{"id":4044,"date":"2015-06-17T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5bd4f92546.nxcli.net\/?p=4044"},"modified":"2025-04-18T12:19:32","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T17:19:32","slug":"how-can-we-actually-secure-a-future-for-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bluecotton.com\/blog\/articles\/coaching\/how-can-we-actually-secure-a-future-for-education\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can We ACTUALLY Secure A Future For Education?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By now, it\u2019s no secret that the United States educational system is in dire straits. Schools across the country are understaffed and underfunded. From educational cuts in Louisiana that make post secondary even more unattainable to Governor Andrew Cuomo\u2019s efforts in Albany to obtain a grant for education investment<\/a>, the news is swimming with stories about how education is underfunded, understaffed, and underutilized.<\/p>\n

The worst part is, lack of funding is actually the smallest of our concerns here – the solution for that, at least, is fairly simple, more money. Far more pressing is the fact that the majority of children seem disinterested in learning.<\/a> Somewhere along the line, there\u2019s a disconnect, and educators bogged down by archaic testing methods and ineffective teaching strategies pretty much have their hands tied<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And yet, no one seems to know how to solve the problem – everyone just keeps talking about it.<\/p>\n

Educational expert Jordan Shapiro – a longtime proponent of technologically-assisted learning and an expert on methods such as educational gaming – is fed up with the whole situation. Something needs to change, he says, and that change needs to happen soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mantra is tired,\u201d \u00a0Shapiro says of discussions on modern education.<\/a> \u201cTesting is bad. We\u2019re stuck in a factory model of education. We need to focus on critical thinking and problem solving. Schools are late to the game when it comes to embracing technology. More making. More inquiry-based learning. More video games. Etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly I agree with the message,\u201d he continues. \u201cBut I\u2019m beginning to feel like the repetition is self-serving and not leading toward real results.\u201d<\/p>\n

But what can educators do to get <\/b>real results? How can we solve the myriad problems with modern school systems and ensure that education once more offers something of value? In short, how can we clean up this terrible mess?<\/p>\n

A Long Road To A Better Future<\/b><\/h2>\n

According to Shapiro, the first step is to change how we think about education. We have a misconception, he says, that discomfort, boredom, and pain are terrible things – that we should never experience any of them. But education is <\/b>uncomfortable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a cultural shift in how we think about what it means to learn because we\u2019re shifting what you need to learn,\u201d Shapiro explained in an interview with NPR<\/a>. \u201c[Learning] is one of the most painful things in the world. It\u2019s hard. You have to be severed from your old way of being, and that\u2019s always<\/i> painful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once we\u2019ve managed to reposition how we approach education; that\u2019s when the real <\/b>fun begins. The next step is to take a look at the overall system. All the fancy gadgets and advanced techniques in the world won\u2019t address what Shapiro appears to believe is the real <\/b>problem with modern education: disparity.<\/p>\n

Fixing A Broken System<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cOn average, better teaching seems to be commonplace at schools that serve more affluent communities,\u201d Shapiro writes.<\/a> \u201cStudents most likely to suffer through boring teachers tend to be folks with low socio-economic standing. Therefore, we shouldn\u2019t believe anyone who tells us we should embrace technology\u2014even video games\u2014because it will increase student engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right. We\u2019ve identified the two major problems with our current education system: economic disparity and a faulty mindset. Now…what happens next?<\/p>\n

According to Quartz, there are four necessary – albeit uncomfortable – steps that need to be taken<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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