The Future of Education: A Student's Perspective | Anna Nixon | TEDxSalem
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reflects on the transformative power of education through the story of her family, from her grandmother's limited access to learning to her mother's pursuit of higher education, leading to a career in America. Emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and hands-on learning, she highlights the role of programs like FIRST Robotics in fostering practical skills and inspiring a passion for STEM. The speaker advocates for accessible, engaging education to prepare students for an unpredictable future and encourages involvement in shaping young minds.
Takeaways
- π The importance of education is highlighted through the personal story of the speaker's grandmother and mother, showing the transformative power of access to education.
- π΅ The speaker's grandmother, despite limited opportunities, fought to continue her education, which influenced her children's educational paths.
- π The speaker's mother chose education over marriage, achieving advanced degrees in mathematics and computer science, and eventually moving to America for better opportunities.
- π‘ The value of education lies not only in the knowledge acquired but also in the critical thinking skills developed, which are essential for adapting to an ever-changing world.
- π Emphasizing the need for education that prepares students for future industries that may not yet exist, focusing on learning how to learn rather than just what to learn.
- π€ The speaker stresses the importance of teaching students to ask questions and think critically, which is more important than ever in a rapidly evolving job market.
- π« The script points out that schools often lack the resources to provide real-world application opportunities, which are crucial for student engagement and understanding.
- π€ FIRST Robotics is introduced as a program that allows students to apply their skills in a hands-on manner, fostering a love for learning and problem-solving.
- π§ The speaker's involvement in FIRST Robotics has shaped her as an engineer and a person, providing confidence and a clearer vision for her future.
- π The co-founding of 'STEM for Girls' is mentioned as an initiative to inspire young girls to pursue opportunities in STEM fields through fun and engaging activities.
- π± The script encourages everyone to volunteer, mentor, and share their expertise to guide students, emphasizing that learning is a two-way street that benefits both the teacher and the student.
- π The speaker concludes by urging the audience to consider how they can contribute to providing challenging and inspiring education to children, potentially changing their world.
Q & A
What is the significance of the family tradition of looking at old photo albums during the holidays?
-The tradition of looking at old photo albums during the holidays serves as a bonding experience for the family and also triggers reflections on the family's history and the progress made over generations.
What was the educational situation like for young girls in India when the narrator's grandmother was growing up?
-During the time the narrator's grandmother grew up in India, access to education, especially for young girls, was extremely limited. She was told to stop going to school in fourth grade and only continued for one more year after much pleading.
Why did the narrator's grandmother marry at the age of 19?
-The script does not provide specific reasons for her marriage at 19, but it reflects the societal norms and expectations of the time, which often led to early marriages.
How did the narrator's grandmother's experience with education influence her children's education?
-The grandmother's lack of educational opportunities motivated her to ensure that her children, particularly the narrator's mother, received a proper education, leading her to pursue higher education in mathematics and computer science.
What choice did the narrator's mother have to make at the age of 19, and what did she choose?
-At the age of 19, the narrator's mother had to choose between education and marriage. She chose to pursue a bachelor's degree in mathematics and later a master's degree in computer science.
What is the importance of education according to the narrator's grandparents?
-According to the narrator's grandparents, education is the most valuable thing anyone can own, emphasizing the importance of knowledge and its role in personal development and success.
What is the narrator's view on the value of education in preparing for the future?
-The narrator believes that the value of education lies in teaching critical thinking skills rather than just memorizing facts, as these skills will allow individuals to adapt to and solve problems in an ever-changing world.
Why is it important to teach kids how to learn rather than just what to learn, according to the script?
-Teaching kids how to learn is important because it prepares them for industries and jobs that may not yet exist, emphasizing the need for adaptability and the ability to learn new things throughout their lives.
What is the role of FIRST Robotics in providing hands-on learning opportunities for students?
-FIRST Robotics provides students with the opportunity to apply the skills they learn in and out of the classroom by building robots for competitions, fostering technical skills, business leadership, and teamwork.
What is the mission of the nonprofit organization 'STEM for Girls' that the narrator co-founded?
-The mission of 'STEM for Girls' is to inspire girls to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math by presenting these subjects in fun and exciting ways and providing workshops, funding, and mentoring for STEM programs.
How can individuals contribute to providing hands-on learning opportunities for students, as suggested in the script?
-Individuals can contribute by volunteering, mentoring, or sharing their expertise in various fields. This can involve participating in educational competitions, presenting in schools, or helping out at science fairs to inspire and guide students.
What is the significance of the story about the narrator's mother learning BASIC in tenth grade?
-The story illustrates how a single opportunity, such as the one-month access to a computer and an introductory class, can have a profound impact on a person's life and career path, emphasizing the importance of providing such opportunities to all students.
Outlines
π The Power of Education and Progress
The first paragraph of the script narrates a personal story highlighting the transformative power of education across three generations of women in the speaker's family. It starts with a casual setting of holiday reminiscence, transitioning into the tale of the speaker's grandmother, who was forced to leave school at a young age in India. Despite this, she fought for an additional year of education, setting a precedent for her daughter, the speaker's mother, who went on to earn advanced degrees in mathematics and computer science. The narrative emphasizes the importance of education, critical thinking, and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing job market. It underscores the need for accessible and relevant education to prepare students for future challenges and industries that may not yet exist.
π€ Empowering the Next Generation through STEM Education
The second paragraph delves into the speaker's personal involvement with FIRST Robotics, a program that offers hands-on learning experiences in technology to students of all ages. It discusses the annual challenges that keep students engaged and the wide range of skills they can learn, from technical skills like CAD and CNC milling to soft skills like business leadership and teamwork. The speaker shares their journey with FIRST and its impact on their personal and professional growth. They also introduce their nonprofit organization, STEM for Girls, which aims to inspire young girls to pursue opportunities in STEM fields. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for the audience to volunteer and mentor students, emphasizing the importance of hands-on learning opportunities across various fields and the potential impact such experiences can have on young minds.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘MDMA
π‘Education
π‘Critical Thinking
π‘FIRST Robotics
π‘STEM
π‘Progress
π‘Hands-On Learning
π‘John Dewey
π‘Emotion and Learning
π‘Volunteering
π‘Opportunities
Highlights
The importance of education in personal and societal progress, as illustrated by the speaker's family history.
The speaker's grandmother's limited education opportunities growing up in a small Indian village.
How the grandmother's determination allowed her to continue schooling for an additional year.
The grandmother's early marriage and raising three children by the age of 25.
Ensuring the speaker's mother received a quality education as a priority.
The mother's choice between education and marriage, leading to higher education in mathematics and computer science.
The value of knowledge as emphasized by the speaker's grandparents.
The need for accessible and relevant education to prepare for an unpredictable future.
Teaching students how to learn and think critically, rather than just memorizing facts.
The unpredictability of future job markets and the importance of adaptability in education.
The significance of applying classroom skills to real-world situations for better understanding and engagement.
Challenges schools face in providing hands-on learning opportunities due to funding and resources.
Introduction of FIRST Robotics as a program that offers hands-on learning in technology and engineering.
The multi-category structure of FIRST Robotics to engage students of all ages.
Learning technical and soft skills like business, leadership, and teamwork through FIRST Robotics.
The speaker's personal growth and passion discovery through 10 years of involvement in FIRST.
The founding of a nonprofit organization, STEM for Girls, to inspire girls in STEM fields.
Partnering with local organizations to host STEM workshops and provide funding and mentoring.
The importance of hands-on learning opportunities beyond technical fields in various industries.
Encouraging volunteers and mentors to share their expertise with students for better guidance.
The two-way street of learning where teaching others can be as rewarding as learning.
The life-changing impact of a single experience, as exemplified by the speaker's mother's introduction to computers.
A call to action for everyone to help provide challenging and inspiring education to children.
Transcripts
when we added MDMA oh you went up to six
[Music]
one of my favorite things to do over the
holidays is sit down with my family
drinking a cup of hot cocoa and flipping
through old photo books together a while
ago as we were doing just that we came
across this photo of my grandmother me
and one of my younger sisters taken
around 15 years ago now my grandmother
grew up in a small village in India in a
time more access to education was
extremely limited especially for young
girls she was told to stop going to
school in fourth grade and only after
pleading and begging was she allowed to
stay in school for just one more year at
the age of 19 my grandmother was married
and at the age of 25 she was raising
three kids because my grandmother never
had the chance to complete her education
she made sure that my mom did and so at
the age of 19 my mom had the choice
between education and marriage she was
able to choose to get a bachelor's
degree in mathematics and then go on to
get a masters degree in computer science
after which she was hired straight out
of college and moved to America with my
dad me and my two younger sisters to
this day whenever I call my grandparents
they never fail to remind me Anna
remember to study hard
the most valuable thing anyone can own
is knowledge to me personally there is
no other more inspirational example of
progress than the story of my parents
and grandparents and hearing it has made
me all the more aware of how influential
education is to the process of change
access to education changes lives that's
why in order to give everyone the best
chance of success we need to make
education as easily accessible as
possible and we need to make sure that
kids have access to the right type of
education there's no way to predict what
the future will hold and so the value in
schooling doesn't lie in the facts that
we learn to memorize but rather the
critical thinking skills that will allow
us to solve a variety of problems for
example some of the jobs that exist
today didn't exist 30 years ago and some
of the jobs that will exist in 30 years
may not even be imaginable right now so
how do we prepare students to enter
industries that don't even exist yet in
order to do that we need to teach kids
how to learn and not just what to learn
teaching kids how to ask questions and
think critically is far more important
than ever before that way they'll be
prepared to face the constant changes
and challenges of the future in order to
do that we need to show kids how the
skills that they're learning in school
can be applied to the things that happen
around them in their day to day lives
every subject is important whether it's
literature chemistry or calculus but the
reason that students sometimes get
frustrated or start to feel that these
subjects are useless is because they're
rarely given the chance to apply them
John Dewey often regarded as the father
of education once stated we only think
when confronted with a problem that's
why students need to be given the chance
to apply their skills before they can
feel satisfied with their knowledge and
studies have shown over and over again
that students do better when they get
the chance to develop an emotional
connection to the subject that they're
learning emotion drives attention and
attention drives learning by showing
students the real-world applications of
what they're learning in the classroom
they're more likely to stay in gay
and develop a deeper long-term
understanding but the problem is schools
often lack the funding the time or the
teachers to provide these opportunities
for students
that's why programs like first exist
through FIRST Robotics students get the
chance to apply the skills that they
learn in and out of the classroom by
building robots to compete in fun and
exciting challenges there's nothing more
engaging than that moment where after
hours and hours of hard work you finally
get to see your robot come to life or
That moment when your whole team is
jumping up and down cheering as your
Alliance scores the winning points of
the final match first is divided into
multiple categories so that students of
all ages can get hands-on experience
with technology and each year a
different challenge is released keeping
students engaged as they learn about
everything from wiring and CAD to CNC
milling and even computer vision but
it's not just technical skills that you
learn through this program you also get
the chance to learn about skills like
business leadership and teamwork I've
been involved in first for 10 years now
and it has helped shaped me not only as
an engineer but as a person getting the
chance to apply my skills has given me
confidence in my abilities and it's also
helped me find my passions and figure
out what I want to do in the future I
wanted to give other students access to
these same opportunities that's why I
co-founded a nonprofit organization
dedicated to inspiring girls to pursue
opportunities in science technology
engineering and math called stem for
girls at stem for girls we work to
present science and technology in fun
and exciting ways by partnering with
local organizations were able to host
workshops for kids in the US as well as
provide funding and mentoring for a
variety of stem programs that way more
students can start learning about
science and technology from a young age
but this sort of hands-on learning
opportunity doesn't have to be limb
two technical fields there are hundreds
of programs out there that are working
to give students a chance get hands-on
learning in any field imaginable whether
it's business medicine or fashion there
is a nonprofit organization out there
that's trying to give students a chance
to apply their skills outside of the
classroom I'd highly encourage each and
every one of you to reach out to
volunteer mentor students are always in
need of people with expertise to give
them the best guidance they can get in
any field by sharing your skill set and
your unique perspective you can open
their minds to all the opportunities
that are out there and change their
lives and if there's one thing that I've
learned from stem for girls it's that
learning is a two-way street you often
gain just as much if not more when
you're teaching others whether it's by
volunteering and educational
competitions presenting in schools or
helping out at science fairs everyone
can do their part in showing the next
generation how to think critically and
open-mindedly even the smallest
experience can be absolutely
life-changing all it takes is a little
spark to light a new path in someone's
life for example my mom's decision to
become a software engineer happened in
tenth grade at that time the school that
she was attending was small and
definitely not wealthy enough to afford
its own computer especially when
computers were relatively new however
there was a government subsidy program
that brought a computer to their
classroom for just one month it wasn't
anything like the fancy Mac books or
Dells that we have now just a large
bulky UNIX server hooked up to a couple
of monitors here and there for students
to use during the one month that it was
at her school the school offered an
introductory class and she rushed to
sign up that's where she learned the
basics as in the computer language basic
beginners all-purpose symbolic
instruction code
she told me that they never learned
anything more than simple addition and
subtraction but that was enough to get
her hooked on computers for life is my
mom han had that opportunity to work
with computers in tenth grade she may
have never become a software engineer
that's why it's of utmost importance
that we all work to give every child no
matter their race gender or wealth
access hands-on learning opportunities
in a variety of fields the more that
they can experience the more that they
can understand so what I want to ask you
today is what will you do to give more
kids access to a challenging and
inspiring education it's not about
changing the whole world but by showing
kids all opportunities that are out
there and letting them learn by trying
new things you can change their world
thank you
you
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