Preparing for an Emerging World
In week nine, we viewed three videos that dealt with education. In
the First entitled “Changing Education Paradigms”,
http://fora.tv/2010/10/14/Ken_Robinson_Changing_Education_Paradigms,
we heard from Sir Ken Robinson,who,explored how the educational
system is built on an industrial model, leading children, who were
educated on this model into employment that also follows this model.
He describes how this model is no longer a fit in our evolving world,
does not address the needs of the children so educated, nor prepare
them for the world in which they will graduate. He also discusses
the point that the educational system we currently have stifles
innovation and creativity by destroying divergent thinking.
Two other videos viewed, dealt with education , again a system that
is based, in part, on an industrial model, one that industry is
actually getting away from. Two stories: one on Fox and Friends,
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4613083/parents-take-stand-against-standardized-testing
and another on CNN:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/03/20/pennsylvania.school.testing/index.html?eref=edition_us
featured Timothy Slekar of Pennsylvania, an educator and
teacher/mentor of other educators. Slekar, is participating in a
parental push-back/revolt against the fourteen days of
standardized testing children have to go through every year
from grades 3 through 8 in Pennsylvania. Educational funding
and school success is tied to scores of the students taking these
exams.
In industry, a focus is made on standardizing processes and
creating processes that produce uniform products and services,
so that customers, clients and end users can rely on getting their
expectations fulfilled. Efforts are made to improve processes and
exceed customers’ expectations even more. The idea exists that in
order to improve quality you must be able to measure it. A great
deal of time and effort goes into trying to find meaningful metrics.
HOWEVER, it is acknowledged that “you cannot test in quality”.
Measuring, testing, re-measuring and re-testing does not lead to
quality. It does not work in industry, yet as industry moves away
from this failed model, the educational system, through the rise in
standardized testing embraces it. The manufacturing/industrial job
destiny is no longer viable for the children graduating from these
institutions of learning, yet the methods industry as abandoned are
still used.
This returns us to us to Sir Ken Robinson one-size-fits all pathway,
industrial model of education that is preparing children for a world
that no longer exists, in order to perform jobs that no longer exist…
in an economy that is no longer growing in the “industrial” nor
“manufacturing” areas. Creativity and divergent thinking is what
can drive innovation, which is sorely needed in our changing
economy. Touching on some of the videos and discussions we have
had on entrepreneurship: those who retain the ability to come up
with new ideas and think outside of the box, will bring leadership
and innovation, new products and new ways of doing things to the
economy.
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