Whenever I watch Ted Talks about Education like this one by John Green that I watched tonight and listen to students ask the question "When am I going to use this?" I hear people that are critical of the current education system and it causes me to reevaluate the education system that I am part of.
Education is correctly described as a series of hurdles that students need to jump over so they can graduate, get a "good job" and then be happy. At least that is what students are told by parents and many teachers. Last week I was teaching a Geometry lesson early in the year about measuring angles using a protractor. A student looked at me and asked "When am I ever going to use this?" and I had to honestly answer "You probably will never use this in your lives." The student was a bit shocked that a teacher would give an honest answer. The buzz in the class continued, so I continued to explain. "The reason why you need to learn Geometry is because it is on the SAT and the ACT, the two college entrance exams. You also need to learn Geometry is because it will prepare you for Algebra 2, which will prepare you for Pre-Calculus, which is equivalent to what is called 'College Algebra' in most colleges and this is a requirement for most college degrees. So you need to learn Geometry, but not because you will use every idea that we study someday." Essentially I was describing the hurdle system of an "outdated system" (Sugata Mitra's TED Talk).
The outdated system of education is seen in many ways. It is seen in the number of college graduates who can't find a job. It is seen in high school graduates who were only prepared for college, and then chose not to go to college. These high school graduates are then completely unprepared for life as an adult. The outdated system is seen when parents see their high school and college graduates struggle in the world and wonder why their "Get good grades" mantra didn't prepare their children for success in the real world.
If I were to re-invent education from scratch to prepare students for the 21st century. Education would look very different from how it does today. I imagine it wouldn't be bound by heavily structured schedules. It wouldn't include all of the math, science, history, English, etc. that are required for high school graduation. I think the place that we need to start is asking the question: "What do all adults need to know?" instead of asking what is required for to prepare students for college. I imagine a system that is not bound by grades, but results in authentic products that can be shared. I imagine a system where students are taught how to collaborate with each other and work together for a common goal. I don't know exactly what it would look like and how to hold students accountable, but I know that it wouldn't be like what we have today.
Essentially, it boils down the fact that I feel like a cog in an outdated education system. I know that there is a better way, but I feel powerless to make any changes. I don't want to leave my secure job of teaching because I have a family to provide for. Reflections like this draw me back to Project Based Learning, because I believe that this develops skills that are useful outside of school. I just need people to collaborate with. What would a truly Project Based Learning Geometry or Statistics class look like? How do we prepare students for the 21st century and for a future world that is unlike our current one?