Transcriber: Bruna Peres
Reviewer: Michael Nystrom So, I have good news and I have bad news. Let’s start with the good news. What if I told you
that we have the answers to the world’s most pressing questions,
the most urgent problems of our time, and we have the answers? Here’s the bad news: If we don't start acting now, we are heading
towards a point of no return, full of disastrous outcomes. Climate change and
the collapse of biodiversity, which leading scientists
are telling us is happening t
oday. A growing socioeconomic divide
between so-called rich and poor nations and individuals, a world so divided that the bridges we would have to build
will have to be humongous to close. If we don't start implementing answers, we are heading towards a world
only known out of dystopian fiction. I know that’s heavy,
but hey, we have the answers. In the middle of everything
that’s happening around us are people - you and me. And we all play such a tremendous role
in shaping the world around us. T
he question, however, is, in how far are we aware
of the role that we’re playing, and do we really understand the impact
that we create on a daily basis across borders
and beyond generations? We are pretty damn powerful
for good and for bad. In 2015, I had no idea what role to play. I didn’t even know
there were roles to play. And hadn't I been in a city like Berlin,
I wouldn't be where I am today. A city of contrast, a city of movement, a city of rich, poor, plain, eccentric,
a city of innovati
on and opportunity. And here I was, 28 years old
and a job I hated. A long-term relationship
that ended abruptly. No friends, no family. And in those moments,
you kind of have two options: You sob or you go on. Obviously, I first cried like a baby,
but then I went on. And I had always been interested
in the topic of gamification. So I did a course. And I remember so crystal clear:
education and gamification. And I thought to myself,
Oh my God, why is learning so boring? Why are schools so dull?
And everything changed. I quit my job, lived off my savings, and I pretty much
reached out to anyone I knew that had something to do with education. I reached out to politicians,
to founders, to teachers. I volunteered in schools.
I went to EdTech meetups. I did the Berlin thing.
I founded a startup. I got accepted to an accelerator program. And I was so determined
I’m going to revolutionize education. Eight years later, way less naive, but still with full power, I can tell you with 100% certain
ty that the answers to the world’s
most pressing questions lay in you and me and the role
we play in shaping the world around us. Now, you can find out this role
through a crisis. But there's another way,
and that is education. Here, let me take you
on a thought experiment and explain to you why education. When you were born, you were all born
in a society you did not choose. When I was pregnant, a dear friend told me she noticed the magnitude
of being a parent is when she realized that
this kid
never got asked to be born. You decided it for him or her. I didn’t get it back then,
but boy, do I understand it now. We are born with complex instincts
and a set of genetic inheritance and other biological factors. We are then taught to act by our peers, societal and cultural norms
and the world outside. The more active we become,
the more consequences our actions create, the more we start co-designing
the world around us. One of the guiding institutions
while growing up for our personal jour
ney and society as a whole
is our education system. And yet, I can promise you that
our current education system is failing to prepare students for a fast-paced
future and the irreversible crisis it holds for you and me
and future generations to come. The focus here is on the transformation
of our education system, because the answers will not come from
our current education system. Let me tell you a short story
about our current education system. When I was eight -
and yes, that’s a long time
ago - but it’s still the same education system, which says a lot
about where we are right now, because a lot has changed
since I’ve been eight. But anyway, when I was eight,
my family and I, we moved from the States to Germany,
and I was really bad in German. My teacher back then
went to my mom and said, “We’ll not give little Mieke
any grades in German until she catches up with the others
because A, it will discourage her, and B, if we don’t give her
the individual support that she needs, she w
ill have problems getting
into grammar school, which is decided in grade four, which is a precondition for university
later on in life, with eight.” A highly standardized system
full of individual potential. And in the middle, children all
with their own challenges and talents. Our education system is 150 years old. It was designed to find answers
for the industrial ages. But look where we are now. As we’re moving from an industry-based
to an information-based society, our education systems must
adapt. New questions are being asked,
and new answers need to be found. There’s a famous quote
that basically goes like this: “We are currently preparing students
for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies
that haven’t been invented yet, in order to solve problems
we don’t even know are problems yet.” Let that sink in for a moment. And the crazy thing is, some of the problems
we’re very well aware of. So the question really is, why is it that the effects of humans on climate,
nature, bio
diversity, society as a whole is not an integral part
of everyday education? And why is it, or maybe
even more important, why aren’t we teaching
students and lifelong learners the tools for them
to understand the impact they have in an intricate,
fragile and connected system? So much potential that is being lost. Everything is changing around us
through technological advances and the issues of our time. Yet the one institution that remains
the same is the basis of our society and shapes future l
eaders,
change makers, politicians, consumers, bypassers, scientists,
inventors, and so on. How is anyone supposed to find
their role in an outdated system? I wish I had more time to explain to you
how this change needs to happen. But I can promise you there’s amazing people out there
that are implementing solutions because they found their role
within education. But we are running out of time because solutions being implemented today
should have been implemented yesterday. If there’s one thing
I want to leave you with today: if you are a policymaker,
step outside of your comfort zone. There are solutions,
and they need your attention. Not just within education, right? For everyone else, actions are based
on the information you receive. What you do with that
information is up to you. But it has always been the next generation that has shaped the stories
for the time coming. So the question really is,
what role do you want to play? And I want you to go out here and know that you have
s
o much power to create impact. You are pretty damn powerful
for good and for bad. So let’s use it for good. Thank you. (Applause)
Comments
"Co Designing the world around us". Yes! This is the slapstick response to everyone who says that it's a cruel and cutthroat world and that they're here just for a good time. This is why the only way for us to save the current world is by doing everything in our power to prepare the next generation to do so. Equipping them with the right resources, plans and support and we pass the baton to those who are thankful and determined in saving themselves.
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