Cormirus | The Heart
Many people have a story of a time when the education system failed them. A time when they were left behind. A time when they were not stretched enough or stretched too far. A time when a teacher crushed them or when they couldn’t see the point of the subject they were studying or how it might help them later in life. Maybe, it was a time when there was not an opportunity to explore the subjects that they wanted to do. A time when they felt let down.
Each one of the stories relates to a system of education that focuses on averages, scores and standard curricula. A cookie-cutter system designed in an era where a mindset of mass-production dominates the way to deal with large volumes of people.
Today’s system is built on the ideas of conformity and compliance, and it has implications for everyone. Not just on education numbers, but also in the world of work where learning is becoming a more critical skill.
- 40% of students in the UK leave school without, what the government thinks, the necessary skills for success
- 70% of employees don’t think they have the right skills to do their jobs well
- 75% of managers believe that training is inadequate
- 4 in 5 people are not actively engaged in their work
- 71% of millennials are either not engaged or actively disengaged at work
Helping people to flourish
There are also incredible stories of success. The tails of heroic teachers who inspired, motivated and consistently connected with students. Those amazing people who are entirely dedicated to developing future generations. The ones that went out of their way to ensure their student had every opportunity to be successful. The ones that disregarded the cookie-cutter. The ones that made it personal.
There is no such thing as average potential. Which means there is no such thing as an average person. Sure, you can have an average height. Weight. Speed. Test score. Appraisal grade. Salary. Shoe size. IQ. But not potential. Never potential.
Sir Ken Robinson suggests that there are three principles we can use to examine whether an education system is fit for purpose. It should cater to the ideas that:
- Humans are naturally different and diverse.
- Humans are curious.
- The mind is inherently creative.
That’s the opposite of conformity, compliance and standardisation.
The purpose of our education system is for learning, in all its forms, to occur. It should produce great learners.
Creativity, innovation and differentiation all require an ability to learn. And they are essential attributes being sought after in every modern workplace today. And it’s expected that over 50% of people will have to re-train within five years as the acceleration of technological, social and economic change continues.
This means that learning is becoming ever more critical. And at scale. Learning how to learn is a skill that is now essential.
Unlocking potential
Today, we don’t need to be dominated by the mindset of mass-production and scale through standardisation. The ubiquity of technology means that we can connect to individual learners like never before. The democratisation of learning is achievable. Not just by making content free, but taking into consideration the individual in a way that makes their learning a personal journey. Helping learners embark on their own adventure! In a way that works for them. One that goes beyond knowledge acquisition and the relentless focus on cognitive function and memory testing, to one where the focus is on helping people learn how to learn the things that make a difference throughout life.
Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught — Oscar Wilde
Even though things are not perfect, we are blessed in the UK, the US and other established economies to have such well-funded education systems. There are many in the world who still have little access to sources of a great education.
Cormirus exists to help people have better control over their destiny by assisting people in learning how to learn whatever they need in a way that works for them. The goal is that we help develop engaged, motivated people who have the skills and agency to go after whatever they want — People who have the tools to build the life of their dreams.
Potential is unlimited. And personal.
