I spent much of 2011 immersed in learning about how to improve education. A great deal of my time was spent learning about ed tech and how it can transform classrooms and the way kids learn. My conclusion is that blended learning is going to play a key role in the future of education. At the same time, blended learning does not address the most fundamental challenge we face in improving education. It's less about HOW we teach than WHAT we teach.
The 20th century education model was built on the assumption that access to information was the scarce resource and thus teaching content was the number one priority. The internet has changed all that. Access to information is now a commodity (indeed we have too much information) and what we really need to teach our kids are the SKILLS that they will need in the 21st century. Critical thinking and problem solving, the ability to evaluate and analyze data, teamwork, entrepreneurialism, oral and written communication skills and creativity top the list.
Unfortunately, transforming our education system from a content focused approach to a skill building focused approach is going to be a long and arduous process - one that will clearly take longer than my kids will be in school (and I have a first grader!). Thus, I have decided that developing these skills falls at least in part on my shoulders and the shoulders of all the other adults and activities in my kid's lives.
My Solution - turn the dinner table into a learning environment by talking about topics that engage my kids in the use of 21st century skills.
I have long been frustrated by the banality of the typical dinner conversation at home and with friends. "How was your day?", "How is work?", "how are your kids?", "what's the latest gossip?". I find myself constantly trying to turn the conversation to politics, issues or any topic that will generate some interesting debate. But last week a light bulb went on. I was having dinner with my oldest son (who just turned 13) and his grandparents when my mother asked the following question: "in 1980 (or some such date) there were 730 armed robberies in Central Park. How many do you thing there were in 2011?"
My son wagered a guess - "17" - which turned out to be remarkably accurate. On a normal day, we would have moved on to the next topic but I had critical thinking and the scientific method on my mind. So instead of moving on I said to my son "why do you think it has fallen so much?" For the next 30 minutes we engaged in a conversation of creating and testing hypotheses around this question. We talked about increased police presence, the impact of drugs on robberies, economic conditions, better lighting in the park and whether cell phones protected people in the park. It was magic and my professor parents later commented how few conversations they had like this with college students! The critical thinking, inquiry and oral communication skills were being developed in front of our eyes and it wasn't hard to do. All it took was an interesting fact and the willingness to keep pushing.
For 2012 I have resolved to have these conversations over dinner with my kids whenever I can. I have also resolved to publish the topics and key discussion points that enter our conversation so that others may learn from it and perhaps try out at home. In my wildest dreams chat-n-chew will become a place where many people share such conversations and the catalyst for developing a generation of kids who leave school with a portfolio of 21st century skills.
Here's to good food and good conversation.
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