personal response . Today's textual education fails to meet the challenge of the changing world . Do you agree with this statement ? Provide new ideas to make it meaning ful.
Answers
Education is the foundation on which a country is built. It is through education that we help our children to reach their full potential, both as productive members of the economy and as responsible, principled citizens.
But how can we build an education system that best develops the adults of tomorrow? It’s not easy to build schools that will cater to the needs of the fast-changing world of the 21st century.
Consider the major changes in our society over the past 30 years and how they have affected the way we teach today. The world of 2044 will be very different again from that of 2014. Helping students to develop a framework in which they think about future challenges is critical. Enabling students to participate in events such as the Montessori Model United Nations programme, the world’s only education programme of its kind for children between 9 and 15 years, will help them develop new perspectives and useful skills.
Over the past 30 years, there have been remarkable changes in how people work. The time when people stayed for 25 years in one job is long gone in developed societies. Therefore, schools now need to prepare students for a life in which they may have more than 10 jobs before they turn 50. Employers now look for employees who have not only mastered core subjects, but who are flexible, deal with change maturely and can learn new skills quickly.
The economy itself is changing. The knowledge economy and the service economy are expanding rapidly all over the world. In Abu Dhabi, the long-term transition towards a sustainable, high-value knowledge economy will see the non-oil economy grow at an average of more than eight per cent per annum.
Communication, collaboration and creativity are the skills required in the knowledge-based industries of the future.
Globalisation requires everyone to think differently. The world is smaller place than it was 50 years ago. Our children will need to be “globally competent” to understand other cultures and be comfortable with cultural complexities.
The world of information has also changed dramatically. The amount of information in the world is doubling every two years. So the way we manage this will have to evolve. The students of the future will need to learn how to discern, aggregate and synthesise information in ways we cannot yet imagine.
In the face of such tremendous change, our students will need to have different skills. Hence, education will no longer just be about “knowing”, but will require us to focus on the development of soft skills, communication, creative thinking and flexibility.
But education could easily get lost in its quest to train children for the jobs of tomorrow. Our role as educators must focus on more than just “professional” development. Educators in the UAE must create learning environments that provide young minds with a comprehensive, well-rounded education, covering culture, language, value development, creating and retaining a connection to our heritage.
Many public school teachers also cite student attitudes, such as apathy and disrespect for teachers, as a major problem facing schools today. A poll from the National Center for Education Statistics cited that problems like apathy, tardiness, disrespect and absenteeism posed significant challenges for teachers.
Textual education is continuously failing to meet the changing academic and professional ecosystem.
Explanation:
Textbook instruction is ineffective. The work market is getting increasingly competitive, and something other than an academic degree is essential to stay up with the rapid changes.
Textual education develops bookworms rather than critical thinkers. Students learn but do not think.
Such a system essentially focuses on exam-based subjective learning, which limits pupils' creative potential. They will be deprived of their originality and talent.
Text-based education is opposed to experiential learning. The chirping birds and falling snow can teach us a lot.
Textual learning ignores communication skills, soft skill development, and work experience. Employers are searching for experience and soft skills, thus academic papers devoid of relevant abilities will be worthless.
Ways to make textual learning more meaningful:
1. More focus on soft skills
2. Hands-on experience-based learning
3. Students may engage in course-specific practical learning sessions or internships to develop their soft skills
4. Focus on interpersonal communication
5. Extra-curricular activities
6. Developing critical thinking
7. Keep track of current developments