Do We Need to Go Back to the Future?
If I’m hearing correctly, educational standards are worse than ever.
Teachers are saying that kids don’t just dislike reading more than a few words; they can’t.
They don’t just hate writing more than a few words; they can’t.
And even when they do write, you either can’t read it, or the grammar and spelling are so bad you might wish you couldn’t.
Indeed, if I understand what I am hearing, the world will soon be divided between the “writes” and the “not-writes”.
Well, I don't remember it being like that when I was back in school.
I remember reading many classic and contemporary books as a kid. We all used to make lots of notes and write many long, clever essays.
Yes, we used to learn punctuation, grammar and spelling, but we also learned how to formulate arguments and structure our thoughts succinctly.
Indeed, things sound so bad that if I had a Time Machine, I would immediately rip my kids out of school and send them back 30 years to relive and experience my golden age of education. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Then, up-skilled and ready after a few years of proper schooling in the golden basics (with the added bonus of superior character building and strong values), I would return them to the present day, where they would now have all they need to flourish. Furthermore, they would also be anxious-free because they would have avoided the smartphone epidemic.
Sadly, I don’t have a Time Machine.
I have questions.
...read on in the link below:
Spanish/French Teacher | IBDP & A Level
3 个月You have some valid points, though apart from our nostalgia, we also grew up with the Space race, the dream of flying cars and the end of the printed book and the almost tangible dream of virtual reality. The change and loss of traditional ones is here and no generation is educated by one who shares their same values. Even if less alphabetised, our students are negotiators and more confident than we were. For having grown under the shadow of environmental apocalypse and the pandemic, it seems to me they are going well. But yes... they cannot read instructions. Fascinating.
MYP /IBDP/ IGCSE Biology Faculty
3 个月Excellent piece Damian.. Worth reading and contemplating ... Our kids these days so much dependent on AI generated tools, and rely on Chat GPT for their work and losing track of what called reading and writing .. ..
Talent Acquisition Professional | Recruiter | Executive Search Consultant APAC| Educator for International Curriculum| Financial Consultant & Planner
3 个月Enjoyed this article . I returned this evening after hearing an AI related talk and my thoughts and concern was that sometimes AI driven solutions can foster dependency , especially among adolosecents and young adults who may begin to rely on it for basics like writing , reading and virtual interactions at the expense of real world social skills .
Education Consultant | Speaker | Author | Limitless Future & Every Student Deserves a Gifted Education
3 个月Excellent piece Damian! Definitely translates here as well in the U.SA.