I believe that education needs to be reimagined, especially as technology continues to change how we live and work rapidly. Even though I know education must change, it is easy to fall back on the way I was taught when thinking about how I want to be an educator. It can be challenging to determine how to change education within a system that often feels stuck and outdated.
In the video Most Likely to Succeed, which we watched for class, I appreciated how clearly the historical information of the education system was explained. As a Social Studies teacher candidate who enjoys learning about history and its impact on society today, this was especially interesting to me. The video showed that much of our education system was designed to prepare students for jobs that were relevant at the time. Today, we live in a vastly different world, and students need to be prepared for a rapidly changing job market.
While I admired many aspects of High Tech High, the school featured in the video, it also raised some important questions. Several classmates and I were wondering how students from this school would adjust to university. I appreciated the emphasis on teamwork and student-led learning, and I would have liked to see follow-up stories about graduates to better understand the long-term impact of this approach. Many of the strategies shown, such as the Socratic seminar, would work especially well in Social Studies classes by encouraging student-led discussions. During our breakout room discussion, a science teacher candidate pointed out that science learning was largely absent from the video. The students did not appear to spend much time in science labs, which could be a disadvantage for those who want to pursue science-related programs in university. This made me reflect on how difficult it might be to fit a model like High Tech High into a society where university remains a common goal for many students. While university is not the only purpose of completing high school, the way our education system is currently structured encourages many students to see university as the primary pathway to a career. For a school model like this to work effectively, a complete rethinking of education would be needed, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through to post-secondary education, for these ideals to flourish.
The video also highlighted how many students felt overwhelmed when they entered high school and encountered a completely different approach to learning. I believe skills like teamwork and social responsibility are very important skills to learn, but in my opinion, they should be introduced at a younger age. In Denmark, education places a strong emphasis on life skills and being an active, responsible member of society. Their system has moved away from memorization and heavy testing. Teaching these values early would help students succeed throughout their schooling and prepare them to be effective collaborators in future careers. Starting early also prevents students from having to study and change how they see themselves as learners during their teenage years.
One of the greatest challenges for teachers is figuring out how to adjust their teaching within a system that is slow to change. In the TED Talk I found, the speaker explained that transforming the entire education system would take significant time and effort. However, she also emphasized that meaningful change can begin with small steps at the school or classroom level. I strongly connected with her ideas of student-centered learning, where students take greater responsibility for their education. This approach allows teachers to make impactful changes without needing to completely redesign their courses.
As I move through this program, I am beginning to see new policies and ideas that make me excited about the future of teaching. In B.C., education is placing a stronger emphasis on student responsibility and meaningful feedback. Students are given time to work with teachers and take an active role in constructing their own learning. Parents are more involved and are able to see where their children stand on their path toward graduation. All of these changes are moving education toward a more student-led learning and greater student responsibility. This gives me hope for the future of education.