For those of you who read my blog and have never met me, you are probably not aware that I am a school teacher. I do serve the next generation in church ministry but I also teach the next generation in school. I enjoy working with the next generation in a variety of forms as it allows me to stay connected to their world, which I might remind you is ours.
Where is the field of education going in the 21st century? Are we moving beyond a brick and mortar schoolhouse with traditional teachers who instruct in one specialized subject area? Will there be more distance learning, online education, hybrid classes, and facilitators who oversee multiple subject areas? What are the long-term effects of dual-enrollment for high school students? And what is going to happen with the movements created and sustained by homeschool co-op’s, homeschool associations, and private or Christian schools? There are many questions and there are many answers in the field of education.
Rather than answering general questions related to the field education, I would prefer to answer specific questions as they pertain to educating the next generation.
There are many realms to be explored, but having taught PE for a number of years, I will start with the physical dimension. The information I share with you today will come from Generation iY by Tim Elmore and from my own personal reflection and thoughts. You may be shocked to hear that Generation Z views “outside sports as a health tool, not as something you do for play.” Older generations grew up playing baseball, football, and basketball after school. Though this current generation seems to enjoy playing the game of soccer more than some of the traditional sports, “more of them are inside, not outside, and they are multi-tasking on five screens.”
Diane Chandler notes that as students (screenagers) spend lengthy periods of time behind the computer, television, tablet, theater and mobile phone screens, the sedentary lifestyle is increasing on a national scale. While students have been playing video games and appeasing other media appetites, “teen obesity has tripled since 1970.” Chandler states that physical inactivity has led the American College of Sports Medicine to develop a national campaign and website titled “Exercise is Medicine.” The US Center for Disease and Prevention reports that one-third of all US children and adolescents are considered overweight or obese. Whereas “obesity is a growing problem” for Generation Y and iY (1983-2000), obesity will be a “gigantic problem” for Generation Z (2001-2018). Don’t be surprised to see video game scholarships offered to Generation Z and don’t be surprised when you see schools using video games to teach. Tim Elmore says, “the written word is losing authority” and that “images are the language of connection in the 21st century.”
In his classic book about Christian education, Will Our Children Have Faith?, John Westerhoff writes prophetically to our day and time by saying that students need to be “enculturated” in an environment where “interaction” becomes the norm. Learning is discovering for oneself and teachers are to become coaches who help students discover through experience. Let students participate in activity and allow students to see what you are teaching (remember, students “think in images”). Hearing alone will never suffice. Rather than doing something for the student or teaching something to students, teachers should do something with students to the point where students can actively do something for or even by themselves. When students become self-learners and self-feeders who can self-discover, be assured that something great is in store for their future!
Teach to the whole child using the child’s whole senses. Teach to “involve both sides of the brain.” Use music, art, drama, and movement to retain knowledge. The media uses this technique and this is why the media often educates students more effectively than schools. Students are using technology to stream their life and to express themselves. This direct involvement of every sense captures a student’s full attention. And you wonder why you cannot unglue your student’s face from his or her screen? “Enable them to use their portable device (phone or tablet) to search and learn about things that interest them.” Don’t fight against technology, but learn how to work with it.
Provide Generation Z with a challenge and a cause and then sit back and watch them change the world. In our digital age, which reminds me of virtual reality, many of us will end up working for innovators found in Gen Z. We are all pilgrims on a journey, thus it remains vital that generations collaborate and learn together. The next generation needs the life skills, wisdom, and mentoring which older generations can provide, while older generations need to understand how to navigate the new world they find themselves living in.