4 + 2 Education Challenges in the New Year
For many of us, the new year provides a chance to re-focus on what matters most. Whether it’s quitting this or starting that, finding more time for family or exercise, or a commitment to building new skills, the new year is an ideal time to pause and regroup.
The new year is also an ideal time to re-focus our professional efforts on what matters most in American education. To choose a way forward for 2016, Digital Promise asked those closest to the issue -- educators -- what some of their greatest challenges are in both K-12 and adult education.
Big Challenges in K-12 Education
To discover today’s greatest challenges, Digital Promise launched a wiki survey crowdsourcing tool to ask educators the question: “Which is a bigger challenge in K-12 education?” The respondents were provided two possible answers (i.e. A or B -- like an eye test). They could continue to choose between pairs as many times as they wanted, and could also submit original ideas. The tool calculated a score for each possible answer, resulting in a prioritized list of challenges. We then combined similar responses to finish with a list of the top four shared challenges in K-12 education. Here is a brief description of each:
- Creating opportunities for authentic learning, where students can learn through hands-on, collaborative projects that address “real” problems relevant to their lives.
- Supporting students’ non-cognitive and social-emotional skill development, which includes academic behaviors, perseverance, and mindsets; learning strategies; and social skills needed to be successful (University of Chicago), as well as the ability to experience, manage, and express emotions; develop close relationships; and actively learn (American Academy of Pediatrics).
- Fostering deeper learning, which encompasses the knowledge, skills, and understanding students need for college and career success. This includes teamwork and collaboration, academic knowledge, and critical thinking (Hewlett Foundation), as well as civic, financial, information, and technology literacy (P21).
- Supporting students’ ability to solve real world math problems, which involves helping students apply mathematical concepts and problem solving skills in everyday life (NCTM).
Big Challenges in Adult Education
To gather information about what matters most to educators working with adult learners (an estimated 36 million under-skilled U.S. adults), Digital Promise highlighted communities around the country with promising adult education practices. We also partnered with XPrize Foundation and MIT Media Lab to host a design day event in five cities, which provided a forum for adult educators to share their key needs with technology developers. The feedback from adult educators can be summarized in these two grand challenges:
1. Connecting basic skills to relevant job skills, which means finding ways to integrate the basic math, English, and technology skills that adults are learning with skills that will help them in the context of their chosen career and in the job market.
When student learning is aligned with the needs of local employers, it is a win-win: employers gain a new pool of qualified employees, while adults become more competitive for available jobs. Today we see the beginnings of this in several programs around the country (such as Savannah Technical College’s program to combine basic skills with aviation mechanics, welding, and healthcare skills), and more communities need to adopt this model to improve the opportunity for success in our nation’s workforce.
2. Creating opportunities for learning at flexible times and places, which helps busy adult learners with work and family responsibilities access and complete classes or supplemental lessons on their own time, and in convenient places. These opportunities, offered mainly online or through mobile devices, should be supported with peers, coaches, and teachers, locally or also online.
An Agenda for Education Innovation in 2016
Although truly challenging, I’m optimistic about our collective ability to make progress in 2016. I am inspired by the educators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors who are committed to collective progress, and I look forward to continuing our work in 2016 to improve education and close the Digital Learning Gap. I would love to hear your ideas!
Regional Sales Manager at Ziska Pharmaceuticals Ltd
7 年Excellent image....Thanks for the great post. https://arclippingspecialist.com/
VIVA Life Foundation for Children with Cancer
8 年Time is a limited commodity. To juggle between job and skill-upgrading, mobile app is the way to go, learning at their own pace and space. No more traveling to classroom. But a good job-enhancement learning app should have a clear milestone, good pedagogy and should prepare motivated adult of a certificate by a credible, independent authority.
Student Support Specialist
8 年The support of social-emotional development is a very difficult and sensitive priority. Teachers require training, and schools must provide time and space to allow for authentic and effective support of our kids.
Training and Dev/Instructional Design
8 年Empower educators, empower students. Why not teach relevant skills to instructors during plc/pld meetings on a weekly basis? Why not log in as a team on a weekly basis?
Director of STEM Programs, DoD STEM Ambassador, DoDEA Grants Program NE Region Lead, LEAD STEM Fellow and Leadership Coordinating Council Member with STEM Learning Ecosystems
8 年around for the benefit of all. educational systems are often reluctant to change, but it seems clear to me that when any system lacks a high success rate other, more effective means should be considered. Change isn't easy, but when the payoff is seen in achievement, opportunity, and excitement for learning, how can it not be embraced!