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Lest you think the U . S . is the only country with system problems , consider some of the major issues afflicting other countries . For example , consider the Chinese Alphabet system , the number of Chinese characters contained in the Kangxi dictionary is approximately 47,035 . Although a large number of these are rarely-used variations accumulated throughout history .
We are on a long way from optimizing the systems that administrate our lives . The freedom and potential that we value so much , is only a fraction of what it can be if we begin to seriously reinvent society ; one system at a time . And the system that we see as the highest leverage point for revamping society is our education system .
Some of the advancements in the society and system could impel the change in the world of education . These factors will eventually define the speed , scope and size of the emerging new system along with the individualities needed for a global-scale adoption . Read on further for an undercurrent of the influencers , and perceive the need to understand the radical shift than will occur in the world of education .
The Changeover from Emphasis on Teaching to Learning
Traditionally , Education consisted of two fundamental elements ─ teaching and learning . But the system emphasized heavily on the teaching part . Throughout history , the transfer of information from the teacher to the learner has been done on a person-to-person basis . This is referred to as the “ sage on stage ” form of education , since it required the teacher to be skillfully proficient with every topic that they teach .
But today the scenario is quite different . With advancements in technology and new things to learn , the traditional system ends up being a highly inefficient system , equivalent of using “ Roman numerals ” in many respects . For any new topic to be taught , a new expert needs to be created , and this widespread necessity for more and more experts has become a serious chokepoint for learning .
There is indeed a grave need for the education system to undergo a transition from a heavy emphasis on teaching to a heavy emphasis on learning . Envisioning the advancements , experts ought to create the courseware for the students to learn anytime or anywhere at a pace that is comfortable for them , and learn about topics that majorly interests them .
In the future , instead of perceiving the lecturer as a topic-expert all the time , we would see them more in the roles of guides and coaches .
Exponential Growth of Information
Years ago , the flow of information was controlled by just a few elite members of society , and they implicated well the theory of knowledge equating power . To the time where information was precious and few , to today , a time where information is so plentiful , we have gone a long way . There is so much data and analytics at the end of our palm that we feel like we are sinking in it – information overload .
However , we still see many of the same “ information control ” issues pervading the society today . Perpetuating the notion that only doctors can understand medicine , only physicists can understand how the universe works , we can still say that only elite members of society control the flow of information . But it is also very important to pay attention to the changing dimensions of information and the sheer volume of it . Today , information is not just text-based , but also graphical , audio , musical , and visual .