The movie, “Most likely to succeed” by Ted Dintersmith and Tony Wagner, had an interesting insight into the current education system. The movie first starts with a child sitting in her class crying because she has no interest in the subjects in school, which has snowballed into her not doing well (Greg Whiteley, 2015). This hit home for me; I remember in elementary school crying and hating school because I had no interest in any of the topics. The narrator then describes how the current education model is based on the industrial revolution education model (Greg Whiteley, 2015). The education model during the industrial revolution produced people with all the same knowledge and skills that would be beneficial in a factory setting (Greg Whiteley, 2015). They point out that this is not what current employers are looking for in a person. They instead are looking for people with technology-based skills, people that can problem solve, think critically, and collaborate with others. This movie stated that our current education system is failing students (Greg Whiteley, 2015).

https://sites.google.com/site/tcnjibrresources/what-is-ibl

 High Tec High was the school that was focused on during the film because of their student-led approach to teaching. High Tec High builds “soft skills” like empathy, perseverance, and collaboration in their students (Greg Whiteley, 2015). They do this by not giving the students tests but making an end of the year showcase to demonstrate to the public and themselves what they have learned throughout the year. By doing so, they have moved away from the didactic pedagogy to a more authentic one. I think what will be difficult for the students coming from schools like High Tec High is the transition into more traditional styled schools, for instance, if they chose to go onto higher education. This is a link that explains the differences between the two pedagogies. Didactic vs. authentic video link. My sister, for example, went to a school in Victoria that was inquiry-based, and she found it difficult taking tests when she went to university because she hadn’t taken them for several years. I think a good education system would be a balance between the two pedagogies. IB is a type of school model that would be in-between didactic and authentic pedagogy. IB is inquiry-based learning that some private schools in Victoria use.  For more information on IB. I think in general it is widely known that the traditional school model needs to change in all levels of education, and it needs to happen in order to give kids the tools to succeed in a technology-based society.       

   

Screen capture: https://www.cambridge.org/gb/education/blog/tok-bite-video-1-whats-new-ib-syllabus-and-support-available

Reference:

Greg Whiteley. (2015). Most likely to succeed.