Last time I talked about traditional learning and promised will continue to discuss traditional learning in today's world in my next blog. So here it goes:
Today, traditional thinking doesn't work anymore. Basically it is “one size fits all”. Students with special abilities, needs, or learning styles had to make their own accommodations within the existing educational structure.
Traditional teaching means imparting a prescribed bunch of facts that many students may not ever use. In traditional learning, there is little, if any, thought given to the link between school and work. It was anticipated that companies would supply the specific training their new hires required beyond their formal, broad-based education.
In today’s global economy, what students need to be ready for the world of work is vastly different. Technology has made rapid and drastic demands on modern employees. Today’s work environment is full of computers, smart phones, tablets, Google, Facebook, and Internet.
Today’s students and workers need skills their parents and teachers never dreamed of. They will be competing for jobs that literally did not exist when they began their formal education. The competition will be steep.
Today’s students still need the basic mathematics, science, literature, grammar, writing, and computer skills. But in addition they need economic literacy, problem solving, oral and written communication, collaboration, and research skills. They must be able to find information, interpret what they learn and separate fact from fiction.In short, educating today’s students necessitates that learning be delivered in markedly different ways that traditional teaching.
Information creation and scientific discovery is happening faster than we can bring it into the schools. This does not mean we discard teaching the basics. It does mean that these content area become the means to teach skills that allow
students to function, to acquire information from a variety of sources and to adapt to the changes that are constantly occurring in their world.
In order for graduates to compete competently in the global economy they need to be able to think critical, identify problems and devise workable solutions. They need to be able to function as part of a team working, collaboratively and innovatively. They need to have cognitive skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that will prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work.
In a traditional learning setting teachers were “sages on the stage” dispensing facts. The new world of work demands that they become “guides on the side” coaching and directing students, teaching skills that help students become expert learners rather than content experts.
Tomorrow’s work force needs to understand technology as the digital wiring that is used as a conduit for large amounts of information. They need to know how to manage, analyze, and utilize the data.
Traditional education prepared students for jobs like: receptionist, mechanic, switchboard operator, keypunch operator, and repair technician. Today’s employer is looking for website designers, LAN operators, webmasters, desktop publishers, and data analysts. Clearly the skills equired for today’s employment is highly skilled. These skills are not learned in general college and university degree programs. They are specific hands on learning acquired at technical institutions, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training.
We are living in a world only the most intuitive futurist could have imagined half a century ago.
Moreover, the changes are happening faster with each passing year. Education must prepare future workers to deal with change physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Globalization was forced rapid and market changes on societies in many areas. Education is certainly one of these areas. Globalization requires unification of content, methodology and knowledge systems. It requires that teaching and learning be adapted to provide skills, methodology, knowledge, and attitudes to meet new opportunities available in this rapidly changing environment.
Today, traditional thinking doesn't work anymore. Basically it is “one size fits all”. Students with special abilities, needs, or learning styles had to make their own accommodations within the existing educational structure.
Traditional teaching means imparting a prescribed bunch of facts that many students may not ever use. In traditional learning, there is little, if any, thought given to the link between school and work. It was anticipated that companies would supply the specific training their new hires required beyond their formal, broad-based education.
In today’s global economy, what students need to be ready for the world of work is vastly different. Technology has made rapid and drastic demands on modern employees. Today’s work environment is full of computers, smart phones, tablets, Google, Facebook, and Internet.
Today’s students and workers need skills their parents and teachers never dreamed of. They will be competing for jobs that literally did not exist when they began their formal education. The competition will be steep.
Today’s students still need the basic mathematics, science, literature, grammar, writing, and computer skills. But in addition they need economic literacy, problem solving, oral and written communication, collaboration, and research skills. They must be able to find information, interpret what they learn and separate fact from fiction.In short, educating today’s students necessitates that learning be delivered in markedly different ways that traditional teaching.
Information creation and scientific discovery is happening faster than we can bring it into the schools. This does not mean we discard teaching the basics. It does mean that these content area become the means to teach skills that allow
students to function, to acquire information from a variety of sources and to adapt to the changes that are constantly occurring in their world.
In order for graduates to compete competently in the global economy they need to be able to think critical, identify problems and devise workable solutions. They need to be able to function as part of a team working, collaboratively and innovatively. They need to have cognitive skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal skills that will prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work.
In a traditional learning setting teachers were “sages on the stage” dispensing facts. The new world of work demands that they become “guides on the side” coaching and directing students, teaching skills that help students become expert learners rather than content experts.
Tomorrow’s work force needs to understand technology as the digital wiring that is used as a conduit for large amounts of information. They need to know how to manage, analyze, and utilize the data.
Traditional education prepared students for jobs like: receptionist, mechanic, switchboard operator, keypunch operator, and repair technician. Today’s employer is looking for website designers, LAN operators, webmasters, desktop publishers, and data analysts. Clearly the skills equired for today’s employment is highly skilled. These skills are not learned in general college and university degree programs. They are specific hands on learning acquired at technical institutions, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training.
We are living in a world only the most intuitive futurist could have imagined half a century ago.
Moreover, the changes are happening faster with each passing year. Education must prepare future workers to deal with change physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Globalization was forced rapid and market changes on societies in many areas. Education is certainly one of these areas. Globalization requires unification of content, methodology and knowledge systems. It requires that teaching and learning be adapted to provide skills, methodology, knowledge, and attitudes to meet new opportunities available in this rapidly changing environment.
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