Changing Times

People have said it before…education is a continuous process, a process that must change as we do. For students to learn, they need to process information in a way that relates to them. For us to better understand the present and forecast the future, it’s helpful to understand the social factors that shaped the systems of the past.

Agriculture — Prior to the First World War, farmers composed the largest single group in the country. Education was informal, taking place anytime, anywhere. Family provided many of the necessary skills and knowledge. The more advanced skills were learned through apprenticeships. The facilities where learning took place included the home, the church and the one-room schoolhouse. The learning environment was multi-age and multi-disciplinary, with formal education being reserved for the elite.

Industry — As the population shifted from rural to urban, education became institutional. As the family dispersed, social institutions grew and the factory model for schools was born. School buildings mirrored the factory — central corridors, symmetrical classroom wings, egg-crate design. Education reflected the values of the time — conformity, compliance, centralization, standardization. The goal of education was to “finish”.

Knowledge — The “Industrial Age,” born with the steam engine, died with the silicon chip. Unlike the smooth transition of the farmer to a factory job, most factory workers did not possess the qualifications to thrive in this new information-driven age. Education and lifelong learning are at the core of the “knowledge age.” Rather than to finish school, the goal of learning became to acquire access to more knowledge well past the age of formal schooling. In the past, the definition of an educated person was based on their completion of a prescribed knowledge base. Now, an educated person will be someone who has learned how to learn, and continues learning throughout their lifetime.

Technology is an enabler of change for our current generation, allowing education to become customized, personalized, specialized and portable. Technology-enhanced classrooms promote interaction and collaboration. Access to the Internet, distance learning opportunities and BYOD have allowed learning to happen anytime-anywhere. Global competition, jobs and the economy have also been drivers for change, spurring programs in S.T.E.M/S.T.E.A.M., technical/career and adult education. But the real driver for change is the new generation of students. They have been comfortable with technology since an early age, interact on social media, prefer hands-on learning, are entrepreneurial and are the ones changing how change is made.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • University of Kentucky Sees Positive Results from Energy Efficiency Program

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced the results of its Energy Program in Facilities Management, put into place eight years ago, according to a news release. Between the fiscal years of 2017 and 2025, the university’s campus grew by 13.6% while the energy use per square foot dropped by 19.2%.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • Extron, CENTEGIX Partner for Comprehensive School Security Solution

    Professional audiovisual solutions provider Extron recently announced a partnership with CENTEGIX, which provides rapid incident response technology, to integrate two of their top products in the name of school safety.

Digital Edition