In part one, I pointed out that I didn’t feel that we are preparing the next generation to be effective in today’s world. And by "effective", I mean wise and capable both professionally and spiritually. If we are followers of Christ we must realize that the Kingdom of God is our permanent address, and we are on earth to fulfill a purpose that goes far beyond professional success. Therefore, our professional abilities need to be robust, and our life of faith even more so.
Karl Fisch, a high school teacher at Arapahoe High in Littleton, CO made waves in education circles when his presentation jumped out of his school's and went viral in the education community and beyond. His first video, Did You Know, described the startling changes in today's world; most of these changes are beyond the comprehension of teachers, parents, and many business leaders.
We are on earth to fulfill a purpose that goes far beyond professional success
Karl has produced this video that now takes us into the future. He imagines himself talking to the graduating class of 2020, students who are in kindergarten today. It is his imaginative effort to show how the world will change and how education could change to meet those challenges. You may not agree with the specifics, but don’t get hung up on that. Let this video provoke you and stretch you.
Take the 15 minutes to view 2020 Vision, and ask yourself:
- As a business person, am I preparing myself and my employees for these changes?
- As an educator, am I preparing students today for a world that I have never experienced and can barely comprehend?
- As a parent, what am I doing to prepare my kids to survive and thrive in this world?
View this from the dual perspective of preparing young people for work, but also, as followers of Christ, preparing them to be vital and effective representatives of the Kingdom of God. What needs to change about how we educate, train, develop, and parent?
Click on the play button below to view the presentation
Check out Karl’s blog, The Fischbowl, to get in on the conversation about educating our kids.
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Comments
Innovation in Education
I think that Karl Fisch is a proponent of constructivism. I am somewhat familiar with it, but I am not knowledgeable enough to really comment on it. It is one of many "non-traditional" educational theories. I have a family member who has talked about it some. What I think is important is to realize that the way we teach and learn can change. I think people generally don’t give education professionals the same level of respect that they give other experts. There is a thinking that because we have all been to school, we somehow have as much credibility as someone who teaches for a living. How many times have you heard someone say, "Well, when I was in school we just did…", with the implication being that they received a great education? There is a lot of research out there that pertains to teaching and learning. I think it gets squelched because it can be pretty different than our traditional ideas about education. Also, education is extremely emotionally charged because it is dealing with our children and their future. Innovation is not generally well accepted in education. I am happy to see Mr. Fisch challenging people to think about teaching and learning. He certainly has challenged me.