But let’s also make sure that in the rush to prepare kids with the tools for tomorrow, they don’t miss out on gaining an understanding of history, literature, culture – the bodies of knowledge that give people a perspective on where they are, and where they came from, what citizenship is, and what history should not be repeated. With those, to borrow from the brilliant and subversive prose of the National Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, they will have a shot at being “masters of their technology rather than its unthinking servants”.

Each generation (especially as its members get older) assumes that the change it faces is proceeding more profoundly, scarily and quickly than it ever has before. Sure seems that way to me, but I am not sure I would like to argue that with someone who lived through the industrial revolution, for example.

This is a fascinating thread – thanks for so many interesting posts.

It is important to teach students skills that will apply to many different contexts. Working closely with others, training in technology, and making students more active are in my mind the three most important items that you have listed. People will always need other people and will have to know how to work and communicate with them. This is very easy to implement with group work, projects, and research. Our society is becoming more and more technologically advanced and it would be foolish not to realize and help to train students to be technologically savvy (i.e., searching for internet resources, source validity, etc.). Active students are essential because they develop into active citizens.

I also think that it is important to look at the area of logic/reasoning. While this topic is “covered” in many classes, it isn’t ever specifically addressed. To create individuals who are good at working with others and are competent social and political activity they need to possess critical thinking skills. So often we fall prey to illogical arguments and poorly-based information. We need to teach students to reason and argue effectively.

Kyle Knee

I’m Student from ISU posting for a class on your blog.

I agree with a lot you have to say about preparing students for the future. I think our world is going to be exponentially smaller for the future graduate. Competition will be fierce. And the job applicicant who can demonstrate his ablily to effectivly communicate with people from all over the world and show an advance knowledge of the newest techonology will have the edge. I think a lot of our time in school is wasted on memorizing facts, dates, and forumlas when this information is available to us with the click of a mouse. I think we should spend a bit more time teaching our students HOW to access this information and HOW to network with other people rather than drilling them in mundate facts they will probably forget after a few nights of freshman college parties.

While i do beleive that education and learning in itself is valued and we shouldn’t ONLY indoctrinate students into the jobforce. However, we need to prepare them somewhat so college graduates don’t feel so much like a gold fish in an ocean full of sharks.

• Editors of information–Something we should have been teaching them all along but is even more important now.
Agree, however difficult. It seems we are being prompted to step aside and let them walk on their own earlier and earlier. The focus needs to shift to teaching evaluative skills and discernment. I like the word empowered. They are an empowered lot, they CAN DO much. It is the how and why that needs to be nurtured.

Much to mull over, thanks for the prompt.

I think teaching is about not so much “jobs”, a denigrating term, but equipping young people to do good work, productive work, making the world a richer and kinder place because of their kind capacities of understanding and critical care.

I DO think that teaching is precisely for preparing students to do good work in their lives. What they choose to do is theirs to find, and I hope to give them encouragement and blessings to choose where they most find a way to blessings all around, to good work. That is, after all, what “vocational” means, responding to a sense of being “called”, like young Samuel in the Temple late at night — so, how does each student hear her or his “call”, and how can I help them hear and respond, as good old Eli taught Samuel to hear and respond. I believe our students are all such “judges” and “prophets” and “called” no less than Samuel was into good work in making the world and all of us new in their discoveries, wonders, and care. That’s what I trust. Not, I suppose, the diminutive of “jobs”, but definitely the ability of my students to do good work in the calling that is theirs.

And I think that the internet connections, when critically taught, like Eli taught Samuel to hear, can be calls to vocations beyond my, or any teacher’s, ability to judge — but we can bless their choosings and wait upon their learnings, and anoint them blessed in our trust in their learning, their good work.

Cheers — Fionn

Don

The results are posted at http://bwatwood.edublogs.org/2008/02/26/our-kids-futures/

I think the themes speak for themselves!

First, let me say that i’m happy that whatever i said didn’t just disappear into the virtual vapor, and that we found a chance to talk and listen in the company of Will Richardson and others.

I do think that the thing to consider in terms of teaching in technology is aptly noted in your recognition that we have little secure knowledge (after all, my folks sure didn’t about me, nor their folks about them) of what will be “needed” — but needed for what? That’s the ever question, ain’t it?

It is a job? And if it is basically vocationaly training we are doing in education, then is there any moral, social, historial, literary, scientific, mathematical, artistic community in which the vocation is meant to be done, achieved, accomplished? These are critical questions that mere media, whether books or papers or images or digital internet have no way to decide. We have to decide about the community of human being that we want to live in, want to cherish and promote.

What, after all, are “larger concepts later on in life”? We need to teach, confess, learn with students not just the skills, but also what are “larger concepts”, something, after all, more than getting into college or making lots of money.

I am not sure that “the newest material”, at the moment, is worth fretting about when we agree that the world of our students, our children, will be years and many “newest” hence. But yes, of course, we need to be up-to-date and best that we can. That, tho’, doesn’t seem to me to be enuf to bless our students into a lively newness to find in the ways of their own learning, and to hobble myself along and blessing beside.

I know you are younger in teaching and eager with students on, and you’ve all my blessings. Forgive my old hobbling….and good times making all things new.

Cheers — Fionn

And, of course, we’ve no clue really what “Our Kids’ Futures” will be — and for me, i’m thinking about my grandchild, 1 year old a month ago. He’s now playing on a laptop i gave to his father when he was travelling in Southeast Asia a few years ago, while his father works at home on a new Mac doing editing, writing, reviews, etc.
Since my son is now home working, and with a one year old, what would have been central for him to learn? — Alas, Home Ec was not a likely choice for him. And how much else made a difference in any direct way?

What is needed? We don’t know since we don’t know the object of that verb “need” — needed FOR WHAT? That’s what we very much don’t know.

Will’s suggestions are fine things, tho’ they seem to me to tend toward imagining the future in the image of current fascination with internet learning, within our own little bailiwick, and i use that old word intentionally, of authority and shared vocabulary. There is nothing really new in Will’s list. The question is, do we think “Our kids’ futures will require them to be:” — “require them to be”? What seems to me a goal to aspire toward, and to equip our children and grandchildren with, is understanding, discipline, and desire to make “whatever happens” a thing to meet and shape into human community and human understanding.

And that’s what i like in Will’s final thing that the future will require (a nonsense there, of course, for there is no “future” at all, it’s a projection of our hopes, fears, and pretends)our children to be is: “Editors of information — something we should have been teaching them all along but is even more imporatant now.” Yes, indeed, for to be an “Editor” is to shape what happens as you live through it and follow it, to make of it human meaning, and meaning to offer up to break and share with others, making communities of undestanding out of good editing.

Much in Will’s list, Networked, More Collaborative, More Globally Aware, (Why Less dependent on paper as anything substantial?), More active, etc., seems to me to be function of teaching our students to learn in a way of editing — i.e., the editor takes responsibility for the publishing of whatever is learned in the understanding and in the action of the student’s life — the responsibility is that of the student, and that is what we are to not just teach, but also exemplify. The notion that the internet world is swarmy with gee-whiz whatever you want information is something to find a way to teach otherwise. Information is, indeed, power — but it can be very ignorant, very small, very dangerous power.

Our students, and we, need a community of critical editorial voice — some would call that an ethical voice. Most, if not all, of Will’s other proposals assume that sort of voice. How, then, do we find ethical and community responsibility as the editorial dimension of internet learning, Web 2.0 or any other?

It seems to me Will worked his way through the list to the nub of the challenge, and the fun.

Cheers — Fionn