The major reason involves our vision that education mus t be relevant and meaningful. However, this proposition begs the question,s "In our rapidly changing world, what will the marketplace and world be like for our students? What skills will be essential for our students to succeed?"
Daniel Pink addresses these very questions in a fresh, readable and insightful manner in A Whole New Mind. In summary, Pink ideas six key skills that will be essential to prosper in the globalized economy of the 21st Century. These include:
1- Design
2- Story
3- Symphony
4- Empathy
5- Play
6- Meaning
Ken,
ReplyDeleteIt's inspiring to see how much you have embraced technology the past few months. Bloggers of the world unite! I will try to be a regular visitor/commentator.
I was wondering the other day about Pink's ideas and how I would rank them in order of importance if I had to... I think one of his points is that they are all important, they all play a role. Maybe then "symphony" would be the key...
What do you think?
Andy
That's a tough one. I would rank empathy highly, especially in the work we do with students. It's important to see the world from their point of view to understand and connect with them. I would also rank meaning near the top, as that is what we are trying to add with relevance and CRLE's in each class. When students feel connected and have meaning, the other items can be woven into the classroom. Symphony would be the key at the end that ties it all together. Of course, the point is that we are teaching students all of these areas. The key may be finding a particular students strengths and weaknesses in these areas and differentiating a plan for each student to improve in the areas he/she needs most.
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