This manifesto from www.changethis.com had some absolute gems of insight - it’s been a long time since I have read something with interesting ideas so densely packed together. The general thrust is that learning should be a lifelong pursuit and our schools should teach us how, not what, to learn.

Most classes, curricula, and schools are currently organized around disciplines… Problems do not fall into disciplines… Nevertheless, those that identify a problem generally try to solve it by manipulating the variables
with which their discipline is familiar.

This is something I can relate to a lot, coming from a background of programming computers I definitely approach a whole host of non computer related problems as if they were pieces of software. It’s always a constant challenge to approach existing problems from a different perspective

Reality consists of sets of interacting problems—messes. Students are seldom taught or learn how to deal with messes. Instead, they are given exercises to “solve.”

The biggest difference I have found between academic learning and the real world is in school and university the questions were given to me - in the real world I have to find the question first. Getting the question right is the hard part because if you ask the wrong question then you can never get the right answer.

Almost all of the prevailing social problems in our society consist of trying to do the wrong things better.

Talk about an epitaph of our times.

The authors advocate leading children rather than managing them, how many of today’s corporate leaders treat their employees as if they were school children?

To manage others is to direct them in the pursuit of objectives using means which the manager
selects. To lead others is to guide them in the pursuit of objectives by the use of means the followers
as well as the leader select.

To minimize chances of being held responsible for errors of commission - where errors of omission are not recorded—the best strategy is to do nothing. This is the source of the conservatism and risk aversion that permeates the current educational system and society.

Given the freedom to fail without censure, students will often challenge themselves to work hardest on their weaknesses.

I know many people (and count myself among them) who have had to work hard on giving themselves the freedom to fail. The permission to actually feel good about having a go and doing their best, to feel really good about it not just paying lip service to the ideal. It’s still so far away.

For the first time I actually have a glimmer of hope that their will be a half decent education system by the time I have kids of schoolable age. It’s interesting that the authors credit technology as giving power to the movement for challenging the status quo - when there is less overhead in the transmission of ideas it’s easier for the best ones to bubble to the surface