This week’s article summary is 3 Things People Can Do In The Classroom That Robots Can’t.
We are all familiar with this modern horror story: As expanding technology continues to replace jobs, many of us will find ourselves (and our children) with an outdated, antiquated set of workplace skills.
More than likely, however, a number of critical skills that involve empathy, nuance, and judgment (the article categorizes them as Giving a Hug, Solving a Mystery, and Telling a Story) will never be mastered by a computer.
Although Tony Wagner’s needed skills for the 21st Century (the 7 Cs) have become a cliché, the reality is that schools today are expected to do much more than, as the article states, provide students with “math and reading skills and some basic facts about the world.” Schools today are expected to be much more intentional in helping students develop social-emotional skills (especially intra and interpersonal), emotional intelligence (EQ), and executive functioning abilities.
Not surprisingly, the author recommends that the focus of schools should be a “breadth of skills” in order to give kids a range of experiences, attitudes, and habits that will equip them with options--and ideally access to all those soon-to-be-invented jobs that we know are coming. This doesn’t mean superficial coverage, but rather an array of deep experiences that extend well beyond some math, some reading, and some of facts.
Of all the jobs that may be replaced by a computer, I am very confident that the teaching of elementary school students will never make that list as we all on a daily basis give hugs, solve mysteries, and tell stories!
Joe
-------
How should schools best prepare kids to live and work in the second half of the 21st century?
In previous eras, the job of school was simple: Teach them math and reading skills and have them learn some basic facts about the world.
Today the challenge is a lot different.
Most people all over the world, even in the poorest countries, have much easier access to a calculator, a dictionary, and great swaths of knowledge in their pockets.
And technology isn't just expanding access to knowledge. It's also redefining opportunity. To put it bluntly, more and more people — in all kinds of jobs from truck driver to travel agent to lawyer — are in danger of being replaced by software on the job.
A 2013 study from Oxford University famously estimated that 47% of all jobs are in danger of automation. And earlier this year, the World Economic Forum said 5 million jobs might be gone in just the next four years.
These changes create a huge challenge for schools and teachers. But there are also some intriguing indicators of the way forward.
There are at least three big skill sets that human intelligence copes well with. Skills that technology — like artificial intelligence — is currently struggling with and may always struggle with.
I've started referring to them in this way: Giving a hug, Solving a mystery, Telling a story.
Giving a hug: By that I mean empathy, collaboration, communication and leadership skills.
Solving a mystery: A computer program can investigate any question. But you need a person to actually generate a question. Curiosity is the starting point for innovation—sometimes called "problem finding."
Telling a story: Finding what's relevant in a sea of data. Applying values, ethics or morals to a situation. And the creative application of aesthetic principles.
Jobs that require routine interactions — processing a mortgage application, say — are being automated.
Jobs that require non-routine interpersonal and analytical interactions — producing a personalized financial plan for a client, say — are on the rise.
The focus of school, therefore, should be on a "breadth of skills." Academics are necessary, but not sufficient. The list includes such things as teamwork, critical thinking, communication, persistence and creativity.
Kids need to be adaptable, work with others, and have a thirst for learning if they're going to be lifelong learners. Adaptability is required to keep up with the increasing pace of change. Ease in working with others is important in a world that's increasingly interconnected, and where diverse skill sets are required for all sorts of tasks, from launching a business to cleaning up a river.
And lifelong learning is necessary to thrive in a new economy with demands that change all the time
EndFragment
No comments:
Post a Comment