Barry Stern
Aug 22, 2017 · 1 min read

To this excellent article and astute comments I would merely add to not forget the need to master fundamentals in the course of enhancing critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills. One cannot be too good at fundamentals. The best athletes, musicians and Navy Seals do them every day. It’s hard to engage in higher order thinking without mastery of the basics. The fundamentals of the workplace are basic skills (3 R’s), computer skills, customer service, teamwork and other “soft” interpersonal skills. They must be practiced often in progressively more complex combinations.

However, the rigid, linear, siloed way fundamentals are taught is perhaps why so many people never get them even after 12 years of school and for many, remedial education in college. Following are links to articles that describe an intensive basic skills training program that appeals to the better nature of teens and young adults. It is team-taught, computer-assisted, highly experiential and applied, project- and competency-based; and it simulates a collaborative high performance workplace.

http://www.educationviews.org/program-handle-crisis-competence/ — describes Fast Break from student perspective.

http://www.educationviews.org/annual-march-madness-schools-learn/- describes Fast Break’s team approach.

http://educationviews.org/why-college-developmental-education-is-failing-america/

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