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No. 593, August 25, 2008

School and future forms of learning

How will the young people of tomorrow learn what they need to live productive and healthy lives? The answer is not self-evident and the question is raised in a new Swedish book written by Strategies founder John Steinberg.

School is a hot topic on the Swedish national agenda due to deteriorating results, high absentee rates and many pupils leaving school without basic skills in language and mathematics. Learning is of course a key process in a knowledge society. How young people learn today will impact work life, public health and the society of tomorrow. But how do we best learn and develop while growing up?

John Steinberg has studied the question. He has both been a school leader and done educational research. He contends that school is not an ideal place for learning. Learning is the goal and school is only a means. If we were to invent learning based on today’s knowledge about pedagogics and social development, we would invent something different than a school.

Statistics from Swedish schools raises concerns. In Swedish high schools 25% of the student’s are absent on any given day. 30–40% of them have not completed their studies within four years. Many teachers have been bullied or even physically attacked by students. Every day two schools in Sweden are set on fire.

Steinberg writes that many teachers and school leaders do a fantastic job, but that school by itself makes learning difficult.

Here are a few more interesting messages from John Steinberg’s new book:

The school concept only works for about 20% of the students. Only 20% get the highest grades and get a chance to blossom in their full personality in school.
Home is a forgotten but important place for learning and development. Parents are more important than many realise in raising their children, and a prerequisite for school to function. Schools can educate children, but not raise them.
High-tech Sweden with its strong democratic values has unique possibilities to create new forms of learning. This would be much better than to recreate old authoritarian forms of education.
The demands of the knowledge society: health, responsibility, creativity, social ability and competence are much more similar to the demands of agricultural society than to industrial society. School is a child of industrial society.
Teacher training colleges need to focus more on coaching and leadership, as well as building on strengths.

Steinberg’s most radical suggestion is to phase out schools or at least to complement it with new forms of learning: Mentoring – a teacher/mentor in a small group. Home schooling – where parents do the teaching. Learning at work – in close connection to a practical work situation etc.

The discussion has only started…

Creative regards! Jonas Himmelstrand

More info at www.stratletter.com/593.html