What NASA can teach us about education reform | Matt Candler | Big Think

TL;DR

Schools should focus on fostering relationships and embracing failure, inspired by NASA's culture, to create a more effective and student-centered education system.

Transcript

One way to think about the state of school today in the U.S. is to ask the question, what did school look like a hundred years ago? And lets say we found someone and brought them in a time machine forward from a 100-120 years ago and started to show them what our world looked like. We would probably have to slow down and explain the Internet, maybe... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🏫 Schools have been slow to adapt and change, despite the rapid transformation of the world.
• 🧑‍🎓 The focus of education should be on relationships and the development of students' emotional and social well-being.
• 👾 By creating a communal and relational approach to education, schools can foster innovation and create spaces for students to explore their interests.
• ♻️ NASA's culture of embracing failure as a necessary step towards progress can inspire educators to create environments where experimentation and growth are valued.
• 👨‍🏫 Schools need to support teachers in taking risks and learning from failures, rather than placing the burden of perfection on them.
• 🧑‍🎓 Embracing failure can help students develop resilience, perseverance, and a growth mindset.
• 👨‍🏫 Schools should prioritize individual growth and collaboration rather than rigid institutional structures.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why haven't schools changed much over the past century?

Schools have remained stagnant due to a lack of imagination and a failure to see the potential for change. We continue to focus on structures and institutions rather than fostering relationships and adapting to the evolving world.

Q: How can we reimagine school to better serve students' needs?

By shifting our perspective and focusing on relationships, we can create learning environments that prioritize individual growth and collaboration. This involves embracing experimental learning spaces and valuing curiosity and exploration.

Q: How does NASA's culture inspire a new approach to education?

NASA's emphasis on failure and experimentation can serve as a guide for educators. By creating a culture where failure is embraced as a necessary step towards progress, schools can encourage risk-taking, innovation, and resilience within students.

Q: How can we encourage teachers to embrace failure?

Teachers need to be provided with the support and freedom to take risks and learn from their failures. Schools should create a culture where experimentation and growth are valued, and where teachers are not burdened with the expectation of perfection.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Schools today have remained largely unchanged for over a century, while the world has gone through significant transformations.

• The true essence of education lies in the relationships between students and their peers, teachers, and the changing world around them.

• By adopting a communal and relational approach to education, schools can encourage innovation and create spaces for students to explore their interests and share their learning experiences.