To Chapter 2
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16.
The triumph of the individual
Around the world we're also
seeing a revival of individual power and responsibility as more and more people take
responsibility for creating their own future.
For around 200 years, national governments and then industrial giants have
dominated almost every aspect of society.
Now the individual consumer is king - and queen - with
the right and ability to choose from the best products and services around the world. This
will also involve each one of us in taking the responsibility for choosing our own
education - and in selecting the very best educational systems from around the world: a
change with revolutionary potential.
We believe that personal revolution should take place
from very early in life. As Don Tapscott summarizes it in Growing Up Digital:
"I have become convinced that the most revolutionary force for change is the students
themselves. Give children the tools they need and they will be the single most important
source of guidance on how to make the schools relevant and effective."
*
Obviously,
these are not the only dominant changes. We have not mentioned the spiritual revival
taking place in many parts of the world, nor the regrowth of fundamentalism in many
religions. The need to protect the environment is another vital trend, and has been
covered in dozens of other books. So has the new age of biochemistry.
But the 16 key points in this chapter represent major
trends which we believe present an unchallenged case for a corresponding revolution in
learning. Grasping all the opportunities will change not only the face of government and
industry, but the very nature of the world we live in, and the very nature of the
educational and learning systems that will groom us for the future.
A continuing theme in this book is that we cannot
achieve the educational breakthroughs we need unless we make an increasing investment in
new methods of education and learning.
No one would think of lighting a fire today
by rubbing two sticks together. Yet much of what passes for education is based on equally
outdated concepts.
Contents Page Preface To Chapter 2
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