Friday, July 13, 2012
Steve Jobs, Calligraphy, and the 3 C's
I always get overwhelmed when I read things like "We have to educate people to do jobs that don't yet exist." That task is quite daunting, and it makes me wonder if I have what it takes to be a truly effective teacher. It really is true, though. The world is changing so quickly that the jobs we see today can very easily be gone tomorrow. It's scary! But it just emphasizes the importance of teaching the 3 C's mentioned in the book--critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. That story about Steve Jobs was really cool (I know Ed already mentioned it but it really struck me). To me, it illustrated that even though it is important for students to see relevance in what they are learning, sometimes something that does not seem relevant now will end up influencing them later in a major way. Fostering creativity is something I strive to do in my classroom, so I was happy to read that the "job-killer" mentioned in that chapter said that he cannot kill creative people. A creative, critical thinker will be much more capable of adapting to whatever the future brings.
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Mrs. Hughes :-), I agree with your point that creativity can never be killed and, therefore, will surpass the average thinker or worker in the future. However, I wonder if we are struggling to allow this within our classrooms. I wonder this at the elementary grades, especially. Are those teachers feeling more pressure than secondary teachers to prepare students for standardized tests, both state level and national? If so, what area of the curriculum gets reduced? I can't help but think it would be the emphasis on creative thinking and hands-on projects. These take time and energy and perhaps we do not have enough of either---especially when it comes to the high demands of state standards.
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