Q: Do we need to re-imagine education?
I believe that education is constantly evolving, and continued imagination is key to beneficial improvement to the curriculum. There are things in the current education system that can be used as a foundation but adapting to the changing times and needs of students is very important. For example the students that are growing up with the current level of technology in the world and the classroom need to be taught differently than I was and those before me who had much different levels and appreciations of technology within classrooms.
Q: What obstacles do educators often face when they try to change pedagogy?
One obstacle to changing pedagogy is doing it alone. If one teacher or school changes its educational structures too drastically, it risks not fully preparing its students for higher educational structures, like universities, that still use the old structures. Another challenge educators could face is the pushback from parents not fully trusting that their children are going to be fully prepared for the future. Similar to the parent in the “Most Likely To Succeed” video, some parents believe that since they were taught using this system, it is good enough for their kids, or it scares them because it is so different than anything they know or are used to.
Q: What concerns or excites you about this approach?
One thing that excites me about this approach and hopeful change is that there is so much we can continue to learn and improve for the students to come! I am excited to see where education pedagogy goes in the future and what new adventures it holds for us!
This is a picture I took myself of the monkey tail tree on campus.