Some Are Calling For Massive Disruption in Education

Many argue the industrial-age system is no longer relevant

edCircuit Breakdown:

• There is a growing movement, often spearheaded by venture capitalists, toward disrupting the traditional education model in the U.S. that was founded over 100 years ago to prepare students for factory work.
• VC legend Ted Dintersmith goes as far as to say large companies, like Xerox, should have their own higher education institutions that students attend in exchange for working for the company upon completion of the degree.
• Others say that Artificial Intelligence is already disrupting our education system by providing students with a more accurate picture of their learning aptitude through complex data analysis.

edCircuit Analysis:

The call is getting louder every day for disruptive education reform. Proponents for change say that the current system is outdated and was designed to teach people to follow explicit directions for a future of working in a factory setting. The argument goes that robotics and Artificial Intelligence will be factors in replacing those types of jobs, and we need to prepare the next generation to be critical thinkers and problem solvers.

The trend isn’t confined to the world of K-12 education. There are also calls for paradigm-shifting changes in the world of higher education as well. The arrival of Gen Z on our nation’s campuses means that the focus should change from traditional academic and liberal arts education norms. Proponents for change cite STEM subjects, integration of technological advances into learning and college affordability are all things we, as a society, need to take a long look into.

Whatever the future of education may hold, you can bet it won’t look the same 20 years from now as it did 20 years ago.

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Further Reading

1. Inside Higher Ed –  Driving Academic Innovation
2. Time – A Perfect Storm Is Heading Toward Higher Education
3. The Scotsman – Scots workers to be offered £20,000 to retrain as STEM teachers