“Education Today is Stupid” Says Parents
iPads, laptops, tablets, cellphones, PS4, Xbox. The list could go on forever of all the new technological devices our world contains and is constantly producing. The growth in tech is closely followed by the list of concerns and complaints of youth being addicted and narcissistic. However, these demeaning titles badged onto our youth are opposed by research. In fact, this research proves that recent generations are no more narcissistic than their predecessors.
We Didn’t Need That Stuff
Are you sure? Are you positive that today’s camera doorbells and alarms wouldn’t have been beneficial to safeguard your assets or that the ability to make a satellite emergency call from your cellphone could have saved lives? Technological developments begin with a problem and someone looking to solve it. The issues and complaints of predecessors are what brought technology to where it is - they had a need and the modern generation responded with solutions. Technology isn’t just games and apps, it’s a way to connect with the world. So although you see someone staring at a screen, you may not see that in your generation that child may not have had many connections. That technology just opened their world. This is what socialization looks like today but because it looks differently from what older generations understand socialization to be they demean it.
Technology Does Everything For Kids
Yeah, you’re probably right, it does everything, even wipes their a$$.
Seriously, there is no reason to throw shade on how technology is being used in education because no argument can amount to the statistics. We, as educators, have a responsibility to offer our students a relevant and useful education and today that means incorporating technology and ensuring they have access to technology. Their educational years and occupations require a great deal of tech skills and we have a duty to incorporate that knowledge. A great deal of things have changed, in fact, nearly everything has changed in the last 50 years but one of the most significant changes is Education and graduation rates. The increase in graduation is due to a number of factors including a rise in enrollment (more children per family largely due to increased medical technology decreasing infant/mother fatalities), fewer drop-outs (farm technology lessening the need for children to stay home and work), and the development of technological aids in the school to assist those with learning needs (more promise to graduate with success). In 1960, the graduation rate in the U.S. was 41% and in 2021, 88.9% of students graduated. Now, I’m not saying this is ONLY DUE TO technological advances but I AM saying that if you’re going to go on and on about how you had to learn how to read and write and multiply and kids today have technology do it for them - you’re lying. You need to do all those things to graduate, it just looks differently now. In fact, Pew Research Center, has released results that indicate that not only do more recent generations hold higher graduation rates but that each generation has attained a better education level than those previous.
Image from pewresearch.org Tech Aids In Education
As an educator, I have repeatedly heard families tell me that the way we teach now is “stupid” because it makes no sense to them and they can’t help their child(ren) with their homework.
I’m often told that I should be teaching writing and reading and MATH the “old school” way.
For years I would shrug and apologize and say it’s what the textbook says or that I wasn’t sure what to say but now I simply ask, “Why should we teach it the old way?” Responses are typically as follows:
Because that’s how I learnt it.
So that I can help my kid with their homework.
The new way is stupid.
I don’t understand the new way.
My kid isn’t getting it and I can tell because when I give them questions at home they can’t do it.
My response is typically another question, “How did you perform in ELA/math as an adolescent?” You see, those who usually battle new concepts are those who learn to memorize specific patterns, rules, and answers to get by and never truly comprehend them in order to apply them in real life. I then tell that person that research over the years shows that we did a great job at memorizing our multiplication facts (reading/writing rules) by repeated practice at home. The family usually nods and wholeheartedly agrees or comments about putting in the work and time. I follow that up by saying that research has also shown that we ONLY memorized those rules and facts and never truly understood them and therefore often performed poorly in the subject or struggled to get good grades. They’re typically a bit quieter but I’ve caught their attention. I finish by saying that we now teach students the basic building blocks of the concepts and give them a path to follow to be able to apply these concepts to all aspects of life; however, some students need a map or compass to guide them on that path and those come in the form of technological aids. As long as they make it to the end we are less worried about how they get there because when they get a job their boss isn’t going to care that they had to Google a few things, use editing software on a final report, or call in a few favours to get the job done, they just care that it gets completed. So rather than pushing for our children to struggle we should be doing everything we can to help them get there.
The Future of Education
I believe that education with continue to advance with technology and that curriculum will continue to adapt, especially in the higher grades. Our primary sectors will still focus on the basic foundations of knowledge concepts but the older the child gets the more technology will be incorporated to help them be functioning members of a technological world. Outcomes will ease up on some formatting and rote memory concepts and lean further toward being able to properly utilize technology to aid them. Yes, there will still be people who will not have technological access outside of school but their futures jobs may still require the skills and school will assist them in gaining those. I think we will develop and grow to work smarter instead of harder and that there will be options for students to select paths of interest in the higher grades that may or may not include technology but that technology will make these path opportunities available (distance/remote learning, self-directed/taught methods, ZOOM, etc.).
My Personal Account
Every day, everyone who has a connection to education, whether they’re a staff member, student, or parent/guardian, agrees that education needs to adapt to the diversity of students. We all commonly agree that everyone is and learns differently. So why do we have the same target for everyone to receive a piece of paper that says you get to graduate?
Personally, I’m not a believer that everyone needs to have the same set of basic concepts attained in order to be successful. I have an entire family of non-grade-12 graduates that prove it. I am only the 3rd person in my father’s entire lineage to gain a grade 12 diploma (my dad being the first) and the only one to have a university degree, let alone 3. My father’s entire family is filled with successful business owners built on the foundation of work ethic and perseverance.
My mother’s family only holds 2 university graduates, myself and one older cousin. The majority of my mother’s family are farmers or tradespeople and all are very successful as well. We have all taken different paths, we all hold various levels of ‘traditional’ education, and we all use forms of technology to be successful in what we do.
There are tools that help me edit emails, parent notes, and essays, some of my aunts and uncles use technology to help them understand documents and my cousins use software to order supplies. Finally, my father’s best friend is quadriplegic and owns a very successful business in town largely due to the development of technology over the years and I don’t see anyone calling any of these people cheaters or criticizing how they find success. So why are we doing it for those in the classroom?
I’m not arguing to rid education of basic skills but I do feel that the emphasis on being able to hand in an essay with no spelling errors or use the Pythagorean Theorem when you’re goal is to be a photographer is a little heavy. Diversifying educational paths will not only open doors for greater student success but also allow educators to follow passions and educate in forms that are authentic to themselves. I agree with Christaan Henny in his article 9 Things That Will Shape the Future of Education, when he says, “Though every subject that is taught aims for the same destination, the road leading towards that destination can vary per student.” Success looks different for everyone and I hope technology takes us to a future form of education that epitomizes that.
Questions/Thoughts:
How do you see technology being a vital asset in your day-to-day life?
How are you using technology in your classes/work?
Do you hope for varied educational paths or do you see a different path for education?