Education for a New Economy

On vacation this week but could not hep but post a little something about the importance of this article, How to Prepare Preschoolers for an Automated Economy. The story piece talks about how the children choose blocks from a table with the goal of building a robot. Code is not paramount but the process is replete with computation thinking.  But wait, wait, there’s more: time honored behaviors of sharing, creativity, learning from mistakes and perseverance. “'That’s key for programming, and it’s key for life,” she said. Her curriculum, used in schools nationwide and abroad, teaches skills like sharing and perseverance, and is woven into all subjects in the school day: Children program robots to act out a story they’re reading, for example.”

 

As I contemplate rejuvenating our national economy, one of the cornerstones is not only how to teach our young but how to retool adults. Seems as if this kind of education works for both. Let’s encourage our legislators to accept global trade.  In an information economy, it is critical that the United States take part, not hide, from it, especially since it is a leader in its development.  But we must pay attention to those workers displaced by historical shifts. Getting back to the basics is a path.  Let’s use it for adults as well as our youth!