Paradigm Shift in Learning
Thomas Frey Claims Fixing The Present System Is Not Enough
Frey proposes a new system of presenting information and verifying the accuracy of courseware.
A Changing Society
Try and find a high school student that has not heard of MySpace or YouTube or try and find one that has not been on these sites or does not have a page on these sites. While parents are still struggling to maneuver the internet, these students have an active communication system established. Remember when the family sat passively together and watched Bonanza on a Sunday night? Those days are changing to active participation and individualized interests.
Something For Everyone
The three channel days offering NBC, CBS and ABC have transitioned to over 500 cable channels. The small corner bookstore is now Amazon offering over 2 million books. Shelf space for electronic products is zero so there is no cost in offering the items. We are also looking for items that save us time because the average person sleeps less than in 1920. We have gone from sleeping 8.9 hours per night to 6.9 hours per night.
The Paradigm Shift
When society makes major changes, it is difficult to throw out a concept that has been established and accepted. For example, the Swiss were known as the "clock makers" in the world. If you wanted the best clock, you got a Swiss clock. The Swiss could not accept the new concept of a digital watch. That was out of the box. They didn't make the paradigm shift to stay competitive.
Education is now at that point. We are presently trying to adjust the present system with more technology hoping it will keep up with the pace of information growth. Frey states, "Education in its current state is the equivalent of Roman numerals, a system that is preventing us from achieving great things."
New Courseware Is Needed
Just about anything can be bought on the internet without shelf space. "The notion that education can take place only in a classroom is similar to the notion that purchasing a product can only take place when you see it on a store shelf. Removing the classroom constraints to learning is similar to removing the shelf space constraints to the marketplace", says Frey.
Education is not keeping pace with the information explosion because the thinking is that education happens only in a classroom and only by teachers. A courseware vacuum is growing between supply and demand.
Ensuring Accuracy
How can we guarantee that new information is accurate? One central clearing house is not likely to work. There is too much information. Plus, each section of society has it's own version of truth. The following organizations have their personal theories.
- American Chemical Society
- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
- Focus on the Family
- American Civil Liberties Union
- National Rifle Association
- National Education Association
- Catholic Church
We could analyze each philosophy and waste time while the transfer of information just gets backed up farther and father. Frey suggests a checks-and-balances system where individual groups can create their own central truth authority and place their tag of approval or disapproval on courses. These tags will be a central feature of the search criteria used by the smart profiler and the recommendation engine. The above organizations can tag new information as it appears and determine if it meets their criteria...similar to the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval or G, PG, PG-13, R rating on movies. Individuals would choose which philosophy to follow. Information would be personalized.
The next and last installment in this series, Future Look of Education, will explain how we get from here to there.
[Source: Thomas Frey, DaVinci Institute, with permission]
Related articles: The Future of Education, Changing Education, Education Roadblocks and Gaps, Education and Society Are Changing, Confidence Based Learning, Future Look of Education.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
