The Perfect School

Vuk VisnjicAIESEC Global Leaders Summit

Belgrade, February 2013

100 years ago…The schools, libraries and school system we use today were created in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It was a fantastic time – a revolution was happening.

Thanks to scientists, engineers and educators, a whole new world was opened up to the “common man” and reading and writing became something almost everyone could and should know, not just a privileged few.

But that was over 100 years ago. It’s time for another revolution...

What is Education?

• Classrooms• Teachers• Textbooks• 45 or 90 minute classes• Diplomas• Professional titles

Why are we LIMITING knowledge?

How I See EducationEducation

KNOWLEDGE

EXPERIENCEOPPORTUNITY

DEVELOPMENT

Anywhere, any time, using any resources!

Structure?

The issues

• Indoor classes• No talking • Kids don’t participate in

creating teaching programs

• Only “approved” textbooks and resources

• Limited time• Collective pace

The solutions

• Outdoor and online classes• More practical knowledge

and discussions• School trips are more

educational• Free snacks once a week to

encourage socialization• Students participate in

creating teaching programs• Individual pace• More interaction with the

world!

How We Learn

The issues

• This system is outdated• Boring, closed classrooms,

which makes for a bad learning environment

• Most things are done offline and in school and some students just can’t catch up

• We are being taught what to learn, not how to learn

The solutions• Introducing technology and

improving our school system so everything becomes faster and better

• Outdoor and online classes with more interaction (online chat for homework help or Skype sessions with teachers and students from other countries)

• Collaborative learning in school and at home

• Teach us how to learn – guidance, not lectures

Learning & PlayingThe issue

• Boring Text Books• Lack of Life-Skill Classes• Lack of Physical Activity

The solution

• E-books• More Classes (Health &

Sex, Domestic Skills, Economy, Rhetoric…)

We want more!

Playing & LearningThe issues

• Aggressive games or banning kids entirely from games

• Learning is taken too seriously, like it has to be boring to be educational

• Parents and adults think gaming is asocial or too exposing – not true!

• Outdoor games have been nearly forgotten

The solutions

• Educate the parents and teachers first…

• Gaming has become highly social

• Teach kids about online safety just like you teach them about road safety

• Teach kids good measure and responsibility – without taking away the fun!

• Include outdoor games and live socialization in teaching programs

Give us more!Whenever I asked people what their perfect school

would be like – no one ever asked for anything to be removed from schools.

They only asked for things to be added. The issues

• Kids and adults aren’t encouraged to learn more than what someone years ago decided was “necessary” knowledge

• Society & schools prefer mediocrity, because it makes t easier to carry out programs and “norms” that way

• Differences are not appreciated and sometimes not even allowed

The solutions• More subjects that we can

apply in life (Economics, Business basics, Domestic skills, Rhetoric…)

• Schools should encourage us to ALWAYS learn and to share our knowledge

• Society should provide us with the power & technology to develop our personal interests

• A laptop for every kid and an Internet connection for every classroom

Global InteractionNow that the whole

World is open to us… Why do you still lock us

up in classrooms and teach us only what is

immediately around us?

Invite the World into our classrooms!

Treat us as children and we will remain children.

Treat us as citizens of the world and we will

grow to be responsible and capable individuals.

A New School for a New WorldWhat would your perfect school be like?

My Perfect SchoolMore choices in what we want to study More choices in what we want to study

Online/offline studying Online/offline studying

Study Locally and WWStudy Locally and WW

More natureMore nature

Less structure and time limitsLess structure and time limits

Interaction & collaboration with my peersInteraction & collaboration with my peers

Let Kids Lead

Let us playwith our

ideas

Don’t tell us we “can’t”

Success means failing

1000 times

No fear!

Let us make ourown mistakes

Listen andtalk to us

Let us participate in our education and in creating our future

Thank you for letting me share my ideas with you!

Get in touch with me on:

Twitter - @ZaljubljenoDeteEmail – visnjic.mail@gmail.com

Blog – www.g33k.rs