This is an attempt to put in words some of my thoughts about the tragedy of the current education system and what we can do to change that. I’m a firm believer in taking action instead of complaining, and we can all contribute to making the world we want to live in.
Since working at Finance Interactive, I’ve been pondering the nature of education. I’ve always been passionate about learning, so I have a bias here. My mission of making learning fun again is a significant motivation for this project. It should have never been otherwise. However, for many reasons I’m not going to discuss here, our current educational situation is disastrous. I will be drawing a lot of information from personal experience, so I’m not claiming this is universal or that there aren’t better ways out there (I’d be happy to hear those). Also, I’m not claiming that those ideas are new, but most have arrived through direct reflection.
I like to share the contrast between two subjects, one I hate and one I love, to illustrate how a good/bad educational framework can dramatically influence how we perceive a given topic.
Let’s start with the good side. I’ve written elsewhere that I love history, and part of it came from playing great history-based video games like Age of Empires, Victoria, and Crusaders Kings (among others). The other part came from my history teachers. Not until recently I didn’t pay much attention to the fact that I had amazing (for the most part) history teachers. Even though they had different styles, they all shared a common characteristic: they were great storytellers. They made history real. It sparked my imagination. Lectures could go pretty fast. After that, I wanted to go and read the books because I wanted to know more! Not everyone felt the same in my class, so video games and other factors also influenced my love for history.
Now, the bad. I hate chemistry. I barely remember anything at all. After all those years of studying and doing crappy lab experiments, nothing is left but a sour taste. Even though I had some pretty good teachers I can remember, it was just too damn abstract and theoretical. I never got it. Even when getting among the best grades in my class, I didn’t understand what was going on. And I hate that feeling. The big picture was missing. Why are we doing this?
Now, I’m pretty convinced that chemistry can be fun. Actually, I’d say everything can be made fun. It’s just a matter of effort.
What I’m upset about is the way it is taught. And this applied to almost all subjects at school and then university. It mostly worked like this:
- The teacher/Professor wrote stuff on the board
- We took notes
- We had some assignments to work on (mostly BS) and read some textbook
- Study for the exam
- Pass the exam
- Repeat
And this cycle repeated for 12+ years. It’s not a surprise many people hated school after going through this process for all their formative years.
So the problem is apparent now: how do we make more of our education like the former and less like the latter?
One may object that telling stories while teaching history is natural, not so in chemistry or mathematics. This can be true, but this is not the point I want to make here.
It’s not about a methodology that should be applied in other contexts. Instead, each subject should have its own methods, which will evolve over time and with the help of available technology.
Astonishingly, how most subjects are taught hasn’t changed in 100+ years! Even after computers, the internet, video games, ChatGPT, and whatever is coming, the educational system seems stuck in the past, resisting change rather than embracing it. Of course, it is very easy to see why.
The Bureaucratic Machine
Modern education is an enormous bureaucracy. For once, teachers are taught more or less uniformly what and how to teach. Then, schools have to follow a given curriculum from the state so that everyone learns more or less the same.
And even though it is nice to have a minimum common denominator so that everyone can have a basic understanding, this is a very low bar for many of us. It is becoming increasingly evident that what we learn at school doesn’t prepare us for the challenges of the 21st century.
For once, we all have different interests. As I mentioned, I love history and am generally more inclined to intellectual topics. Others are more artistic and crafty. Others want to use their bodies as a medium of expression (sports, dancing, etc). Others don’t know what they like and need to explore a variety of subjects until something clicks. This is almost impossible under current circumstances, and I do not see a way out anytime soon. Instead, we have to devise alternatives.
The Alternative
I envision a dual system in the meantime that keeps the traditional system of education (assuming it won’t change in the short time, but who knows) while developing on the side a place where kids can learn, have fun, and explore simultaneously.
I will make some assumptions for the sake of the argument, but of course, this can vary from place to place. I assume children spend 8 hours a day Monday through Friday at school. From those, we split them as follows: 5 hours for traditional schooling and 3 hours for other types of learning. Since most parents have to go to work anyway, I don’t see it feasible in the short term that the total schooling time will be reduced. Still, the time spent on traditional learning can be reduced and shifted towards other alternatives. After all, many countries are pushing for less working time, so why not do the same with schools?
So what would children do in the remaining 3 hours? Well, the sky is the limit! The point here is that it has to be very flexible and tailored to each child’s interests. As mentioned above, a child interested in music will have a different experience than someone interested in maths, filmmaking, or programming. Also, children who don’t have a clear idea of what they want will have to figure it out there. As such, these alternative educational centers will be highly decentralized and primarily privately funded, at least in the early stages.
To make this more concrete, let’s imagine a 15-year-old boy called Tim. Tim doesn’t know what to do with his life, and their parents send him to one of those centers to help him figure out his interests.
First, Tim is interviewed by a counselor. The point is to gather some basic data about Tim, like what he likes to do in his free time, his strengths and weaknesses, and so on.
Next, the counselor and Tim agree on a starting “program” of activities he may enjoy (or not). The point at this stage is to try different things until something clicks. For instance, if Tim likes video games, he could be exposed to interactive experiences (like Finance Interactive) for various topics like finance, health, philosophy, etc. Also, the advantage of going to these centers is the possibility of talking to people there and socializing. To learn from others.
Additionally, Tim goes to the gym in the center to work out a little since he spends a lot of time sitting. Also, he goes to some therapy sessions to deal with some mental health issues he is going through.
Of course, this is just one example; various alternatives exist depending on each person. The point is that the experience is highly personalized and tailored to the student while keeping space for interactions with others face to face.
What about teachers?
You may wonder why I didn’t mention teachers much (apart from a counseling role). Does it mean that teachers won’t be needed? Not at all. Instead, their role shifts from transmitters of knowledge (which can be quickly done now thanks to the internet) to guides and mentors in the individual learning process. I’d think of them as coaches who may give you specific instructions and guidance about doing certain things but also leave you room to figure things out yourself.
Of course, this requires the teachers to have gone through something similar, which can be a challenge initially. Also, a coach doesn’t have to be a university-educated teacher, but anyone with enough experience about the topics the student is interested in. Even older students can act as mentors for younger ones.
The point is that these centers shift agency to the students, who become co-creators of their educational experience while having a good time there.
Beyond School
Of course, all I described above doesn’t have to be restricted to children in school. Actually, this can perfectly be adapted for adults. After all, education should be seen as a lifelong process.
The problem is that compulsory education is so dull that most teenagers don’t want to deal with education after finishing school. However, a significant proportion of them have yet to endure college.
Also, having a place as an adult to socialize face-to-face can be necessary in our highly virtual society. Now that I think about it, many countries have centers for retired people to socialize and have a good time. What about adults, then?
Many people are struggling now with life. They are lost and aimless. They are scared and depressed. A place where they can try to figure things out and be able to talk to others in a safe space can be life-transforming.
Ultimately, we are social creatures and crave to feel like part of a community. Combining the virtual world with face-to-face interactions allows for the best of both worlds. It doesn’t have to be either one of them.
It may sound utopian all the above, but there are no real obstacles to making these ideas a reality right now.
I will continue working on making this vision more tangible and concrete. Meanwhile, feel free to comment and share your thoughts.
