Change in schools isn’t needed just because now we can learn in so many different ways. Change is also required because it’s more apparent than ever that our kids are going to have to be full time, full on learners throughout their lives. That “life-long learning” thing has always been a nice phrase that we’ve thrown out to make everyone feel good. But now we need to mean it.
I know that predictions around change in the larger sense are all over the place, but I’m swayed by those who argue that the future of work is shifting quickly and dramatically. Take this snip, for instance, from a new report from the Solo Project:
The U.S. economy is in the first stages of the biggest change in a century in how daily business gets done, as men and women forgo traditional jobs to work independently—as freelancers, indie professionals, creatives, free agents.
Most of what I’ve been reading lately from a wide variety of sources says similar things about the economy. Technology is going to eat many low and mid range paying jobs. The skills required for those jobs that remain are changing. Literacy is a different beast. Faster and faster change is the new normal. The future is all about niches. Get used to it.
But in schools, we’re not seeing the world through that context. We’re still prepping our kids for the 9 to 5, health insurance and pension track. Take for instance, the list from the report of “attitudes and capabilities [that individuals will] need to possess in an economy that grows increasingly disaggregated, provisional, project-oriented, unpredictable, and networked instead of structured.” Based on my own observations as a parent, here’s how schooling stacks up with those:
- Resilience – Not really required in schools. We don’t tell kids to rework until they succeed; we just give them a grade.
- Tolerance for ambiguity – We train kids very well in absolute consistency. Schools are a one answer culture.
- Creative problem solving skills – Out of the box thinking is not valued as it’s difficult to score.
- Collaboration skills – Most “collaboration” in schools is contrived group work.
- Network savviness – Kids have little chance to develop this as networks are discouraged.
- Self-awareness – By and large we don’t allow kids to play to their strengths; we primarily try to fix their weaknesses.
- Business and finance literacy – Usually a three-week unit or an elective.
- Resourcefulness at getting help – This would most likely be seen as cheating in school.
- Sophisticated ability to learn, continually and intentionally – School is about knowing, not learning, and “learning” is start and stop, narrow, and teacher-directed.
- Business development skills – “Entrepreneurial thinking” is just a buzzword
- Adroitness at personal branding – Most teachers have little or no experience with this
- Communications skills – Emphasized, but rare to be practiced with anyone outside the classroom.
- Design awareness – Not something that we discuss.
I know that in some rare schools, many of these “attitudes and capabilities” are being developed. In some schools, change initiatives are forward looking and proactive, not reactive to traditional expectations. And that number is growing.
It’s a big ask, I get that. But at what point does understanding and designing around the many modern contexts we’re dealing with now become a requirement instead of an option? A demand instead of a suggestion?
(Image source: iamNigelMorris)
Leave a Reply