21st Century Education

Just exactly what are these so-called new skills? Mike Rose (UCLA) writes convincingly that we have tipped a bit too far in the direction of preparing children to take their place in the workplace as productive "units". Grant it, it is a seductive clarion call in these times of economic stress, but the dichotomy set up with the notion of out with the old in in with the new has troubling consequences. So often once the cliche gets really established, much time and energy is often diverted to accommodate the "new ideas", often only marginally tested to the deficit of the "old ideas" which had plenty going for them in the first place. My view is that the problems besetting education are closely linked to poverty, and the crumbling family structure. The hearth has pretty much disappeared in America for the under class, but there isn't much of one anywhere really. The critical support from parents is often missing, and the loss of the neighborhood school has contributed to the alienation of parents from schools. Kids are not getting the support they need to develop into good human beings, let alone the productive "units" that industry needs. There may be no particular value to industry in sensitizing children to the beauty of nature and the dangers that beset it or the perils of over consumption, but these are skills and attitudes needed in the future if we are to survive with our humanity intact.

Follow the link for an article in Truthdig.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/21st_century_skills_educations_new_cliche_20091208/