alvisbrigis (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} alvisbrigis) wrote,@ 2006-02-16 17:43:00 |
|
Eucation and the Curve, U.S. Stagnating
The American public K-12 education system, while net positive, is performing well below its potential. Only two thirds of teenagers graduate form high school. Our kids are broadly falling behind in math and the sciences. Violence and hopelessness are common among our high school students. Etc. I think that most members of Generation X and subsequent generations (at least the ones that I know) would agree that the American public school system needs to be overhauled. At a basic level, I think this attitude can be attributed to the fact that the broader technological environment (including soft technologies like language, culture, information processing) has instilled in these kids an expectation of what should be possible which comes into conflict with their perception of the way things actually are being managed. Exacerbating this effect, is the exponential technology growth curve governing socio-economic development worldwide. Because we have just entered the “knee” of this curve, for the first time in world history, young humans are interacting with highly complex information during their formative psychological years that leads them to fundamentally believe that very rapid change is coming. Generations schooled prior to the curve, however, do not broadly possess this fundamental belief. (This has been called the Linear Time Bias.) Due to the nature of the technology curve, which is guaranteed to maintain it’s shape through to 2015-2020, at the least, we can very reasonably expect the chasm between “what’s possible” and “what is” to continue expanding DRAMATICALLY over the next 10-15 years.
That being said, here’s a list of US public education problems paired with hypothetical solutions that kids in general can understand. These problems are frustrating to youth because 1) they are very easily understood, and 2) because they have not been acted upon. This is no fault of the teachers or administration, but a broader systemic national problem.
Critical Learning Periods Ignored: Language is the best example. It’s been known for some 30 years that kids can pick up languages very quickly between the ages of 3-6 and that it becomes more difficult to learn languages as one ages. Yet most public schools have completely ignored this info and teach languages starting in high school, sometime middle school. This is insane. The amount of energy wasted nationally must be staggering. This same principle goes for other domains like playing an instrument and learning social behavior. Solution: Take a look at the body of work on critical learning periods and adjust the curriculum to the appropriate age groups.
Competitive Economic Behavior Not Taught: Due to the LCD effects of lawsuits all over the nation, the nation’s schools have become very sensitive to feelings. Looked at through the lens of development this is both a good thing, and a bad thing. It’s good for obvious moral reasons. It’s bad because it prevents kids from learning core economic behaviors during their critical learning periods. Our public education system fails to teach group-work principles, collaboration across different ages, public speaking, public presenting, competitive behavior (except through sports), how to deal with unfairness, etc. Solution: Teach these behaviors at much younger ages. A kid who must speak publicly once per quarter and work in small teams beginning at the age of 5 will grow-up with a higher business IQ.
Long-term Planning Not Encouraged: Most kids in American public schools get a new advisor every year, and generally don’t get to spend much time with an advisor. Therefore they aren’t held accountable by the system over long periods of time and don’t learn to regulate their long-term behavior. Many of the behavioral consequences imposed are very short-term and don’t make sense from a behavioral perspective. Solution: Develop new software that will keep track of a child’s development and train advisors to use this so that multiple parties can work together on all kids’ long-term behavior.
Lack of Behavioral Cause and Effect: 99.99% of the schoolwork done by US kids is thrown into the garbage. In other words, accomplishing a task results in a letter grade, but no further effect on the environment is witnessed unless an article is published or a photograph wins a contest and is displayed in a glass case. That seems like a colossal waste of energy to me and indicates a missed opportunity to educate kids about the economy and persistence. Solution: Encourage kids to get external feedback for their ideas. Encourage kids to market their ideas and creations. Provide kids examples of their work generating value. Get them hooked on economics at a young age and the nation will benefit!
No Clear Broad Goal: Humans are fundamentally game players and intuitively seek to satisfy goals or behavioral targets. As humans age, they develop a complex understanding of the cause and effect relationship between energy put into and value derived from a game process. Unfortunately, the public school system fails to provide a compelling overarching fun and understandable goal. Back during the Cold War when the space race was heating up Americans had a broader sense of purpose and could see the connection between public school curriculum and the broader goals of the nation. No such clear overarching goal exists today. Solution: Create a database of innovation contests open to all American kids that will actually have an visible impact on the US economy. There needs to be a clear link between cause and effect in kids’ brains.
The Tech Curve Ignored: Systems Theory is not taught during K-12. There’s a whole new science of Evolution and Development (Evo-Devo) that much more accurately describes the world we live in than either Intelligent Design or Darwinism (it’s evolved from Darwinism), but it has yet to diffuse. Both Systems Theory and Evo/Devo Biology are essential to attaining a clearer view of the world that we live in. To a person who has come into contact with both fields, the notion of an Exponential Technology Curve isn’t a foreign and frightening concept, it’s simply another rule that we live by. Understanding exponential technology growth is required in a more complex and competitive economic environment, yet it ain’t happening. In fact, most college grads probably aren’t aware of the Exponential Technology Curve and its broad social, economic, physical, and philosophical implications. Solution: Teach kids systems theory and evolutionary/developmental biology at younger ages by using 3-D and 4-D simulations. These can be set up at minimal cost using new, relatively cheap virtual environments that allow scripting (i.e. Second Life & Multiverse).
Conclusion: These problems are not superficial, but have deep structural roots. The U.S. public education system has evolved into a slow-moving bureaucratic behemoth thanks to national politics, state politics, teaching unions, the conservative American masses born prior to the Gen X cut-off, media stagnation, and the lack of an great external motivator. I don’t see it adapting quickly to the change projected to come thanks to the Exponential technology Curve. Therefore, it my guess that we can expect a migration of young brains to private educational institutions that will better demonstrate the value of their curriculum to both the kids and their parents. I expect this issue to balloon until it becomes a huge issue for the 2008 Presidential Election.
The American public K-12 education system, while net positive, is performing well below its potential. Only two thirds of teenagers graduate form high school. Our kids are broadly falling behind in math and the sciences. Violence and hopelessness are common among our high school students. Etc. I think that most members of Generation X and subsequent generations (at least the ones that I know) would agree that the American public school system needs to be overhauled. At a basic level, I think this attitude can be attributed to the fact that the broader technological environment (including soft technologies like language, culture, information processing) has instilled in these kids an expectation of what should be possible which comes into conflict with their perception of the way things actually are being managed. Exacerbating this effect, is the exponential technology growth curve governing socio-economic development worldwide. Because we have just entered the “knee” of this curve, for the first time in world history, young humans are interacting with highly complex information during their formative psychological years that leads them to fundamentally believe that very rapid change is coming. Generations schooled prior to the curve, however, do not broadly possess this fundamental belief. (This has been called the Linear Time Bias.) Due to the nature of the technology curve, which is guaranteed to maintain it’s shape through to 2015-2020, at the least, we can very reasonably expect the chasm between “what’s possible” and “what is” to continue expanding DRAMATICALLY over the next 10-15 years.
That being said, here’s a list of US public education problems paired with hypothetical solutions that kids in general can understand. These problems are frustrating to youth because 1) they are very easily understood, and 2) because they have not been acted upon. This is no fault of the teachers or administration, but a broader systemic national problem.
Critical Learning Periods Ignored: Language is the best example. It’s been known for some 30 years that kids can pick up languages very quickly between the ages of 3-6 and that it becomes more difficult to learn languages as one ages. Yet most public schools have completely ignored this info and teach languages starting in high school, sometime middle school. This is insane. The amount of energy wasted nationally must be staggering. This same principle goes for other domains like playing an instrument and learning social behavior. Solution: Take a look at the body of work on critical learning periods and adjust the curriculum to the appropriate age groups.
Competitive Economic Behavior Not Taught: Due to the LCD effects of lawsuits all over the nation, the nation’s schools have become very sensitive to feelings. Looked at through the lens of development this is both a good thing, and a bad thing. It’s good for obvious moral reasons. It’s bad because it prevents kids from learning core economic behaviors during their critical learning periods. Our public education system fails to teach group-work principles, collaboration across different ages, public speaking, public presenting, competitive behavior (except through sports), how to deal with unfairness, etc. Solution: Teach these behaviors at much younger ages. A kid who must speak publicly once per quarter and work in small teams beginning at the age of 5 will grow-up with a higher business IQ.
Long-term Planning Not Encouraged: Most kids in American public schools get a new advisor every year, and generally don’t get to spend much time with an advisor. Therefore they aren’t held accountable by the system over long periods of time and don’t learn to regulate their long-term behavior. Many of the behavioral consequences imposed are very short-term and don’t make sense from a behavioral perspective. Solution: Develop new software that will keep track of a child’s development and train advisors to use this so that multiple parties can work together on all kids’ long-term behavior.
Lack of Behavioral Cause and Effect: 99.99% of the schoolwork done by US kids is thrown into the garbage. In other words, accomplishing a task results in a letter grade, but no further effect on the environment is witnessed unless an article is published or a photograph wins a contest and is displayed in a glass case. That seems like a colossal waste of energy to me and indicates a missed opportunity to educate kids about the economy and persistence. Solution: Encourage kids to get external feedback for their ideas. Encourage kids to market their ideas and creations. Provide kids examples of their work generating value. Get them hooked on economics at a young age and the nation will benefit!
No Clear Broad Goal: Humans are fundamentally game players and intuitively seek to satisfy goals or behavioral targets. As humans age, they develop a complex understanding of the cause and effect relationship between energy put into and value derived from a game process. Unfortunately, the public school system fails to provide a compelling overarching fun and understandable goal. Back during the Cold War when the space race was heating up Americans had a broader sense of purpose and could see the connection between public school curriculum and the broader goals of the nation. No such clear overarching goal exists today. Solution: Create a database of innovation contests open to all American kids that will actually have an visible impact on the US economy. There needs to be a clear link between cause and effect in kids’ brains.
The Tech Curve Ignored: Systems Theory is not taught during K-12. There’s a whole new science of Evolution and Development (Evo-Devo) that much more accurately describes the world we live in than either Intelligent Design or Darwinism (it’s evolved from Darwinism), but it has yet to diffuse. Both Systems Theory and Evo/Devo Biology are essential to attaining a clearer view of the world that we live in. To a person who has come into contact with both fields, the notion of an Exponential Technology Curve isn’t a foreign and frightening concept, it’s simply another rule that we live by. Understanding exponential technology growth is required in a more complex and competitive economic environment, yet it ain’t happening. In fact, most college grads probably aren’t aware of the Exponential Technology Curve and its broad social, economic, physical, and philosophical implications. Solution: Teach kids systems theory and evolutionary/developmental biology at younger ages by using 3-D and 4-D simulations. These can be set up at minimal cost using new, relatively cheap virtual environments that allow scripting (i.e. Second Life & Multiverse).
Conclusion: These problems are not superficial, but have deep structural roots. The U.S. public education system has evolved into a slow-moving bureaucratic behemoth thanks to national politics, state politics, teaching unions, the conservative American masses born prior to the Gen X cut-off, media stagnation, and the lack of an great external motivator. I don’t see it adapting quickly to the change projected to come thanks to the Exponential technology Curve. Therefore, it my guess that we can expect a migration of young brains to private educational institutions that will better demonstrate the value of their curriculum to both the kids and their parents. I expect this issue to balloon until it becomes a huge issue for the 2008 Presidential Election.
