| layout | post | |||
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| title | High School is Broken | |||
| date | 2013-1-26 15:18 | |||
| comments | true | |||
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| published | true |
I sat here thinking for a while, "How should I even go about phrasing this post?". I mean, it's a bold claim - but it's one we all know is true in some way or another. High School Education is broken. As engineers, when something is broken - we have to fix it.
Coming from a super-competitive (read: asian) school district, I've practically grown up with competition. Our entire purpose from the 9th grade was to maintain a good GPA, and come close to maxing our test scores. It sucked. We were learning information for the sake of being tested on it.
I was not okay with that. I lose interest in things really quickly if they don't have strong applications in the real world: and quite frankly, my ability to take a test doesn't seem to have many. Innovation in high schools not only isn't taught - but it's practically stifled due to the rigidity of coursework, guidelines, and expectations.
Thankfully I was really involved in science fair throughout 9th-12th grades (Intel ISEF, MILSET ESI, AJAS, I left no stone unturned) - so I got to see the other side of the coin. There were a few things I noticed immediately:
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1.) The research at the international levels of competition was cutting edge
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2.) Students were excited, not for the prizes necessarily, but just to have the opportunity to talk about their research
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3.) Most participating students could fit 3 distinct sub-groups
Exhibit A: The Super-Motivated:
These kids tend to seek out research opportunities to augment their already packed resume. Entering their project into a competition amongst their peers was an afterthought. These guys eat DiffEQ for breakfast. The current high school system works for them. Live to learn.
Exhibit B: My Dad Is A Professor:
They would much rather not be doing research, but their parents want to see a 4.0 and a PhD down the line. Not altogether excited, but at least stepped through the door. Pushed to learn.
Exhibit C: The Hacker:
Not a fan of sitting around and getting lectured at about subjects they'll never touch again. Always asking "why?", and seeking to build amazing things. Self initiated learner, and primarily self-taught.
So apparently, innovation is present even at the high school level, whether through an external "shove" - or an internal struggle. There is an abundance of students with potential, which goes by unnoticed because our current high school framework doesn't support the growth of intellectual curiousity.
So where's the innovation in High School curriculum?
Students are not learning the skills that they will need to face a rapidly changing, global workplace - because classrooms haven't changed much in a century. We need marketable skills to capture students' interest, and build a generation of inquisitive minds who are ready to take on the world's innumerable challenges.