the internet hands Digital Media our children have at their fingertips all the information in the world. Technology has made it possible
for anyone to learn anything, but for fear of losing control the system is not leveraging these incredible resources.
Our system of education which evolved in the Industrial Age has become outdated and ineffective. If we want to prepare our children for the modern world, if we want learning to be effective and engaging then there's no doubt that we need to fundamentally change our system
of Education.
What is Scholls for?
Feel free to call me slow but I spent 16 years going to school and I still don't know... when I finished I didn't know how to do my own taxes, purchase a home or apply for loan, I didn't know a thing about investments, building credit or getting a job. I graduated at the top of my class and what did? I have this is fancy diploma to sit at home with my mom.
But luckily they did teach me some important skills like factoring
trinomials and how mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, I'm so
happy! I remember the Pythagorean theorem cuz it helped me a lot... okay
I'm lying it. Let me stop because all the stuff they taught me
truthfully I forgot
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We need well-rounded citizens, not rote-taught robots
It’s only after you have left school and, in adulthood, gained a bit of distance, that you can be fully aware of the gaps in your education.
Why do classrooms today look nearly identical to those 30 years ago–minus a few upgrades to the modern chalkboard, and sneaking texts in class instead of notes?
With some exciting exceptions, public schools are one of the few institutions in modern life that have not seen radical changes spurred by technology. We not talking about having computers in classrooms, but rather a lack of any seismic shift in the way things are done because technology is making the work easier or more efficient.
Education tech can push towards individualized instruction for students.
Kids can reach out beyond the walls of their classrooms to interact
with other students, other teachers, and renowned authors, scientists,
and experts to enhance their learning. Some of those digital-native kids
will grow up to become teachers, who will continue to build and use
their own communities of learning online.
The Success Of Tech Will Still Rely On Skilled Teachers
We might be sending kids to school in self-driving cars by 2020, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be taught by teacher-avatars and given tests via drone. Education needs will drive technology use, rather than the ‘coolness’ of technology trumping education. Instead of simply finding ways to put more tablets in kids’ hands, education technology have to find new ways to supplement the best learning possible–regardless of the “coolness” of new tech.
Why learning for Jobs that won't exist in the future?
Intelligent machines are becoming increasingly more specialised and sophisticated. They're not just making the lives of their human counterparts easier: they're displaying exceptional productivity levels and multitasking labour-intensive roles like it's going out of style. From shelf auditing and car manufacturing, to cow milking and bricklaying, there’s a robot potentially taking over popular jobs in every industry including lawyers an accountants and even teachers. And if they aren’t already working alongside you, they’ll be in production. So will our kids learning for jobs that will not exist? are they going to be ready for the new jobs that will be created?
The field of robotics promises to be the most profoundly advancing technological transformation since the industrial revolution. The automotive industry has used robots for decades, but experts now predict an increase in robotic deployment is imminent. Despite being employed in many different industries, many don’t realise just how affected they might be by robotic automation in the coming decade, with every commercial sector expected to be touched by this advancement.
1. Travel agent jobs
With a variety of flight comparison websites to choose from, consumers are becoming increasingly independent when it comes to booking trips away. Most travel websites can do pretty much everything your average travel agent can, and offer the additional comparison feature to help consumers get the best possible deal.
2. Cashier jobs
The rise of self-service checkout machines suggests that cashiers may one day become obsolete. Looking further ahead, RFID systems, whereby tags are attached to items, checked and then added to an account, may be the answer to future service options.
3. Telemarketer jobs
Noticed a rise in the number of robocalls? You’re not the only one. An investigation by the Federal Communications Commission revealed that consumers received an estimated 2.4 billion robocalls per month during 2016. Internet-based marketing and internet-powered phone systems are quickly taking over from telemarketers.
4. Safety inspector jobs
When it comes to inspecting machinery, mines and wind turbines, you'd think you'd need a critical human eye to assess risks and mechanical faults. But automated technology has made an incredible leap forward, with drones and robots now integrating into industrial inspection.
Like the sound of this? Explore our Mechanical Engineer Jobs
5. Assembly line worker jobs
An assembly robot can move faster and with greater precision than its human counterpart, and can be easily reconfigured, making it a low-risk investment for many companies.
6. Newspaper delivery jobs
It's not new news, but the popularity of online news sources means that hard copies are being increasingly pushed out of the equation. What with breaking news updates and downloadable newspapers, delivery services will soon be something the next generation will find bizarre and unnecessary.
7. Referee jobs
It was once a highly-skilled role, but it's becoming common for players and spectators to question the decision of the referee, referring to instant replays to provide a more accurate result. This form of technology is continually advancing, so may no longer require human monitoring in the future.
8. Train driver jobs
Today's drivers only need to follow a few simple instructions, as technology in this field has been advancing for many years. The Docklands Light Railway is mostly unmanned and continues to be a success. Automated trains could well replace traditional models within the next five years, but ten years is more probable.
9. Nurse jobs
Robot nurses are already well established in the US and carry meals, post, bed linen, drugs and dressings to patients. The structured environment of a hospital makes it light work for robots to fetch and carry, decreasing the need for nurses. We’re not too sure about bedside manner, though.
10. Pharmacist jobs
Robot pharmacists are already in full swing around the UK. The process is simple: the robot picks the patients drugs and passes them via a conveyor belt to a human pharmacist for checking before being handed over to the patient.
We’ll Think Differently About The Diploma
Today, diplomas granted by years in school are the dominant certification of ‘learning.’ Yet, in almost all cases, these diplomas certify nothing other than the fact that the person in question spent x years in school. Competency-based certifications testing specific skills, and bundling individual skills into professional groupings will become a global currency for both employers and job seekers.
The possibilities offered in technology feed into this shift as well. A new curriculum should be created that builds on these possibilities, allowing students to move away from rote learning and tackle real-world challenges and develop solutions for them. For schools of all types, content or curriculum will not be the core differentiator, but rather they will be judged on how well they coordinate complex offerings into a useful package for their students and graduates.
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