The title is a direct quote from a summary section in the book Future Minds: How the Digital Age Is Changing Our Minds, Why This Matters, and What We Can Do About It by Richard Watson. Although the book was published in 2010, I believe that we can still learn something from it, even twelve years after. Especially when we have already made our smartphones the modern pacifier for our children, time off from these devices is something worth considering, to foster imaginative learning for our young ones.
10 ways our education system could stimulate young minds
- Focus on free play rather than organized and structured play to avoid hindering imagination.
- Don’t place too much emphasis on narrowly measured outcomes.
- Avoid becoming obsessed with ICT at the expense of teachers and books.
- Emphasize creative as well as rational subjects to foster the original and imaginative thinking that companies are looking for.
- Reduce homework to increase family time and encourage imaginative free play.
- Find ways to help busy parents spend more time with their children.
- Encourage parents to set more boundaries and allow less virtual interaction.
- End the health & safety hysteria that keeps children indoors and limits physical exploration.
- Remember that all reading is not necessarily good and pay attention to the medium.
- Avoid letting information and attitudes from electronic devices, especially cellphones, dilute lessons and values from parents and teachers.
jessa 