Educating the Mind in the 21st
Century
Across America the pandemic has
amplified the deficits we face as a society.
From health care to the food we consume to income inequality and
education the pandemic attacked with a level of stress and strain that our
current capitalistic system of commerce and political democracy struggle to defend
against.
Just as the biology of the coronavirus
exploits the immunological weaknesses of its victims, so too do these disruptions
of our society, caused by social and economic turmoil, render segments of our communities
damaged, unusable and unable to cope left to waste away.
Changes in our society can cause upheavals
that will tax our ability to render judgement upon solutions or to clearly define
acceptable pathways forward. Education
is in the cross-hairs of these demanding and challenging changes taking place, especially
under the tyrannical rule of a killer virus.
Education is a foundational pillar helping to carry our nation forward
with understanding and with the developed ability to think critically under
extreme and chaotic situations like we face today.
Peoples abilities to solve problems
come from their experience and opportunities to fail at trying. It is not enough
to say that it OK to know but not OK to try.
What you have learned can only be valued by your increased ability to now
use it creating judgement to solve problems.
The spread of knowledge is the first essential premise for any educated
society, but without taking on and surmounting challenges that tax this
understanding, then the effort becomes an exercise in distraction.
Projects in education critically matter. It is a learning strategy for long-lasting
methods of teaching with students being able to diagnosis and solve problems
that are critical to the wellbeing of the community. Students are given an opportunity to develop
relationships and trust of other students, then implement inquiry-driven methods
to explore and develop deep understand of science, social science and artistic and
cultural expression.
Educational platforms like the
International Educational and Resource Network (iEARN) provide educators with
scaffolding that is necessary to bring forth 21st century collaborative
project-based educational initiatives the hallmark of modern education. Projects help to ensure that students develop
needed skills and abilities to be rational thinkers, develop logical and
organized strategies for implementation of projects and to use their critical
thinking skills to assess crucial experimental evidence.
