The Words of the Beebe Family
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The Words of the Beebe Family |
We had about 15 people packed into my old divinity study room. Somehow it seemed a lot smaller than I remembered it. I opened the session with a short PowerPoint on how technology is changing the face of education, some of which Father predicted over 20 years ago (distance learning, in particular). I pointed out also several intriguing statements Father made that the time would come when there would be no more need of schools themselves.
This lead to a freewheeling discussion about education and its future. A central point was brought out that, no matter what the technological advances, there will always be a need for someone in a mentoring position (teacher, tutor, or parent). There needs to be someone who can motivate and guide the student. Students today may have easy access to information through the internet. So the teacher is no longer the 'source' of knowledge in the classroom. Today's teacher is more of a facilitator helping students to make sense of it all and how to use all this information for a good purpose.
Also discussed were the goals of education. Unification Thought makes clear that the overall goal of education is to raise children to attain resemblance to God by helping them to fulfill the 3 blessings. Public and most private education tends to be more utilitarian: education is the path to a successful (and well-paid) future. The well-rounded educated student that was the hallmark of American education has given way to a narrower focus on science, technology, engineering and math (known in education circles as STEM). The argument is we must do so to stay competitive with the rest of the world.
New educational methods were discussed: so-called 'flipped learning' (students watch lectures online at home and do a lesson based on it in the classroom), the now-ubiquitous interactive whiteboards, the next big thing (tablets), interactive educational software, immersive 3D simulations, etc.
Where does this leave us? Education should not be running after technology, but harness it to achieve clearly agreed upon goals (for Unificationists as laid out in Unification Thought). Much of education innovation today is driven by technology. Lost is a meaningful discussion about the true purpose of education. As Unificationists working in or interested in the field of education, this should be our contribution.
I look forward to a continued discussion with my colleagues on this topic. I collected everyone's e-mail addresses and we will continue the discussion online.
Robert Beebe