Educating for the Future: The Power of Interdisciplinary Spaces | Theresa Lim | TEDxYouth@SHC

Summary

The TEDx Youth talk at SHC critiques traditional school schedules, arguing they're impractical for real-world jobs. It highlights the disconnect between employers' expectations and graduates' skills, emphasizing the need for interdisciplinary learning. The speaker shares a personal project on ovarian cancer research, illustrating how blending subjects like biology, statistics, and computer science fosters deep understanding and critical thinking. The talk calls for a shift in educational paradigms, urging colleges to value interdisciplinary learning to better prepare students for future challenges.

Takeaways

• 🏫 The speaker criticizes the rigid and impractical school schedule that doesn't align with real-world work environments.
• 🤔 There is a disconnect between what schools are teaching and the skills employers believe recent graduates lack, particularly in critical thinking.
• 🧠 The speaker emphasizes the importance of STEM education not being compartmentalized but rather integrated and interconnected.
• 🧬 The speaker shares a personal story of conducting interdisciplinary research on ovarian cancer, highlighting the benefits of combining biology, statistics, and computer science.
• 🔬 Interdisciplinary learning allows for a deeper understanding of subjects and the ability to make connections between different fields of study.
• 🤝 The advantages of interdisciplinary spaces include fostering critical thinking skills and the ability to approach problems from multiple angles.
• 🧐 The difference between problem-solving and critical thinking is highlighted, with the latter being more about asking and answering complex questions without a single correct solution.
• 📚 The speaker calls for a change in educational systems, starting with how colleges value and prioritize interdisciplinary learning.
• 🌟 High schools should provide students with the time and space to explore their own ideas and questions, which is crucial for developing independent thinking.
• 🛣️ The ultimate goal of education should be to prepare students with the skills necessary to tackle big problems and succeed in their future careers.
• 🌍 The speaker concludes by urging for a holistic approach to education that can equip students to change the world.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker identifies with the current school schedule?

The speaker identifies that the current school schedule is rigid and impractical, with a structure that would be considered ridiculous in any workplace, yet it is what they experience daily at school.

What phrase is often used to describe the purpose of schools preparing students for the future?

The phrase 'educating for the future' is often used to describe the idea that schools should equip students with the skills necessary for success in their future jobs.

According to the speaker, what is the disconnect between students' and employers' perceptions of preparedness for jobs?

The disconnect is that while nearly 90% of recent college graduates believe they are well-prepared for jobs, only 60% of employers agree with them, indicating that many graduates lack critical thinking skills.

How does the speaker describe the traditional view of STEM?

The speaker describes the traditional view of STEM as disjointed and compartmentalized into separate boxes for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, which does not reflect how these fields actually work in the real world.

What personal health concern does the speaker mention and how did it influence their school project?

The speaker mentions a predisposition to ovarian cancer due to family history, which influenced their school project to use statistical programming to analyze ovarian cancer data from the NIH's Cancer Genome Atlas Project.

What interdisciplinary approach did the speaker take for their school project on ovarian cancer?

The speaker took an interdisciplinary approach by combining biology, statistics, and computer science to analyze genomic factors determining the severity of ovarian cancer, which allowed them to make connections between these subjects.

Why does the speaker argue that traditional classrooms do not foster true critical thinking?

The speaker argues that traditional classrooms only teach problem-solving in the form of question-answering, which is more akin to an algorithmic process rather than fostering true critical thinking skills.

What is the difference between problem-solving and critical thinking as described by the speaker?

Problem-solving in traditional classrooms is described as recognizing certain types of questions and answering them using a predefined method, whereas critical thinking involves asking and answering one's own questions, which requires deeper analysis and understanding.

How does the speaker suggest that interdisciplinary spaces benefit students in developing critical thinking skills?

Interdisciplinary spaces benefit students by requiring them to analyze topics deeply, ask their own questions, and find answers, which involves both the formulation and resolution of complex problems, thus developing critical thinking skills.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of interdisciplinary learning for tackling big problems like cancer or climate change?

The speaker believes that interdisciplinary learning is crucial for tackling big problems because it allows students to approach issues holistically from multiple angles, which can lead to better and faster solutions.

What change does the speaker propose for both high schools and colleges to better prepare students for the future?

The speaker proposes that both high schools and colleges should prioritize interdisciplinary learning, giving students the time and space to explore their own ideas and questions, and valuing this approach alongside traditional transcripts and test scores.