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Systemic Anachronisms in Schools
When we refuse to understand the cognitive changes driven by technological change. Excerpt from Designed to Fail: A History of Education in the United States (available now)
We often complain about the passive nature of the internet and the disruption of mobile phone use. We must understand that (a) these are the tools of our kids’ lives, and we owe it to them to help them figure out how to use their technologies well because (b) since Socrates (at least), we’ve been objecting to whatever new communication tools arise.
Socrates was right about literacy. Reading is completely passive (if used without thought). Once on paper, print is fixed and cannot be updated or corrected (as Wikipedia can be). It does not check for understanding and cannot be effectively challenged. Schools love fixed communication techniques — from printed books to lectures to TED Talks while Generations Z and Alpha know those limitations. “This book talks about a brontosaurus,” a second grader complained to the school librarian. “I bet it thinks Pluto is still a planet.”
Does human cognition change when communication technologies change? Of course, it does. No one doubts that the invention of complex oral language changed how humans learn and think. But didn’t the arrival of cave paintings — and cave paintings were a huge jump because they introduced asynchronous…