Impulsive Joy

Have you ever thought about how everything has a expiration date?  We update our homes, our cars, our appliances, our gadgets…even our wardrobe!  (Well, most of us update our wardrobe….others just hold onto it all until the style comes back around.)

The bottom line…..We change.  We adapt.

This year, our school district adopted a BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) policy.  Classrooms are being equipped with Wifi and students are encouraged to bring devices to help them research and use technology to enhance learning.  As parents, we were ecstatic to hear about the new guidelines….until we realized our 6th grader would be begging for a iPad.  We’ll adapt….but we’re trying to figure out the appropriate responsibility in this new high tech era.  (Advise??  I remember when Al Gore invented the internet….  Who knew we would be here?!)

The bottom line is that things are changing.  Thankfully, our school district hired an outside consultant to help kick start a community wide dialogue on education reform.  I attended a community education summit and was pleasantly surprised to see the room packed to capacity with educators and parents anxious to welcome a new day for our local schools.

One of the most impressive illustrations from the summit was a pictorial representation of the evolution of education.

Education 1.0

Notice how the educational setting mimics the agriculture and artisan culture.  Education happened in cooperative small group work and embraced an apprentice mode, similar to what was happening in the work places.

Education 2.0

The Industrial Revolution brought about a “Manager model” of education that focused on rote memorization, one-size fits all teaching designed to sort and track students and ultimately turn them into efficient factory workers.

Education 3.0 (t.b.d.)

If our schools will ultimately model our work environments, we will need collaborative environments that promote critical thinking,  initiative and divergent thinking all while embracing the ever evolving world of technology.

Are our classrooms adapting fast enough?

What model do you think Sunday School was patterned after?  You guessed it….Education 2.0.  It’s time to upgrade.

For more fascinating thoughts on the needed reform in education, check out this Sir Ken Robinson RSA video.  It is well worth the time to watch it.

In the meantime, what do YOU think?  What would you change in your Sunday environment to better relate to what kids are experiencing outside of the traditional classroom?  Who do you think will be the slowest to adapt — public education or our churches?