Scaling Up for the 21st Century Economy

I recently read a blog post that Chris sent me that talked about how technological advances are rapidly killing job categories as well as entire industries. The author likened this to how the world changed from 95% of the population being in an agrarian economy to just 1% now. The author warns that this change will not take 200 years like it took agriculture but merely 20.

Reading this post had me reflecting again on what are we teaching our students to do? Are we teaching them the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in a complex constantly evolving economy, or are we getting them ready for jobs in industries that will not exist when they graduate? We as educators need to start teaching our students the skills they are going to need to compete in a complex and globalized world. We need to teach students how to innovate and create. They need to be given opportunities to explore and connect with students everywhere who share the same skill sets and interests as them. The goal of our school, I believe, should be to level the playing so that all of our students have the opportunity to be successful once they graduate. Students need and want to contribute to the world, and we as teachers need to educate them on how to have a voice. As the school year continues on, I encourage you to continually reflect on your instruction and provide learning opportunities that will benefit students in the years to come. Not just on the next assessment.

REFERENCE

Richardson, W. (2014). A World Upended…”Get Ready” http://willrichardson.com/post/77294551963/a-world-upended-get-ready Robb, J. (2014). When only 1% are Employed http://www.homefreeamerica.us/1-employed/