As the new school year cranks into gear, parents everywhere are caught in a swirl of emotions -- hopes, anxieties, relief, fears, pride, worry . . . and wants.
You hear them on back-to-school nights:
"I just want my kid to be happy."
"I want my son to be motivated, to stay in school."
"I want the best for my kid -- to get into a good college."
"I want my son to be ready to work in a good job."
"I want her to be confident and successful, prepared for her future."
Happy, motivated, college-bound, work-ready and prepped for success -- this is what parents want for their kids and from their schools.
But what does "success" really mean in today's wildly shifting, flatter, green-challenged world?
What are we readying our kids for -- what kind of work, what kind of lifestyle?
What do they really need to learn now for a successful future?
First, as parents, we have to toss out our mental "rear view mirrors" of education past, and look straight into our children's future. The future our kids will inhabit is a far cry from the world their parents grew up in.
Just think of what kids have in their pockets and backpacks today:
Cell phones linking them to friends anywhere in the world; a library-size collection of tunes on a keychain MP3 player; instant answers to their questions a search-click away; a mini-studio for photos, voice and video of life's media moments to share with family and friends.
It's light-years from the paperbacks, comic books, pocket transistor radios, and cassette-tape Walkmans of parents' school days. And its light-years from where technology will be 20 years from now.
Now think of today's jobs (and today's painful lack of them), and tomorrow's work:
Manufacturing jobs gone offshore; service work on a steep rise, more being outsourced; much more work demanding complex thinking and creative tinkering; high-tech tools used in almost all lines of work; never-before-seen jobs in brand new industries; global corporations, global products, global online marketing, sales and service, and global competition for your job.
Not at all like yesteryear's one-career-for-life position in the local company.
So what do our children now need to learn for a good life in the 21st century?
There is growing agreement worldwide, from educators, business and government leaders (see for example www.p21.org), that the formula for success in our times involves fusing the "3Rs" -- the traditional basic knowledge-and-skills of reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic and other subjects like science and social studies -- with the "4Cs":
To build these 4C skills students must put their learning to work, tackling real-life problems, working in groups, crafting deeply researched answers and innovative solutions, socially communicating and collaborating online, creating all sorts of digital media messages, and being more self-directed and a terrific team player at the same time.
How can our schools do all of this when they're still struggling to get everyone past the 3Rs bar?
How do we move from yesterday's industrial, one-size-fits-all, assembly line education system to meeting today's demands for a personalized, information-knowledge-innovation age, 21st century approach to learning?
This is, without a doubt, the biggest education challenge of the century, and therefore our century's biggest economic and social challenge.
There are wonderful examples of schools and networks of schools across the United States, the U.K., Finland, Singapore, and other countries, that have shifted their learning models to better prepare students for 21st century success.
These schools are taking a "deeper learning" approach where more of the learning comes from active, real-world projects that reach high levels of student engagement and achievement. Examples of these schools include:
Individual schools across the country, like:
Clusters of schools, like these CA schools:
National and international network of schools:
As a parent there are five important things you can do to help your schools and your children in this time of educational transition:
Moving our schools toward spending more time on what our students need for their success is our century's great challenge.
But what parent wouldn't do what they could to have their kids be successful... and happy too?
Lisa Haisha: The Three Biggest Fears Women Have
We need to evolve an education system which is essentially built on 19th century principles. Sir Ken Robinson's work on this subject stands out impeccably.
Positive strides are being taken here in the U.K with a centre for school design and many grassroots initiatives. Encouraging a fertile imagination and practical skills is the way forward in equipping our young people for the future.
Duane Melius,
Youth Media Facilitator
http://happyhappydays.moonfruit.com/
http://reading-sage.blogspot.com/
Gentlemen, no offense, but when I was in college (during the dark ages) I LOATHED group projects. There were always one or two who did nothing...letting the rest of the group carry them. I resented it, but learned that the professors expected us to "motivate" the slackers. (At the same time we were expected to deliver TOP SHELF work, of course.)
Working together is an essential...no argument. But to rank "collaboration" in the same breath with the others? Not happening. My daughter is now 19, and in college. She has the SAME issues I did with students who just won't cooperate. I haven't the heart to tell her that it will happen at her work place one day.
I agree with you overall though. The four Cs and problem based learning assume that students have a vast amount of background knowledge and experience that many just don't have. My students come to school with their primary "experience" delivered through popular media. They haven't been to an airport, college, museum but they have seen them on TV! IThey know nothing about Lincoln but can talk about the Kardasians forever. The media has trumped real life for some kiddos. I think the critical thinking skills need to come in later in school. Give students a broad understanding of factual knowledge and then let them connect it when they have more experience. Reading and understanding aren't like learning to type, portable across any content area. You need to know a lot to think critically and you need to read a lot. To understand what you read you need to write a lot as well. What a concept! Students have to do it and there isn't a short cut like "group collaborating" that teaches that. Collaboration training use to be called playing a sport and competition. No slackers need apply on a soccer, vollyball, basketball, swim team etc. or you lose. You can't hide very long behind winners.
None of this fits in with the one size fits all testing mania. Schools should try to educate kids as individuals and provide them with skills to the best of their ability. However, many kids will never be academic stars. The constant pressure for academic competition in schools causes depression, poor self image, and drop outs in our schools. Schools should encourage kids to be happy, healthy, and good citizens. Every kid is not going to college.