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| WHAT MEMBERS LEARN? |
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Today’s young learners are bombarded by so much information coming at them from so many different directions and in so many ways that it’s amazing that they can stay focused long enough to shift through it all and separate the good from the bad and the trivial from the important and actually learn something meaningful and worthwhile.
Today, more than at any other time in the history of mankind, making sure that today’s young learners are being exposed to quality, appropriate, meaningful and worthwhile content is probably the most critical step in their learning journey’s.
Unlike yesterday when the vast majority of a child’s learning experiences took place or were reinforced, defined and refined in the home, especially in the “critical “Life Skills” areas, today’s families are faced with many more daunting social-economic challenges and time restraints coupled with the fact that today’s learners are much more tech savvy than their parents. This perfect storm creates a less than idea learning environment in millions of homes throughout the world, subsequently placing a much greater emphasis on “Universal Holistic Learning” whereas many areas of learning that used to be done in the homes (such as “Life Skills”) now rest with schools; which themselves are caught in perfect storm number 2!
Most schools do not have the time, expertise, budgets or the manpower to adequately teach their students in areas outside of their basic educational requirements, which in itself is challenging enough!
Most schools are facing daunting challenges themselves in the form of budgetary restraints, the lack of enough qualified teachers, large class sizes, students that are much more tech savvy than their teachers therefore are harder to reach to teach and get bored much easier when taught in traditional methods, the lack compelling and engaging content and the inability of schools to take advantage of or having access to today’s technologies (especially web 2.0 applications) that could solve or at a minimum ease many of their problems and concerns.
What does this all mean…..the bottom line is that it means that today’s learners are not being adequately prepared for life prior to entering school, while they are in school and definitely not once they have graduated and subsequently must still somehow deal with the “Real-World” without the comforts of home and school to cushion their falls and soften their bumps and bruises; all while being expected to become successful, self sufficient and productive members of society!
Although the picture that I have just painted that represents the canvas of our children, youth and teens lives is very real, dreary, challenging and serious; all is certainly not lost! |
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