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Prepare Our Kids for Life, Not Standardized Tests | Ted Dintersmith | TEDxFargo
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Prepare Our Kids for Life, Not Standardized Tests | Ted Dintersmith | TEDxFargo

What Life Skills Should Schools Teach?

Introduction to the Topic

  • The speaker reflects on receiving an email from their children's school about a session on teaching important life skills, which sparked curiosity and concern.
  • The vague nature of the email led the speaker to ponder what essential life skills schools should be imparting to students.

Key Life Skills Identified

  • The speaker lists critical skills such as inventive problem-solving, communication, teamwork, perseverance, and resourcefulness.
  • Additional characteristics include standing up to failure, setting bold goals, learning how to learn, and finding one's passion in life.

School's Approach to Teaching Skills

  • The school's initiative involved monthly presentations by gym teachers focusing on specific challenges (e.g., anti-smoking campaigns using graphic videos).
  • After attending the session, the speaker felt dissatisfied with the approach taken towards educating children about real-life challenges.

Observations on Education Relevance

  • The speaker began tracking activities in school that prepared kids for life versus those deemed irrelevant; they found many irrelevant items filling one column.
  • Commonly associated school subjects like factoring polynomials were noted as irrelevant compared to essential life preparation.

Concerns About Educational Impact

  • A third column was added for activities that could jeopardize children's future prospects due to a lack of relevant skill development.
  • The speaker emphasizes that innovation is rapidly changing job markets; traditional education methods may leave many children unprepared for future employment.

Characteristics of Young Learners

  • Children possess natural traits like inquisitiveness and creativity that are often stifled by current educational practices.
  • There is a call for preserving these traits in education systems rather than discouraging them through outdated methodologies.

Historical Context of Education Design

  • The design of modern schools was influenced by historical shifts from agriculture to manufacturing around 1893, prioritizing efficiency over creativity.
  • This shift resulted in an educational system focused on routine tasks rather than fostering innovative thinking among students.

The Evolution of Education: A Call for Change

Historical Context and Current Challenges

  • The speaker reflects on the past, noting that a strong middle class was created post-World War II, making the U.S. the envy of the world. However, by the 1980s, it became evident that the education model had stagnated.
  • A pivotal report from 1983 titled "A Nation at Risk" stated that if the current education system were imposed by a foreign power, it would be considered an act of war. This highlights severe concerns about educational standards.
  • Instead of innovating to adapt to a changing economy, policymakers opted to intensify existing outdated systems through increased testing and measurement without considering relevance to real-life skills.

Observations on Educational Innovation

  • Despite widespread issues in education, there are pockets of innovation within schools demonstrating effective practices. The speaker emphasizes that solutions exist but are not widely implemented.
  • The speaker's mission is to spread awareness about these innovative educational practices and shift focus from standardized test scores towards fostering creativity and engagement in learning environments.

Documentary Initiative

  • To promote this vision, the speaker collaborated with a documentary filmmaker over two years to capture diverse educational experiences across various demographics and school types throughout the country.
  • The resulting film titled "Most Likely to Succeed" premiered at Sundance in January and has since been showcased at numerous film festivals and education conferences, generating significant interest among schools.

Community Engagement and Future Plans

  • Following screenings of the film, audiences have shown enthusiasm for reforming education aligned with life preparation rather than mere academic performance metrics.
  • The speaker plans to take this film across all 50 states, emphasizing community involvement in advocating for educational change by gathering stakeholders who share this vision.

A Vision for Educational Reform

  • In discussions with communities, there's an emphasis on rallying support from teachers, parents, students, and influential local figures—akin to a modern-day Committee of Ten—to drive meaningful changes in education policy.
  • The call is made for educators to focus on nurturing innovation rather than merely competing against international benchmarks like those set by South Korea or Singapore.
Video description

As a leading venture capitalist, Ted Dintersmith lived and breathed the world of innovation. He has seen first-hand how quickly automation is eliminating the structured jobs in our economy, as well as the opportunities for young adults who are bold, creative, and entrepreneurial. As Ted shifted his focus to the future of our schools, he realized that the core purpose of our schools has been lost in a wave of testing, data, and accountability. In this talk, Ted underscores the potential for our kids and our country if we educate to our innovative and creative strengths, and trust our schools and teachers to prepare our kids for life, instead of for standardized tests. After a twenty-five year career in venture capital, Ted Dintersmith is now focused on issues at the intersection of innovation and education. In the fall of 2012, Ted served as part of the delegation representing the United States at the United Nations General Assembly, where he focused on global education and entrepreneurship. The first two films he executive produced – Most Likely To Succeed and The Hunting Ground – premiered at Sundance, 2015. His website http://www.edu21c.com describes his initiatives and he can be followed @dintersmith. Ted is a Partner Emeritus with Charles River Ventures, a leading early-stage venture capital firm. Independent industry analysts ranked Ted as the top-performing venture capitalist in the United States for the 1995-99 period. Ted earned a Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford University, and his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary, where he earned High Honors in Physics and English. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx