Teaching For Future Careers

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
- Aristotle

How can we be sure that students in our classrooms today are fully prepared for careers of the future? That's an age-old question. Today, as technology continues to change at lightning speed this question becomes particularly complex because we don't know what exciting and new career opportunities will develop over the next 10-15 years.

One thing we can anticipate is that in order to compete, children will need to know how to find information and then use it to solve problems. The heart of critical thinking and problem-solving is figuring out the right questions to ask. Technology has accelerated the rate at which products, processes and our lives are changing. What questions will future generations need to ask in order to adapt to changing climate conditions; address world hunger; and navigate through political unrest?

Teaching children the value of collaboration will be key. Working together, even across states, countries and oceans has become increasingly easy (and expected) with the widespread access to technology. Smartphones, webcams, tablets, the Cloud, as well as social applications like Facebook, Twitter and Skype allow individuals to engage and share their ideas, inspirations...even frustrations.

Humans are creatures of habit and this is no less true for young children. Children need to learn to be adaptable to new and changing situations. Many things are changing-- the environment, the weather, the way we interact with one another. Children need to be flexible, resilient and innovative to not only impress future employers, but to be successful in whatever careers they choose to pursue.

And finally, parents and educators must continue to challenge children to develop their creative strengths and think outside the box. Students must be encouraged to be creative and to dream, because it'll be the next generation of visionaries that will propel us into the next century.