What is school for?

What is school for? 

Seth Godin is a master when it comes to reframing problems and asking the right questions. In this recent TED talk, Mr Godin asks us what school is for and riffs on how we will not be able to take an evolutionary leap till we can all agree on the answer to that question. 




Link YouTube : Seth Godin TEDx Talk at the Brooklyn Free School. 

Wikipedia tells us that : 

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory.

Source : Wikipedia 

Learning Pirates believe that learning is ours for the taking and we reject the notion that education can have a one-size-fits all, standardized approach. 

We believe that students need to learn how to learn. 

We believe students should be encouraged to ask questions, reframe problems and find their own answers. 

We believe education should be personalized. 

We believe we should measure results, not how much a person can memorize. 

We believe that students should be allowed and encouraged to find study the topics they are passionate about.

We believe that we need to become informed citizens and 

We believe that learning takes place everywhere and especially outside of formal institutions and schools.

We believe that we should be teaching students to stand out and get creative instead of teaching them how to conform and fit into the system. 

We believe in Communitagogy where teachers are more like mentors and guides who help students to ask better questions and figure things out for themselves. 

We believe that each person must take responsibility for their education and that they must explore, experiment, try, fail and try a new approach in order to learn. 

We believe that we are all students, and we are all teachers. We all have something to learn from each other and we will make the world a better place once we learn to share what we've learned. 

We believe that school should be a place where students can learn at their own rhythm. 

We believe in personalized and student-led learning. 

We believe that all the tools we need to educate the planet are already at our disposal. 

We believe we need to build bridges between nations and between people.

We can no longer wait for our institutions to catch up to the real world. 

We believe we are the change we have been waiting for. 

Now, what skills are most essential in the Information age? 

Changing educational paradigms: Are we ready?

The Learning Pirates are ready to usher in new learning environments. 

Sir Ken Robinson eloquently describes how our current educational system is shaped around the interests of industrialization and how it has been created in its image. 



In our current educational system, dropout rates are sky high, bullying is rampant , Ritalin is often used to encourage children to comply in school and suicide rates jump for children and young adults. In fact, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 10 and 24. Considering that young people in these age groups spend the majority of their time in school, it's quite clear that we need a revolution in education.

Our current educational models do not provide students with sufficient opportunities to develop 21st century skills, This isn't due to a lack of good teachers in our schools, but rather to an outdated system that no longer serves our best interests.  

It's time to change the paradigm. But first, we must ask ourselves:  What is school for?