by Tim Gott, Academy Director
People are always talking about how much has changed in their lifetime. My grandmother is 95. She has seen some changes. Flight, a person on the moon, the phone evolution, television, microwave ovens, robots, medical technology, nanotechnology, calculators, computers, it can go on for days. Talking with her recently, she shared the awe of seeing all of these things develop over her time on this planet. It made me wonder: what are the next stages of change, how will it impact our lives, and who is going to lead the way?
As an educator for the past 25 years, my intentions have been to prepare students for this big adventure. However, we all know about good intentions. I have become increasing aware of the great chasm between what we are teaching students and what they are going to need to be successful in this ever-evolving global environment. Reflecting on this dilemma, here are a few thoughts about what is needed:
- We are unable to teach “all’ the content. So we need to teach process: How do we access information? What can we do with that information? How can we make decisions based on that information?
- We need to be developing the right and left sides of the brain. Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind captures this extremely well. We need to integrate creativity into the left-brain worlds of “conventional” math and science. A linear approach to potential ideas will bring about some change; a nonlinear, outside-the-box approach is necessary for quantum leaps.
- We need to embrace the concepts highlighted in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. It takes an incredible amount of work and effort to get to the point of expertise (10,000 hours). Students must learn to break an academic sweat. However, it is not just talent and hard work. We need to create experiences for students to see the vast opportunities that presently exist so that they can envision possibilities yet to come.
- Despite the need for major realignment of curriculum and procedures, there are some things that will never change. We cannot lose sight of the need to develop relationship skills, ethical values, and leadership dynamics. These principles will always be essential no matter the arena.
Many schools are beginning to explore these elements. The struggle is the mindset that we won’t be able to cover all that we have traditionally taught if we add anything else. The truth is we can’t do it now. Yes, there are certain fundamentals that must be taught. And we must embrace the exponential growth of new knowledge and experiences. It cannot be an either/or. The real shift is for education to stop being an information warehouse and dispenser and fully accept the role of being an equipper of skills that will enable students to be the masters of their own learning.
It isn’t a matter of “if” the next big innovation or discovery will happen; rather, it is about who will be prepared to make it. Unless we invest in this concept, our students will be spectators and passive recipients in this dynamic process. Our students deserve to be out on the edge, blazing the trails, breaking the molds, and raising the bar. Now is the time to act.