109: Education in a time between worlds

It seems pretty clear that we are in a societal 'liminal space' right now, which is a threshold between what we have known until now and what we will know in the future.   We are also in a liminal space related to learning and education, as schools hastily try to move learning online (despite disparities in access to online learning systems), and we have an incredible opportunity to think through what we think children's learning should look like in the future.   In today's episode we hear from Dr. Zak Stein, who has spent many years thinking about ways in which the education system in the United States could be reimagined to take advantage of virtual learning opportunities and 'learning labs,' which gather resources around learners instead of having learning take place in classrooms isolated from real-world experience.  Dr. Stein is a big-picture thinker, and it was really exciting to sit with him and envision the future of learning.   To learn more about the memberships I mention in this episode, please visit yourparentingmojo.com/together   Dr. Zak Stein's book Education in a time between worlds - Affiliate link   Jump to highlights 01:46 Setting the scene: recording this episode during the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown 13:29 Introduction to Dr. Zach Stein, scholar of education, human development, and civilizational change 14:31 Putting the pandemic in context: why systems thinkers have seen this coming since 1972 22:38 What the education system is actually for, and whose interests it's been serving 24:19 How school closures are revealing the same inequities that existed all along 29:28 Standardized testing and the difference between justice-oriented and efficiency-oriented assessment 34:21 The danger of thinking about education, or parenting, as something you can put a price on 43:07 Turning a hard moment into real change, using the idea of Kairos versus ordinary time 47:41 What a decentralized, tech-enabled educational hub network could look like 48:53 Why standardizing education misses the point of how unique each child's learning is 51:35 Practical steps for parents right now, starting with limiting social media and protecting focus   References Stein, Z. (2019). Education in a time between worlds: Essays on the future of schools, technology, and society. Bright Alliance. Stein Z. (2019). COVID-19: A war broke out in heaven. Author. Retrieved from http://www.zakstein.org/covid-19-a-war-broke-out-in-heaven-article-and-interview/