Educating the Mind in the 21^st 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 21^st 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.