The traditional education model has deep historical roots. Israeli historian Professor Yuval Noah Harari believes that modern "assembly line" education originates from the Industrial Revolution. As society transitions from an industrial to a knowledge-based society, the knowledge and skills required of talent have greatly diversified. For instance, the assembly of vehicles, which once required a large workforce, has now been replaced by robots, enhancing production efficiency. To cultivate future leaders, Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek from Temple University suggests a transformation in schools and curricula based on the theory of "the science of learning," encouraging and promoting the reshaping of education.
Professor Hirsh-Pasek believes that cultivating 21st-century skills in students is one of the educational goals of schools, and therefore curricula and teaching methods must be adjusted according to the times. She is dedicated to linking science and education, making science clear and applicable in fields such as education, urban development, and the digital world. Her latest work Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice, is based on "the science of learning" and aligns with the future skills proposed by the OECD. It uses real school examples to illustrate how to apply the principles of playful learning in the classroom, enhancing learning effectiveness and cultivating 6C skills.
(Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Psychology Professor at Temple University)
The Science of "Success" — Equity, Playful Learning, and 6C Skills
Professor Hirsh-Pasek asserts that a successful educational model must benefit all students, respect different cultures, and advocate for equality. Regardless of differences in race, nationality, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status, schools and teachers must design lesson plans that treat every student equally.
She synthesizes over fifty years of research from various scholars, scientists, and experts to summarize six elements that constitute the best learning environments and form the basis of playful learning, thereby improving learning outcomes. The first element is "Active Learning," which has been proven through experiments to show that students learn best when they are actively engaged and required to think critically. Active learning means students are focused and involved in the learning process by asking questions and reflecting, which is the opposite of "passive learning," where students only listen and memorize information. The second element is "Engagement." Maintaining student focus is a major challenge in education, and observations show that student concentration is higher during group activities than during whole-class activities. Active learning and engagement complement each other; some scholars suggest that allowing students to participate in less structured, student-led activities may yield better results than traditional learning methods.
The third element is to give learning "Meaning." When students connect newly learned knowledge to personal experiences and interests, their learning becomes richer and more relevant to their lives, making that knowledge or skill more profound and memorable. Another element is "Social Interaction." Various studies indicate that children can develop cognitive, social, emotional, and language skills through interactive behaviors, such as playing, discussing, and debating, even building scientific dialogue skills. Additionally, "Iterative" learning is also very effective. If we can create an environment where students think about how to use different approaches to solve the same problem and try repeatedly, they can learn to adopt more precise methods in subsequent attempts. The final element is "Joyful" learning. Joy and positive emotions are natural feelings generated through playful learning, and they are crucial motivators for student participation and creating meaning in learning. The professor adds that playful learning has multiple dimensions and levels (e.g., the extent of adult involvement and guidance), and the effects at each level can vary, allowing teachers to apply these flexibly in lesson plans.
Essential 21st Century Skills (6 Cs)
To enable students to become well-rounded, adaptable individuals capable of thriving in an uncertain and ever-changing world, they must possess the 6C skills: Collaboration, Communication, Content knowledge, Critical Thinking, Creative Innovation, and Confidence. Each of the 6C skills cannot be mastered all at once; they must be learned progressively in four stages, and they do not operate independently but rather complement each other.
Humans are social animals, making collaboration and communication especially important. We aim to nurture students who can move from acting independently to understanding how to collaborate with others; from having only raw emotions to effectively communicating, ultimately enabling them to tell shared stories. We should also work to develop students' self-directed learning, allowing them to accumulate knowledge and transform it into expertise; train students to think critically based on evidence; and inspire creativity, so they can combine knowledge and critical thinking to devise innovative solutions to present and future challenges. Finally, we need to help students build confidence, specifically in their perseverance and enthusiasm for achieving goals, ultimately enabling them to have the courage to "fail" and "take risks."
Professor Hirsh-Pasek believes that the 6C skills provide a comprehensive framework for key skills that can develop naturally through playful learning.
Playful Learning Suitable for All Grades — Enhancing Learning Efficiency and Reducing Pressure on Teachers and Students
Although the three pioneering school examples in the book are drawn from kindergartens and elementary schools, the professor states that playful learning is applicable to students of all ages and grades. She has also implemented this teaching method in her university classes, emphasizing the inclusion of the six elements mentioned above. She understands that some teaching methods for certain subjects are appropriate, such as the need to memorize multiplication tables, but there remains much room for integrating playful learning into various subjects to make learning outcomes more lasting and widespread.
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is a global student assessment organized by the OECD that tests reading, math, and science knowledge among students worldwide. The professor has observed stagnation in global students' PISA scores and believes that countries should reflect on the current education system and standards of "success," then make appropriate changes to teaching methods and assessment criteria, enabling students to learn the necessary knowledge and connect it to real life. This way, students can improve their scores while also alleviating the teaching and learning pressures on both students and teachers.
Professor Hirsh-Pasek analyzes and explains the future direction of education in detail, providing scientific rationale and real school examples, actively promoting the cultivation of students who can thrive in the future and contribute to society. Additionally, she served as a keynote speaker at the "Learning and Teaching Expo 2022," combining science and technology to provide a framework for the holistic development of the metaverse in education. Related videos have been uploaded to Go eLearning; watch them now and learn from the speakers and colleagues!