Google Does Not Work for Everything! - Part 1
Why the current school system doesn’t serve us and what we can do about it
Part 1: Consider
Are we so reliant on google for answers that we miss the obvious?
When he grew up, I was sure my son would call and ask questions about cooking such as, “What do I put on first, the meat, potatoes or vegetables.” But, he didn’t. When I asked him about it, he said, “Oh, Mom, I just google it.”
You may have felt like I did, your role as a parent to your adult children is now obsolete. However, Google doesn’t always work!
Note: This 4-part blog is an overview of what I perceive as the problem, the cause and a possible solution model in public education. I want to provide a structure to think about what, why and how we might transform the education system.
What are we emphasizing in school?
For years we thought the primary emphasis in school should be to teach digital technology to our students. The Information Era would solve everything! Mind you, tech skills are absolutely essential. But, this emphasis, at the exclusion of something else, has placed a couple of generations at a major disadvantage!
Why is bullying still a major problem, not only in schools but in the workplace and in the community?
Why do adults have meltdowns like children do?
Why are we not better role models for our kids?
Consider, that many adults are children in adult bodies. And it is not their fault. Emotionally they have not matured. Often, something happens in childhood and we decide something about ourselves e.g. I’m not smart enough or I’m not loveable. Then we spend the rest of our lives looking for evidence to prove our point of view. And it has us reacting instead of responding to life. For example,
Many of us were never taught how to deal with interpersonal dynamics; how to make something right when we mess up (other than a flippant, “I’m sorry,” which we all know doesn’t work); how to develop trust with someone; how to share our feelings in a way we can be heard; how to learn (by being willing to make mistakes); how to build ourselves up; how to make wise decisions for ourselves and in a team, how to give and take attention politely, how to calm someone down, etc.
Google doesn’t teach these things and make them part of our lives. And they are vital to a full life! Why do people lose jobs? Not usually because they lack the technical skills. It is because they lack people skills.
A teacher’s world
Allow me to take you into the world of a teacher for a moment. Teachers are often stressed and overwhelmed with unrealistic expectations and workloads. Most have generous hearts and sign up to pour everything they have into their students so they can reach their potential.
Teaching virtually is a huge challenge. Most of our children are entertained with screen time and are used to high-quality performances. Teachers, who are not entertainers (most of us) and do not create equally engaging and entertaining material to teach virtually, are often left teaching to ceiling fans or black screens, wondering if their students are bored or in trouble.
As well, there is plenty of brain research on what too much screen time does to a child’s brain. With that awareness, teachers come together to change the way we do things.
A few considerations for a new model of schooling
The current public school system was created in the Industrial Era, where students learned to be compliant so they could be factory workers. Now, in an era of innovation, we must develop students in essential skills such as:
This list may feel like another set of expectations we need to fit into our already overpacked schedules in the limited number of hours we see our class.
What if there is a way to teach our students academics through whole-brain learning strategies and social and emotional skills while saving time, having a noticeable impact and being energized by the experience?
What could this new teaching model look like? Could it have less screen time?
How would it serve us going forward?
In Part 2, we will look at The Problem Scale.
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AUTHOR
Margaret Boersma, OCT is an instructional coach, teaching artist, speaker, educational consultant and trainer. Her varied career in 35 years of teaching, combined with her expertise in social/emotional learning (SEL), allows her to assimilate the affective domain (people skills) with academic curriculum goals. Having trained extensively in the arts, and with Dr. Eric Jensen in brain-compatible pedagogy, Margaret’s heart is to transform classroom practice to enable students and teachers to thrive. Her innovative training programs result in students acquiring leadership and communication skills while becoming compassionate citizens. Her experience in teacher training extends to Canada, the U.S, the Netherlands, India, and New Zealand/Australia.