LET’S TALK ABOUT EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE
In a previous post, I decided to stop decrying our reticence as a country to address what I consider the “problem” underlying COVID-19 and it’s seemingly profound effects on the USA today and begin addressing specific areas of outdated, ineffective infrastructure. I began with travel, using the airline industry as an example; however, most of my comments on the airline industry would equally apply to ships, trains, busses and other forms of public transportation. Today I want to tackle education.
Why is education in such turmoil due to COVID-19? Again, it is my opinion that COVID-19 is just the spark that led to the explosion of pre-existing problems, most related to outdated, ineffective infrastructure. The rest being related to individual and corporate financial greed.
The first “problem” is that teaching, while highly effective, is traumatic to both the teacher and the student – see UNLOCK THE GENIUS WITHIN: NEUROBIOLOGICAL TRAUMA, TEACHING AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING by Dr. Daniel S. Janik at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578862914.
What is needed is a paradigm shift from teaching to learning, where “instructors” become guides and mentors helping learners to learn how and where to locate learning resources relevant to learner interests. Curiosity => cooperation => discovery => resources => knowledge => wisdom. This simple paradigm shift opens up education to include effective distance learning, something many school districts balk at because it is simply too traumatic for teachers and students. It requires a new form of learning evaluation and feedback other than traditional testing – see SELFDESIGN: NURTURING GENIUS THROUGH NATURAL LEARNING by Dr. Brent Cameron at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591810442
The second “problem” is that teaching, while highly effective as a means of conveying basic memorized information, is both largely unnecessary and not very good at providing either knowledge or wisdom. As AI becomes increasingly efficient in recording and indexing information (meaning it’s not necessary to memorize all information), what is needed is a platform for delivering knowledge (the ability to take what one learns and apply it to other areas of need) and wisdom (the ability to do it at the right time and place, without hurting others). This opens the door to learning spirituality (rather than religion), an important segue into morality and ethics, both of which are sorely needed in the USA today — see THE SOUL OF EDUCATION: HELPING STUDENTS FIND CONNECTION, COMPASSION AND CHARACTER AT SCHOOL by Rachael Kessler at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0871203731.
These are only a few of the many academic and popular works investigating a a new approach to education called transformative learning. However, the emphasis is not as might first appear on transformation per se, but on transformative learning in learners.
These are a few of the basic infrastructure issues extended and applied in my newly released SCI-FU (Science-Based Futuring) novel, THE EDGE OF MADNESS by Raymond Gaynor
The Edge of Madness
Get it. Peer over the edge. See the future. Boldly go where few have gone but we all need to go.
Why is education in such turmoil due to COVID-19? Again, it is my opinion that COVID-19 is just the spark that led to the explosion of pre-existing problems, most related to outdated, ineffective infrastructure. The rest being related to individual and corporate financial greed.
The first “problem” is that teaching, while highly effective, is traumatic to both the teacher and the student – see UNLOCK THE GENIUS WITHIN: NEUROBIOLOGICAL TRAUMA, TEACHING AND TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING by Dr. Daniel S. Janik at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1578862914.
What is needed is a paradigm shift from teaching to learning, where “instructors” become guides and mentors helping learners to learn how and where to locate learning resources relevant to learner interests. Curiosity => cooperation => discovery => resources => knowledge => wisdom. This simple paradigm shift opens up education to include effective distance learning, something many school districts balk at because it is simply too traumatic for teachers and students. It requires a new form of learning evaluation and feedback other than traditional testing – see SELFDESIGN: NURTURING GENIUS THROUGH NATURAL LEARNING by Dr. Brent Cameron at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591810442
The second “problem” is that teaching, while highly effective as a means of conveying basic memorized information, is both largely unnecessary and not very good at providing either knowledge or wisdom. As AI becomes increasingly efficient in recording and indexing information (meaning it’s not necessary to memorize all information), what is needed is a platform for delivering knowledge (the ability to take what one learns and apply it to other areas of need) and wisdom (the ability to do it at the right time and place, without hurting others). This opens the door to learning spirituality (rather than religion), an important segue into morality and ethics, both of which are sorely needed in the USA today — see THE SOUL OF EDUCATION: HELPING STUDENTS FIND CONNECTION, COMPASSION AND CHARACTER AT SCHOOL by Rachael Kessler at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0871203731.
These are only a few of the many academic and popular works investigating a a new approach to education called transformative learning. However, the emphasis is not as might first appear on transformation per se, but on transformative learning in learners.
These are a few of the basic infrastructure issues extended and applied in my newly released SCI-FU (Science-Based Futuring) novel, THE EDGE OF MADNESS by Raymond Gaynor
The Edge of Madness
Get it. Peer over the edge. See the future. Boldly go where few have gone but we all need to go.
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