The Ability to Think

What is the goal of education?  Not many educators would ever answer “To have students memorize facts and processes so that they can pass a standardized test,” yet that is exactly what the system asks us to do.  That is exactly what university programs teach future educators to do.  We all agree that communication, critical thinking, curiosity, and perseverance are WHAT we should be teaching, but no one knows HOW to teach those things.  Self-directed learning is the goal, but teachers are not trained how to facilitate this framework with a class full of students, nor do they have the time to do so with the strict calendar of learning standards they are handed.  “We have to use content to teach core competencies” is the sentence that stuck with me from Wagner’s video (Society, 2009). It marries the idea that we do have state-mandated curriculum, but with a little creativity it can be delivered in a way that also addresses these 21st-century skills.  By asking students the right questions to guide their learning rather than handing them the information we can do for the students what Dr. H. and company have done for us: Make them THINK and take ownership of their learning. 
Society, A. (2009, October 1). 7 Skills students need for their future [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS2PqTTxFFc&feature=youtu.be
Think, B. (2013, July 17). The Seven Essential Life Skills, With Ellen Galinsky | Big Think Mentor | Big Think [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdIkQnTy6jA&feature=youtu.be