One hundred and fifty years ago the world shifted. At that time people left their farms and began working in factories. When the children of the age ran ragged in the streets, our cultural forefathers asked:
How do we put in order our children for this new world, the world they will inherit?
Education
This translated to, “How do we put in order them for work in factories?” And in response the “modern” school was born. In this school children sit in rows, act properly, sass to the bell and raise their hands to ask to be allowed to change tasks. This schoolhouse became ubiquitous and from then until now people have been educated in this manner.
In the 21st century the world has shifted again, and as before children run ragged in the streets. It is still early days yet, but not enough people are asking:
How do we put in order our children for the world they will inherit?
Like the proverbial ostrich many people stick their heads in the sand and say, “What is Wrong with these children?” “Where have the moral values of our youth gone?” “We should be more strict!” Because being precise was what worked in the day of the factory, just as creativity is what will work in the world our children now will inherit.
This record is intended to do more than raise the question, “How do we put in order our children for the world they will inherit?” It is also meant to point the consulation in a few of the more distinct directions.
First, there is not going to be one, “Future of Education” and we might do well to stop using that phrase because it limits us. Instead we will see many Future(s) develop. It is clear that any ideas as complex as schooling needs to grow and change over a network of possibilities, with each sub group, community or nation creating its own type of response to the needs of their young people, yet being connected to the greater network of educational possibilities in order to make use of innovations as they develop. The particulars will change with local context but all will literally be called upon to share which ideas and technologies work best for them. This is already happening. Consider:
In Scotland, local government called together older students to engage in planning the next school they would build. The students designed drop in centers rather than anything close to a customary school.
In New Zealand standards need local creativity be included in the ways students are assessed on their level of scholastic achievement.
In the United States, educators who face as much as 50% change in their school people each year due to mobility of their students due to poverty found that the key factors to improving their schools were through providing creative way to schooling services, a welcoming culture, and flexible instructional strategies.
No One time to come will encompass these and the millions of other stories that exist colse to the world.
Just as atmosphere changes influence the seas, and therefore fishing in all parts of the world, so the change in transportation patterns has affected daily life everywhere. With the change in transportation has come a change in how we receive, create, and publish knowledge. All are done at a much faster pace, and the children of today more than any old generation will need to take their place in a global economy.
Ideas used to take years to come to the public’s concentration and now the people attuned to group media colse to the world will know of developments in less than 24 hours. Likewise only a few were privileged enough to work at creative tasks over the distance of time it took to construct something new, let alone have it be widely received. Now teams of people working in international networks use open source ideas to build entirely new technologies together in their spare time.
How do we put in order our children for the world they will inherit?
Our ancestors could have only imagined the world that their children would inherit as local, maybe national (for a few) and only the privileged would have moved into international settings. Children in any place are likely to trip internationally and many will live far from the place they were born. They will bring back to their homelands societal norms from other places, as radio, television and the internet bring ideas. The world our children will inherit will stretch everyone’s quality to keep what is considerable in local culture while embracing what is considerable in international ideas. Our children will need the knowledge skills, and group abilities to move in the middle of family, community and international cultures and contexts with ease.
How do we put in order our children for the world they will inherit?
These words are meant to be a call to action. A small network is beginning to apply participatory study to the questions complex with the Future(s) of Education. Some are blogging, writing, speaking and consulting with others on these topics. As educators colse to the globe wrestle with the difficulties that occur as the old systems break down, some are banding together to discuss, “What is next?”
This record is written in the hopes that it will move both local activity and relationship to an international network.
If you are intrigued, then it is hoped that you take a copy of this record and pass it to others or share the link to this record with others.
If you are in higher schooling then please discuss this with both your students and your peers and encourage everyone who has time to devote to this idea to join the network mentioned above.
If you are already working in this area then connect with the Future(s) of schooling scheme so that we all can share scholastic resources and ideas.
What else will be occurring as this network grows? Small teams of people in various countries colse to the world are beginning to construct pilot projects. These teams will use this model and in rotation will study, act, measure and reflect on changes that evolve as they study what might be the best time to come for schooling in their area.
As Ron Heifetz from Harvard has pointed out, we can create change if we have a holding environment which keeps us inspiring and feeling safe throughout the difficulties we face. Par is such a holding environment – one that the Future(s) of schooling projects will use for connecting internationally and record on as we grow the international network that surrounds us.
The End of schooling As We Know It
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