A Paradigm Shift in Education

Today's school system is less and less one focused on aiding the learner to reach full potential than one of industry and politics, of taxes and conformity. Today's learner is more capable than those of previous generations, and the one-size-fits-all Prussian model that was the template for what would become the system of today's education standards has become quite antiquated and inappropriate given the rise of learning technologies. Criticism of this rigid system abound, and for good reason, as innovators and entrepreneurs are showing us what the future holds for learners, bringing access to education to more students and at lower cost than ever before. This is an unfortunate flaw on the traditional state-education model, and will likely lead to a arabica shift. No longer will schooling be "free" and compulsory, it will be available and affordable, effective and competitive.

"Arguments about education are contentious enough without bringing partisan politics into them, but it is interesting to note in passing that in recent years our Prussian-based public school model has come under virulent attack from both the right and the left. Conservative complaints tend to center on the alleged usurpation by government of choices and prerogatives more properly left to parents; as it was put by author Sheldon Richman in his book Separating School and State: How to Liberate American Families, “the state’s apparently benevolent goal of universal education has actually been an insidious effort to capture all children in its net.”"

"Attacks from the left have tended to be surprisingly similar in tone, though the villain is not the government but the corporations that have the most to gain from a well-behaved and conformist population. Writing in the September 2003 issue of Harper’s, John Taylor Gatto urged that we “wake up to what our schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands…. School trains children to be employees and consumers.”"

From Sal Khan's book The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined.

The Future of Learning is in Embracing Disruptive Technology

We're still pushing an education model that is a century old, top-down design, and barely moving away from the one-size-fits-all method. Learning is an individual process. The mastery learning method has been proven effective, but has never been adopted. There are many reasons, but most of all it would usher in disruptive change to the education industry. Sadly, there are so many people, employees at companies like ours included, whose livelihoods are tied to profitable business models.

I'm an Austrian when it comes to issues of private versus public. Peoples' self interests motivate them to serve others well, for mutual benefit. The outmoded Prussian public school model is showing it's age, and innovation that comes from examples like the Khan Academy show us a potential future education model that does not rely on either centralized institutions or top-down regulation, not even taxpayer funding.

Today, many companies are competing with non-profits and having a hard time keeping up. Yeah, the landscape is changing, and it's happing faster than many can keep up. I think that we have enough creative and critical minds working with us that we are working to meet this inevitable future with effective solutions that learners actually want.

I think that given the political and economic situation in places like Portugal, Greece, and Ireland, the environment is ripe with opportunity to move away from antiquated models, but you're right, the political landscape is not kind to innovation and change. There are simply too many with vested interests in maintaining the status quo. I think that there is the potential to have overnight change, but it is more likely that people will gravitate toward whatever the popular solution may be, in this case government schools, where change comes very slowly. It is probably more likely that aspects of these innovations will be applied in the existing models, rather than innovative approaches themselves.

I am optimistic that innovation in education can come from startups that are taking completely new approaches to learning systems, and while even the most innovative approaches are likely to have to overcome some trial and error, I think that it is probably far more effective to embrace the potential of these new approaches than to simply cling to existing models that are merely adequate. I suppose this is why the homeschool community is embracing platforms like the Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity, and other low- or no-cost online learning systems, while some European countries still effectively outlaw homeschool and anything resembling progress in the education field.

In the end, educators worth their salt understand that every student is essentially self-educated, from a very early age. One cannot be forced to learn, only shown a path. Einstein said that “I do not teach anyone I only provide the environment in which they can learn.” Asimov said that “self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” Teachers and educators are simply here to help the learner. Education systems that place the responsibility for learning on solely on the learner tend to be the most effective and produce the most learned individuals, as learning is an individual act.

We can get there from here, but we first have to let go of antiquated ideas, be not afraid of the potential future. Einstein also said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results. The current system has not changed significantly in generations, and with the diverse technologies bringing learning to everyone, even those with the least means to afford it, the future of education is undoubtedly so different that many are simply afraid to acknowledge it, let alone support the effort to embrace it.

Education Reimagined

"The old classroom model simply doesn't fit our changing needs. It's a fundamentally passive way of learning, while the world requires more and more active processing of information. The old model is based on pushing students together in age-group batches with one-pace-fits-all curricula and hoping they pick up something along the way. It isn't clear that this was the best model one hundred years ago; it certainly isn't anymore. Meanwhile, new technologies offer hope for more effective ways of teaching and learning, but also engender confusion and even fear; too often the shiny new technology is used as little more than window dressing."

- Salman Khan, from his book The One World Schoolhouse