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Is the current education system reflecting our reality?

How do we learn? We learn by listening or seeing the information at the base. But first we have to reflect on what we want to learn in order to choose the channel that suits our learning style and align it with our lifestyle a.k.a our reality. Often we choose this by reflecting on what our interests are, what our career plan is, what our employer is asking for, on the salary that we want, on the lifestyle we want to have, etc. Next we ask ourselves “ What are with my strengths, my accumulated hard and soft skills?”. Once we have the idea of what we want to learn we look into where to do that: business schools, digital platforms, knowledge experts, mentors, peers and consulting firms. In this article we will mainly cover the learning platforms and schools. Some of the content was taken from the Business Harvard Review and reflects an analysis of market studies.

Before we cover the different learning platforms, is our current education system designed to reflect today’s realities, when we have:

• Instant access to information
• Excessive use of social media platforms with a high volume of online exchanges
• Multiple degrees required for one position

Now we can break it down by how we learn today, learning phases/milestones, and the best places to learn in order to meet our current reality.

1. From a very young age, kids these days learn through electronics. It requires less focus, it is more interactive, fast paced and creates the constant need to know more. This means that little information is retained and the imagination is underdeveloped. We can address this with our children by limiting electronics usage at home and by encouraging live interactions with friends and creating the space to have interesting and learning inspired conversations at home. We can support books reading and using our imagination to create the stories instead of watching a movie which creates the story for them. As a french psychologist said over 100 years ago “our first job was not to teach (the students) the things which seemed to us the most useful to them, but to teach them how to learn”. Once they leave our homes, children are trusted with our teachers and they can continue to play an important part in this learning process. They can create the curriculum that reflects the subjects that kids need to learn in today’s society, for example: understanding your personal finances; what is debt; how to invest wisely; how to save; what are RRSPs; buying vs renting a place; purchasing, leasing or using a car sharing pass. This is what we need to discuss with our youth today and what better setting then the education system!? School can also identify individual strengths, learning styles, as well as future leaders at an early age then develop them to support our communities in myriad ways.
2. There are many learning milestones in our lives and it’s up to us to take the lead on it and employers can support continuous learning in the workplace. Companies can be proactive by having a competency plan that addresses the skills and knowledge required for each role as it evolves over time. They can follow-up with specific learning material in order to address and respond to the current realities. Once in the workforce for over 10–15 years, companies need to recognize knowledge base, agility and experience over the initial education — depending on the type of roles and skills needed; we acquire particular knowledge and soft skills that will be more useful and applicable than the obsolete degree. The best employees are those that are demonstrating high level of continuous learning and not necessarily resisting change. We are heading toward careers that require a general knowledge in a variety of roles. We have to be skilled in navigating through this information quickly and filtering out what is pertinent from the so called “garbage”. If learning is important to you pick an employer that prioritizes it over performance and results. You must take it into your own hands and set time in your career development plan for learning and personal development. This also requires an open mind to learn from peers. This is the most practical learning in the work place as people become experts in their field. Do ensure that you ask a lot of questions and fully understand the process, the thinking behind decisions being made and what skills are required for that role. In this process you will appreciate someone else experience while also learning something valuable. There’s also the topic of how to develop hard skills vs soft skills. In classroom is practical for the soft skills unless when it is a combination of group projects and textbook learning. Hard skills should combine different certifications vs just one degree. The final exams with text memorization can be replaced by a project that teaches collaboration, contribution, respect of opinions (the art of conversation), communication, connection and purpose. This will develop both skills in individuals and they will each contribute with their natural strengths while learning in an environment that encourages self expression.
3. Where’s the best place to learn — online or in classroom? The general population is leaning towards online learning. This is also easily adapted to our learning style — visual vs auditory. The advantages to online learning is that it can be personalized to ensure you’re acquiring the specific skills you need for your position, project, career. You can also contextualize it by applying it directly to your work environment as you learn it. You can bundle different studies into one in order to learn what is directly correlated to your career. You can learn accounting, finance, computer coding, programming and data mining online as long as you have a computer — no need for classroom learning. Companies and employees will benefit greatly from this learning flexibility as investing in talent at an opportune time will benefit the individual by increasing their knowledge base which will result in improved performance. Another advantage for adult students is that it provides flexibility to incorporate studying into their relationships, career, personal time, etc. When it comes to soft skills, they are developed in the workplace and through networking events. The danger to shifting entirely to online learning is that it creates a disconnect from people and discourages communication and collaboration. Is it imperative to have strong relationships inside and outside the office, to get involved within the community and always put the social impact at the forefront of our actions.
4. Here are a few examples of online platforms that offer free courses or certifications that are reasonably priced.

• Coursera
• edX
• 2U
• LinkedIn Learning
• Skillsoft
• Degreed
• Salesforce Trailhead

If you’re interested in leadership development, the following companies and platforms are offering interesting programs:

• McKinsey Solutions and McKinsey Academy
• BCG Enablement and DigitalBCG
• Harvard HBX

What can we do to prepare for the future of new learning? We can turn the workplace into a learning place for all! We can include the new graduates, new hires and new talent into the ecosystem by creating a plan with them from the moment they enter a company. We can set achievable career milestones along with a learning plan and a mentor/coach to support them. Our success is driven by intrinsic motivation that designs an environment for ourselves and others, that creates connection, collaboration and purpose so that each person feels engaged and contributes for the bigger goal. As a society we need to evolve our teaching styles, learning tools and systems along with our thinking, at the same speed as technological changes otherwise we’ll fall behind and lose our sense of belonging then become obsolete. Let us stand together for change that is necessary and overdue!

Thank you for reading and go out and learn something new today:)