Another Brick in the Wall

Watching my kids play Guitar Hero and was reminded of the the Pink Floyd song  ‘Another Brick in the Wall’. The   lyrics of this song contain the words “We   don’t need no education”, sung in a dirge-like tone.  Then shouting the lyrics... “Teachers,   leave those kids alone.”   This song is a product of the late twentieth century and seems to be a comment   on education in the post-industrial age. It pushes me to ask...
Can   a mass education system, designed during an industrial age, closely modelled   on a factory system, be appropriate for this post-industrial age?

While at NSDC an IT director from Virginia shared this clip with my friend John Norton. It was made by a teacher in her district. It is a great representation of this whole idea of being the first generation of teachers who are preparing kids for jobs that havent even been invented yet.
I think the clip would serve as a great way to get a discussion going at a staff meeting.

http://www.abpc21.org/res/new_skills.mov

Knowing that we are preparing our children for jobs that haven’t even been invented yet--Will they be better prepared by taking a test at the end of high school, or by playing video games that they invent themselves?

We simply have to redesign/reframe education if we want to remain relevant.

WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR MEETING THE NEEDS OF A CURRICULUM FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?

IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF MAKING PRINCIPLED CHANGES IN WHAT AND HOW WE TEACH?

IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT WEB 2.0 HELP YOU ADDRESS THE REFRAMING OF OUR CURRICULA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?

WHAT SKILLS DO STUDENTS NEED TO MASTER and IN WHAT WAYS MIGHT THEY BE LEARNED THROUGH REFRAMED CURRICULA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?

If we do not redesign ourselves as educators and redesign our curricula to meet the needs of an information driven society then education will soon be so outdated that "school" will be just another 'brick in the wall.'

Check out this cartoon... it is just a matter of time before kids really are outsourcing their homework to India.

Uh OH! Scratch that they already are-- Kids are already outsourcing homework-- it will be a matter of time with Web 2.0 before we will be outsourcing a child's education!

http://www.thestalwart.com/the_stalwart/2006/01/outsourcing_hom.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/weekinreview/10mcgrath.html?ex=1315540800&en=8f78cd4bdf316df3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Comments

[Jim Gates]

Very interesting. Loved the cartoon! And the two articles just may help me with my efforts to get some of our local districts to break from their comfort levels to learn and use today's technologies. But you really do have to feel for schools today. They may know VERY well what they should do to prepare the kids for their future, but NCLB testing trumps that. It HAS to. And if we can't show a direct correlation between the skills and tools we advocate and an increase in test scores then they can't afford to invest their time and efforts in this "new stuff."

Oh, and every time I see reference to eminem having 1 million words to work with I have to ask myself, "Then why does he only use the one?" :-) I sure wish folks would use a better example. I really liked what Dr Tyson said to his parents at his September 5th Open House. The whole speach was recorded and posted here:http://mabryonline.org/blogs/tyson/

I like what he says about teacher blogs AND what he says at the end about getting involved with the choices that your kids are making in music.

[Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach]

Jim,

I share your feelings about NCLB and schools doing what they need to! There are only so many hours in a given day. However, if we made principled changes in the way we "do" school-- then we could balance standards and creativity.

Thanks for the link to Dr. Tyson's piece- going to check it out now.

Sheryl

[heidi]

mom, i just wanted to say that you're so awesome. i love you. :) you inspire me.

[Dan Bassill]

I share your vision for what 21st century learning needs to be, and your concern that kids in poverty will be left behind.

However, I don't feel that the solution will come from changes within traditional schools. I believe that the internet itself will link people who care about this topic, and provide knowledge that thousands of adults, who are not professional teachers, can use to reach kids and help them learn.

This process has already started in the home-schooling movement. It's also starting in non-school, volunteer based tutor/mentor programs such as the http://www.cabriniconnections.net program that I lead in Chicago.

We recruit volunteers who are already using technology in their everyday work to become tutors/mentors who meet with kids in the evening hours after the work day. These volunteers already have a passion for using technology for work, and can model the different types of jobs/careers and opportunities that are available to youth.

At this point there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of programs like Cabrini Connections operating in different parts of the country.

They are underfunded, disconnected, and still learning to adopt technology for learning. However, they don't have a bureaucracy to fight, and they already have connections to the business community, who ultimately must be more involved for us to meet the 21st century learning goals.

At http://www.tutormentorconnection.org I'm building a library and a meeting place for such programs and their volunteers. You'll see maps of Chicago that show where poverty and poorly performing schools are most concentrated, and how our efforts focus on connecting volunteers and donors and learning with economically disadvantaged kids.

We're constantly adding information to the site, and I encourage educators to take a look.