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posted by CoolHand on Monday August 24 2015, @01:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the who'd-a-thunk-it dept.

Access to a world of infinite information has changed how we communicate, process information, and think. Decentralized systems have proven to be more productive and agile than rigid, top-down ones. Innovation, creativity, and independent thinking are increasingly crucial to the global economy.

And yet the dominant model of public education is still fundamentally rooted in the industrial revolution that spawned it, when workplaces valued punctuality, regularity, attention, and silence above all else. (In 1899, William T. Harris, the US commissioner of education, celebrated the fact that US schools had developed the "appearance of a machine," one that teaches the student "to behave in an orderly manner, to stay in his own place, and not get in the way of others.") We don't openly profess those values nowadays, but our educational system—which routinely tests kids on their ability to recall information and demonstrate mastery of a narrow set of skills—doubles down on the view that students are material to be processed, programmed, and quality-tested. School administrators prepare curriculum standards and "pacing guides" that tell teachers what to teach each day. Legions of managers supervise everything that happens in the classroom; in 2010 only 50 percent of public school staff members in the US were teachers.
...
That's why a new breed of educators, inspired by everything from the Internet to evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and AI, are inventing radical new ways for children to learn, grow, and thrive. To them, knowledge isn't a commodity that's delivered from teacher to student but something that emerges from the students' own curiosity-fueled exploration. Teachers provide prompts, not answers, and then they step aside so students can teach themselves and one another. They are creating ways for children to discover their passion—and uncovering a generation of geniuses in the process.

Good, long article on how education could be reinvented for the 21st century.


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by plogerjb on Tuesday August 25 2015, @12:15AM

    by plogerjb (5744) <plogerjbNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Tuesday August 25 2015, @12:15AM (#227303)

    I attended Vo Tech for Computer Networking, which as a two year program prepared me completely for CCNA testing as well as a lot of other computer related tasks. That said, my teacher tried to skip me a year, but the school wouldn't have it. Gotta go through the rigors like everyone else.

    I did get to see a good bit of what went on in other areas (photography/media design/etc, welding, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, CAD, nursing, dentistry, and much more. I do believe there was practical knowledge learned. All of us got to use equipment and learn hands on. I had a very exceptional teacher, so we got away with as much hands on as Computer Networking allowed, including running new cables in the building and working with outside companies to perform community service weekly to help those in need with computer related issues.

    Do I think everyone had the same opportunity? No. Did I choose the right program? Who knows, I do tons of computer work still but do automotive work by trade because I enjoy it and I'm paid quite handsomely. That said, I think the exposure and even attempting to involve students with more than just "group activities" is a great thing. I loved the program, and think it's a wonderful thing. I'm rather disappointed this isn't a universal experience.

    If you want practical people capable of exercising the knowledge they do possess, you have to let them try practical things (AND mess up!)

    --
    I believe in doing the right thing as well as being fair. Sometimes these don't go hand in hand.
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