Educating our Kids to Solve Problems that Don't Exist Yet

Have you seen the video titled "Did You Know?" It's been around for a while, but I started thinking about it again recently, because it really has some valuable messages about the world population, technology, and education in the future. The concept that really struck home with me is that,

“the top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 didn’t exist in 2004… We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist… Using technologies that haven’t been invented… In order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.”

What a daunting task educators and parents have in such a quickly changing world!

In my mind, the best way to prepare students and children to solve problems that don’t yet exist is to help them gain the knowledge that is needed, teach some problem solving strategies, foster critical thinking skills, and practice practice, practice. I took a good look at my teaching, my curriculum, my courses, my live sessions, personal interactions with students, and the way I teach my children at home and asked some hard questions...

Is what I’m teaching or showing going to help them to think more critically?

Do I allow them to discover?

Have I let them learn from their mistakes?

Have I let them make mistakes?

Will a particular session help my students to be better at solving problems?

Am I preparing them for a test or for the future?

Admittedly, there is some math that doesn’t directly apply to real life. Some skills students learn in many subjects do not directly correlate to problem solving, critical thinking or their future jobs. It is also true that many of the seemingly unimportant lessons are a foundation for learning the content that does directly apply to life. It is also true that learning something challenging to the point of mastery will help students to develop the tenacity, thinking, and drive that will be a great asset in solving the problems of the future.
 

Check out the video and let me know what you think.