Streaming Video – there’s a bunch of videos from a Scottish education conference. One of the them is from Stephen Heppell, the ultralab prof, and one that I just watched is by Alan November (link to his writings), a pretty engaging education consultant.
He stated that schools were designed to educate kids to work in the industrial economy, that the model doesn’t fit and went on to list three things that need to be taught in schools for success in the knowledge economy:
1) The skill of being able to find information when you need it. Flippant to just say “google”, but google + taxonomy skills, bias detection and quick value assessment would seem to be the ticket.
2) You need to be able to work well individually, but also as part of a virtual team. I’m sure this nugget is on every cv, but he gave a pretty nifty example of two teachers working together, remotely assessing both their class’ homework – the schools now benefit from having the enhanced work of two teachers – for the price of one. The main thrust of the idea is that we make better decisions and results when working with others.
3) Workers who don’t need management are cheaper. “If I have two people who are equally skilled, I will hire the person who can work on their own, has initiative and doesn’t require supervision. That way I don’t need the cost of a manager as well…”
Well, that all sounds simple doesn’t it? ;-)