99 things we ought to teach in high school — but don’t
A strong case can be made to stop teaching subjects in individual silos (English in the English box, maths in the maths box, science in the science box and so on). Instead, we must start taking a cross-curricular approach to learning and a multi-disciplinary approach to problem-solving. This approach may seem unappealing to many teachers because they see themselves as subject specialists and they haven’t the faintest idea of how to teach another subject. However, if we start seeing teachers as guides and facilitators, then they wouldn’t have to be specialists in every subject; they’d just need to focus on pointing students in the right direction, inspiring them, and encouraging them.
Instead of focusing on subject content, we’d focus on skills. Here are the top twelve skills and abilities we ought to focus on in a 21st-century school:
1. Critical thinking & problem solving
2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence
3. Agility and adaptability
4. Initiative & entrepreneurship
5. Accessing and analyzing information
6. Effective oral & written communications (and graphic visualization)
7. Curiosity and imagination
8. Systems and Design Thinking
9. Cross-curricular thinking/multi-disciplinary problem solving
10. Project Management
11. Resilience and Grit
12. Ethics, Empathy and Self Knowledge (of one’s passions, strengths and weaknesses)
However, there’s still a case for content to be taught in schools. The question is, what should this content look like? The areas of focus below would be a good place to start. What a different world we’d be living in if students left high school having better answers to these questions:
1. Who are my role models and why?
2. What is my passion in life?
3. What is my purpose in life?
4. How do we solve the grand challenges facing our species?
5. How do I appreciate my connection with all life on this planet?
6. How can we create ethical and just systems in the world?
7. What is my role as a responsible citizen?
8. What does “I” mean? (Who am “I”?)
9. Why is music important?
10. How do we eliminate poverty, racism, intolerance, and bigotry?
11. How do we prevent demagogues and despots from wielding power and control over us?
12. What are our cognitive biases and logical fallacies?
13. How do I distinguish between information, misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda?
14. How do I do proper research?
15. How do we prevent wars and avoid conflict?
16. How do I advise friends with depression?
17. How do I cope with stress?
18. What is the importance of travel?
19. What does it mean to be spiritual?
20. What is effective scepticism?
21. What is effective altruism?
22. How do we live in harmony with our environment?
23. What are the advantages and disadvantages of different political systems?
24. What mistakes from history do we not want to repeat and why?
25. How do memes and ideas spread?
26. What is culture and how does it influence us?
27. How are we manipulated by the media?
28. How do we restrict and control the power of corporations?
29. What movements, activisms, and social causes should we care about?
30. What is the impact of technology on our mental health and everyday lives?
31. What are the values of the Enlightenment and why are they important?
32. What did we do right as a species over the last 6,000 years to reach this level of technological sophistication?
33. Who were the most influential philosophers, prophets, thinkers, scientists, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, inventors, poets, and writers and what can we learn from them?
34. What does it mean to take a cosmic perspective?
35. What does it mean to be a global citizen?
36. What is my personal message to the world?
37. How do we react to global climatic catastrophes? (Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes etc.)
38. What are my Human Rights?
39. How does the monetary system work?
40. What does it mean to be successful?
41. What does it mean to be a critical thinker?
42. What are my intelligences and skills?
43. How do we prevent or respond to acts of terrorism?
44. How do we live sustainable lives?
45. How to be kind, compassionate, and generous in relationships?
46. What are the basic first aid techniques?
47. How do I survive without technology?
48. How do we weigh evidence and guard against fake news?
49. How do I cook food?
50. How are drugs different from medicines and what impact do they have?
51. Why do manners matter and how do I react in foreign countries with unfamiliar etiquette?
52. What do I want out of a job or a career?
53. What non-traditional subjects are important? (E.g. Mindfulness, Self-defence, Philosophy, Future Studies).
54. How do I cope with failure and deal with rejection?
55. How do I effectively manage time?
56. What learning strategies work best for me?
57. What are the laws of my land and are they just?
58. How do we show love and affection without being ashamed or embarrassed?
59. How do we deal with the opinions of people we don’t like?
60. What are the qualities of a good friend?
61. Why is it important to pay taxes?
62. How to network and find mentors?
63. How to apologise when I make a mistake?
64. How do handle money and how to spend it wisely?
65. How to take a healthy and wholesome attitude to sex?
66. How to eat healthy and exercise regularly?
67. How to dress and/or apply makeup?
68. Why do religions exist?
69. How do I become a lifelong learner?
70. What are my favourite books and why?
71. What happens to us after we die? (And to birds and animals).
72. How big is the universe?
73. How do I negotiate, debate and argue with someone in a productive way?
74. How do I lead by influence?
75. How do I empower those around me?
76. How do I express my gratitude?
77. How do I brand and promote myself?
78. How can I contribute to the marketplace of ideas?
79. How can I be original and unique?
80. What does it mean to be a person of integrity?
81. Why is it important to keep my word?
82. In what ways can I have a positive impact on the world around me?
83. How do I become less materialistic and less consumeristic?
84. What are tricks that advertisers use?
85. What are my preferred learning styles?
86. How do I develop my multiple intelligences?
87. What is “beauty”?
88. How do we improve capitalism and democracy?
89. Why are some countries poor and others rich?
90. How do I avoid being bored?
91. How do I overcome shyness?
92. Why is it ok to be an introvert?
93. Why are some people cruel and nasty?
94. How do I cope with envy and jealousy?
95. How do I deal with anger?
96. How can I be comfortable with how I look?
97. How do I deal with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)?
98. How do I cope with anxiety?
99. How can I be comfortable with my sexuality and that of others?
I am convinced that if we have thousands and millions of young minds coming out of high school in a position to answer the above questions we will be able to overcome poverty, corruption, war, injustice, and cruelty. We will be able to fix our broken education systems, our dysfunctional political systems, our unfair economic systems, our exorbitant healthcare systems, and our inhumane and fatuous criminal justice systems. We would see a whole new generation of humans living fulfilled, successful, joyful lives, in which they have a positive impact on the world around them and on the world at large.
Of course, there’s no definitive or absolutely correct list of things we ought to teach students. Let’s take it as a given that students will be taught language and mathematics and science — they just don’t need to be taught these as separate subjects. What if we took an interdisciplinary and cross-curricular approach? Finland has got rid of subjects and is focusing on issues.
Let’s consider the issue of Racism and see how we can take an interdisciplinary approach to it:
Language
Students could learn about language by reading books, passages and extracts about the issue, and writing blog entries, essays, articles, poems etc. about it.
Research
They could read encyclopedia entries, speak to their family and friends, surf reliable sources on the Net, and find newspaper articles about the issue. They could also analyse real-life case studies and invite appropriate guest speakers to discuss the issue.
Critical Thinking
They could take part in debates, talks, or organizing in which they explore the different facets of racism.
Networking
They could reach out to philosophers, thinkers, community leaders, politicians, university professors, local celebrities and glean their opinions on the matter.
Art and Design
They could create pamphlets, memes, multimedia posters, paintings, and digital art to highlight their views about racism and also analyse paintings, posters and propaganda material associated with racism.
Multiple Intelligences
They could convert the information about Racism into different formats — including podcasts, blogs, vlogs, flowcharts, songs, poems, articles, stories, interpretive dance etc.
Science
They learn about the neuroscience behind emotions associated with racism and bigotry and the neurochemical reactions taking place in the brain during episodes of anger, hatred, disgust, resentment, intolerance and other emotions associated with racism.
Sociology / Anthropology
They consider the reasons why some humans are racist and how different tribes and societies react to foreigners or aliens or the “other”.
Psychology
They could learn how to advise, guide, counsel, empathise with victims and perpetrators of racism.
History
They focus on historical examples of racism and the impact it had on the lives of its victims and perpetrators.
Philosophy
They could inform themselves about the views of philosophers and thinkers from different cultures in different eras.
Future Studies
They could envision what future societies would look like in which racism was allowed to flourish or was completely annihilated.
Film Studies
They could analyse films and TV shows with a utopian or dystopian view of racism and evaluate how the issue has been treated. They could make their own documentaries or short films on the issue of racism.
Theatre Studies
They could write and perform a play based on the theme of racism or revolving around true incidents of racism from history.
Digital Learning
They could create website, wikis, and blogs and use other web 2.0 tools to highlight their understanding of racism.
Mathematics
They could make a statistical analysis of incidents of racism in different towns and cities of the world and calculate average rates of incarceration for crimes committed in the name of racism. They could create flowcharts
Coding
They could write codes to analyse or identify use of racist language on social media like Twitter or Facebook or in a literary passage.
Law
They could analyse and evaluate current laws and statutes about racism and frame new laws if they disagree with the old ones.
Today, we have the technology and the wherewithal to get rid of the traditional subjects we currently focus on and take a radically different and dramatically more effective approach to what and how we teach our students. We have got to wean ourselves from subject-based teaching and focused on the skills, inter-disciplinary knowledge, and habits of mind that our children need to acquire to succeed in the 21st century.
At the high school level, students do not need to be specialists. It is absolutely ok for them to be amateurs and generalists in their teenage years. Specialisation can come at a later stage in their life — after they learn to be good, kind, compassionate, generous, human beings and cosmic citizens capable of seeing the big picture.
Read more: Cosmic Citizens and Moonshot Thinking: Education in an Age of Exponential Technologies
