Jobs will require more discussion and collaboration. Often people will be working from home due to high costs of buildings, electricity, and gas. Due to this change, the educational system needs to change also. We will need to include more activities that require critical thinking skills. We need to encourage the students to come up with answers that are not typical. This will require teachers to use more open-ended questions to guide learning. We will have to use tools in the classroom that aid in this exploration.
These tools could be as simple as Blogs, to as complicated at Second Life. Teachers, and students, will need to learn material together to fully grasp the concepts, and learn how to use it, in the new careers that will be around in 2020. Students will need to learn to use the basic skills on the computer in order to succeed. How to collaborate online is more than just emails. It requires people to depend on others, refine their writing and communication skills, be available at all times, and learn new languages. Students will most likely be working with individuals from other countries in these new jobs, and we cannot expect the entire world to know English.
Education needs to be more than just six hours a day. Independent learning will need to occur. The student will need to search out new information on their own. Parents will need to encourage learning from today, and insist that their children do more than just the minimum. Independent learning could range from taking virtual field trips with podcasts acting as guides, to taking a class in Second Life to learn about environmental issues that are pertinent to the world. Students could use their mobile devices to learn; pocket PC, tablets, smart phones, along with inventions of the future will aid the student in completing their work.
In order to get this to occur standardized testing need to be eliminated, or at least reduced. Right now we are aimed at getting all student proficient in reading and math. While this is an important task, we also need to prepare them for life, and life is not made up of exams, but problems that have to be dealt with NOW. We need to teach them to work on their feet, team with people who can help, and share what they know to help others.
As a teacher, the choices I make in my class will affect the student’s future. If I teach them by lecture and papers only, they will not learn a lot of information. They will be bored, and it may lead them away from science. I need to include activities that involve communication, team work, and hands on experiences to my classroom, to keep the students intrigued in science.
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (2011, June 2). Untitled. NASA Goddard Space Flight Photostrem. Retrieved July 17, 2020 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa_goddard/5805389221/.
Yet, if I do activities that require students to learn through doing, the interest in science may grow. Students need to learn from mistakes, so allowing them to work through problems with the help of others will make learning meaningful. During these science activities, students will not only be learning science but also communication skills. Each student will need to learn how to work with someone they do not like. In life, you don’t always get to work with people you like. Therefore, teaching students how to deal with others is a great skill. This could be done by having conversations with individuals who are quarrelling, or by having other classmates learn how to diffuse situations, by allowing them to work with the individuals.
In the year 2020, teachers need to be more of a facilitator than a giver of knowledge. We need to assist the student in learning, help the student to understand the new material, and encourage the student to delve deeper into the subject. There will be times that we have to stand in front of the class, and give direct instruction. But, the majority of the learning should be independent learning, with the teacher as the facilitator.
In order for this to happen, many things need to occur in education in general, and in the school that I work for. The goal of education need to change from testing student’s reading and math skills, to teaching the whole child what is needed to succeed in the work force. Critical thinking skills need to be just as important, if not more, than if they know how to read a box and whisker chart.
In the school, I would need to have ample access to the sources of information that would help the students. This is mainly in the form of computers. Not just any computers, but computers that are wirelessly connected to the internet, have tools on them that can be used to store or make videos, and stay charged longer than thirty minutes. My students will need to be able to move easily around the room … wires would just get in the way. The students need to be able to get to wikis, blogs, and other Web 2.0 tools, to make the communications needed to increase the learning. The students need to be able to listen to their iPods, MP3s, and smart phones. Some students do their best work while listening to music. So, allowing them to listen to music of their choice would help them to concentrate. Also, by allowing some individuals who work best with music to listen to it alone, it allows the others to work in a quieter environment. If the students are able to use their MP3 Players, I would be able to assign students to listen to podcasts either created by me, or by another expert. Students would be able to download them during class, if these devices were allowed.
In nine years, in the year 2020, we all hope that the world will change. However, I am not sure that it will change as much as it is needed. The aim of teaching and education is, unfortunately, led by the politicians who want to be reelected. Teachers do what they can by making small changes, and encouraging schools to increase the use of technology in each classroom. Parents can help by encouraging their child to do the best they can at all times, and not accept ‘just passing’ work. Students need to see that school is not meant as a punishment, but as a way to see the world without leaving their hometown, and as a way to make the world a better place.
I like that you said that students need more learning than occurs in the 6 hours they are at school. They need to be challenged to think in every aspect of their lives. It doesn't have to be "grand", but it needs to require them to take steps to solve problems. I also agree that a good way to do this is with technology!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you’ve described and would hope that some of the things you discuss do take place in nine years. What this nation NEEDS though doesn’t seem to be what this nation WANTS. The general public has been convinced that raising basic math and reading scores will fix education. They have also been led to believe that is we privatize education, great things will occur. Sadly, it will be hard to convince people otherwise, so getting parents on the right path to reform will be tough. As you state, politicians are interested in getting re-elected, so they say and do things that will ensure that happens. I imagine it may take more time (maybe 20 years) for there to be a realization that this country has been led down the wrong path, by the wrong people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your assertion that the goal of education needs to be to prepare our students to be valued employees and good citizens. Currently, the system is very short-sighted with the focus on standardized tests. Politicians look at AYP as a quick way to measure a school's success but they haven't looked at how well a school prepares its students for the future. I also agree that critical thinking and problem solving are going to be more valuable to our students than box and whisker plots. (I love that example. I hate them and every year I have to look up how to do them. The only time they are ever used is on PSSAs. Very frustrating.)Also, as I was reading your post, it struck me that teaching writing skills is going to increase in importance. Therefore, writing instruction can't continue to focus on writing a 5 paragraph essay about a novel. Our kids need to learn how to communicate all kinds of information in writing.
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