Over the next 43 years this generation will be faced with the aging of the baby-boom generation, the stabilization of women’s work labor force, increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the workforce. “With an annual growth rate of 0.6 percent over the 2005-50 periods, the labor force is projected to reach 194.8 million in 2050” (BLS). The population will increase from 275 million to about 394 million due mainly to immigration. This means that there will be more workers than it is now. Since immigration counts for two thirds of the population increase there will new faces in the workforce. “Minorities, with higher population growth through immigration, higher fertility rates, and higher labor force participation rates, are projected to expand their share of the workforce considerably in the future” (BLS). The white population will take a big drop from 73 to 53 percent in the workforce. Hispanic population will increase the most by 15 percent, Asians/ pacific islanders by 5 percent and African Americans by 2 percent. By the year 2050 the percentage of Hispanic in the workforce will be 24.3 percent.
Over the last 20 years the workforce has been dominated by baby boomers who will reach retirement age between the years of 2011 and 2029. The generation behind them will deal with caring for there parents, children, and work. Since there is a decrease in fertility rates, not until 2020 will the youth (16 to 24) workforce see an increase.
Roughly 83 percent of people over the age of 25 have completed high school, and 24 percent have graduated college. In 1997, Asian Americans have the highest high school completion at 90 percent not far behind them are whites at 88 percent and African Americans at 86 percent. Hispanics had a high-school graduation rate of 62 percent.
In 1950 only 33 percent of women worked, which increased in 2000 to 60 percent. Men on the other hand decreased from 86 to 75 percent. At this rate only 66 percent of men will be working in 2050. Since less dads are working many families will not know the “… traditional system of dads who head out to work every morning, leaving mom to stay at home with the children, a full-time housewife and mother…”(Kimmel). Manufacturing jobs will decrease while service-related jobs will increase. Agricultural jobs will take the biggest decrease. The big growth will be in child care, health care and residential care facilities.
The population density in 2000 was 45 people per square kilometer will increase to 66 people per square kilometer by 2050. “ Assuming 10 percent of land is arable, population densities per unit of arable land will be roughly 10 times higher, posing unprecedented problems of land use and preservation for the developing world” (Science Daily). There will be last land we can use for crops and more people to feed. This is one of many problems that have to be faced in the year 2050.
The workforce in the year 2050 will see a drastic change. The population will see a major increase mainly from immigration. There will be less whites and more Hispanics, African Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders. Baby boomers faced with retirement will depend more on there children for help. Since more youths are completing college they will have the opportunity to have better wages in the workforce. Not only will more minorities be in the workforce but more women. In the year 2050 there will be less men working and more being stay at home dads. There will be less land and more people which will lead to even more problems.
Kimmel M.S. (2002). The gendered society (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Science Daily. By the Year 2050, Human Population could add 2.6 Billion People, Reports Rockefeller Scientist. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031114072555.htm%20on%20August%201, 2007
Toossi, M. A new look at long-term labor force projections to 2050. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2006/11/art3full.pdf%20on%20August%201, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Families in the Year 2050
Families in the Year 2050
Forty years from now families may not be that different than they are now. It is becoming the norm for married couples to get divorced and have second marriages. It is also more and more likely for children to have two working parents. Society puts a lot of weight on material things and people always want what’s new. Children are getting cell phones at very young ages along with iPods and portable DVD players. Families want to keep up with each other by always having the ‘in’ things. In order for people to live these types of lifestyles it is mandatory for both parents to work. The downside of this is that parents have less time to spend with their children, and by the teenage years many kids are left home alone after school. The family relationship suffers when both parents have to work.
Families in the future will most likely have fewer children. When both parents are working, it becomes less likely to have more than a couple kids. “The global total fertility rate fell from five children per woman per lifetime in 1950 to 2.7 children in 2000” (Bonner 2003). The parents realize that they are at work too much, and it wouldn’t be fair to the children. It also becomes expensive to hire a babysitter or put a child in daycare. For many college-educated women, their careers become very important to them, and focus on work for awhile. Another reason for having fewer children might be that they start having children at an older age. When both parents go to college they start having children later in life, and have less child bearing years. “…college educated women were marrying less often and bearing fewer children than non-college educated women” (Kimmel 2004 p 24).
Other factors that will affect families are living situations and longevity. Society is constantly building new houses, shopping centers, factories etc. By the year 2050 the world will be much more urbanized. Population density will also be higher and people will be living in much more crowded areas. “The world's average population density is expected to rise from 45 people per square kilometer in the year 2000 to 66 people per square kilometer by 2050” (Bonner 2003).
With all of the medical advancements that are being made, life expectancy is increasing. People are living much longer and by the year 2050 the life expectancy will be even older. This will mean that grandparents may be living with their children or grandchildren in the same house. “By 2050, there will be 2.5 people aged 60 years or older for every child 4 years old or younger, a shift that has serious implications for health care spending for the young and old” (Bonner 2003) If people live to be older and there is a problem with healthcare, there will be no money for nursing homes, causing many generations to live with each other.
By the year 2050 there will also be different family structure. The traditional families that exist today, with a mother, father, and children won’t be so common. “…today marriage is increasingly optional. To a greater extent than ever before, individuals can choose whether to form a family on their own, in a cohabiting relationship or in a marriage” (Cherlin 2005). There will be more couples who choose to not marry but live together and have children, more single moms, and more homosexual couples with children. “…as gays and lesbians create their own families, the numbers are increasing. According to statistics from the coalition, about 67% of lesbians have children, compared with 72% of straight women. About 27% of gay men have children, compared with 60% of straight men” (Carroll 2000). With America becoming more liberated and gays and lesbians acquiring more rights the numbers will continue to rise.
Some people say children should not grow up with homosexual parents because children need a female and a male in their life to be raised correctly. This is not the case. Children of gay and lesbian parents may be raised differently, but in a good way. “…daughters of lesbian and gay parents are more assertive, confident, and ambitious, while sons are less conforming to traditional notions of masculine aggression and domination, and more fluid in their gender identities” ( Kimmel 2004 p 153). If gays and lesbians continue to earn more rights there will be more children that are raised to be confident and caring. Same sex couples are also less likely to separate because they get along better than opposite sexes. They also share responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and raising the kids better than traditional marriages.
Single parents are becoming more and more common also. Women are becoming more independent and are able to support themselves. Only a few decades ago it was normal for women to be housewives and be dependent upon their husbands financially. As more and more women attend college, there is no need for marriage and a husband. “Many single parents are better educated and are able to support themselves so marriage is no longer a financial prerequisite to parenthood. Under enormous work-pressure families are splitting-up and giving rise to single parenthood” (K 2000). It is ironic that women are working more to be able to support their families and have what they want, but working is what is causing the family problems. Women can afford to take care of themselves and a child now, and it is becoming more and more accepted by society. In
2050 it will be much more common and women will be free to make their own choice about parenting without the ridicule of society.
Cohabiting is also becoming very common. “And forty percent of all cohabiting households include children” (Kimmel 2004 p 126). Couples are finding marriage unnecessary. Having children out of wedlock and males and females living together is becoming more common and accepted. “For growing numbers of couples, cohabitation is now becoming an alternative to marriage or being single. Many couples seem to be living together longer without marrying or ending their relationship” (Grabmeier 2004). This trend is expected to rise over the next couple years. Couples believe it is easier to break up when they don’t have to go through the courts and split everything up. The only negative is insurance. Both people need to have medical coverage because without marriage they won’t be covered under the other’s plan. “Overall, more than a third of births in the United States are to unmarried women, up from one-fifth in 1980” (Sege 2007).
Overall, families will be pretty much the same in the year 2050. With women and gays and lesbians gaining more and more rights as indviduals, families will continue to change slightly. Women are inddepent and can choose whether to have a child and whether to do it with a male, female, by herself, adopt etc. Birth control has also had a big impact on smaller families. The nuclear families that were the norm a few decades ago, will be just as common as gay and lesbian families, single mothers, and cohabiting couples.
Bonner, Joseph. “By the Year 2050, Human Population Could Add 2.6 Billion People, Reports Rockefeller Scientist” Rockefeller University. November 13, 2003. http://www.eurekalert.org/
Carroll, Jonathan David. “The New Nuclear Family. What Was Once Inconceivable” The Austin Chronicle. August 28, 2000. http://weeklywire.com/
Cherlin, Andrew J. “American Marriage in Early Twenty First Century” The Future Of Children Magazine. Volume 15, Number 2. Fall 2005
Grabmeier, Jeff. “Cohabiting Couples Not Likely to Marry, Study Finds” Ohio State: Research News. February 2, 2004.
K. Praathi, “Single Parent- Norm in the Future?” XML. 2000
Kimmel, Michael S. The Gendered Society: Second Edition. Oxford University Press. 2004.
Sege, Irene, “Unmarried with Children: Number of Cohabiting Couples With Kids is on the Rise” The Boston Globe. July 24, 2007. www.huffingtonpost.com
Forty years from now families may not be that different than they are now. It is becoming the norm for married couples to get divorced and have second marriages. It is also more and more likely for children to have two working parents. Society puts a lot of weight on material things and people always want what’s new. Children are getting cell phones at very young ages along with iPods and portable DVD players. Families want to keep up with each other by always having the ‘in’ things. In order for people to live these types of lifestyles it is mandatory for both parents to work. The downside of this is that parents have less time to spend with their children, and by the teenage years many kids are left home alone after school. The family relationship suffers when both parents have to work.
Families in the future will most likely have fewer children. When both parents are working, it becomes less likely to have more than a couple kids. “The global total fertility rate fell from five children per woman per lifetime in 1950 to 2.7 children in 2000” (Bonner 2003). The parents realize that they are at work too much, and it wouldn’t be fair to the children. It also becomes expensive to hire a babysitter or put a child in daycare. For many college-educated women, their careers become very important to them, and focus on work for awhile. Another reason for having fewer children might be that they start having children at an older age. When both parents go to college they start having children later in life, and have less child bearing years. “…college educated women were marrying less often and bearing fewer children than non-college educated women” (Kimmel 2004 p 24).
Other factors that will affect families are living situations and longevity. Society is constantly building new houses, shopping centers, factories etc. By the year 2050 the world will be much more urbanized. Population density will also be higher and people will be living in much more crowded areas. “The world's average population density is expected to rise from 45 people per square kilometer in the year 2000 to 66 people per square kilometer by 2050” (Bonner 2003).
With all of the medical advancements that are being made, life expectancy is increasing. People are living much longer and by the year 2050 the life expectancy will be even older. This will mean that grandparents may be living with their children or grandchildren in the same house. “By 2050, there will be 2.5 people aged 60 years or older for every child 4 years old or younger, a shift that has serious implications for health care spending for the young and old” (Bonner 2003) If people live to be older and there is a problem with healthcare, there will be no money for nursing homes, causing many generations to live with each other.
By the year 2050 there will also be different family structure. The traditional families that exist today, with a mother, father, and children won’t be so common. “…today marriage is increasingly optional. To a greater extent than ever before, individuals can choose whether to form a family on their own, in a cohabiting relationship or in a marriage” (Cherlin 2005). There will be more couples who choose to not marry but live together and have children, more single moms, and more homosexual couples with children. “…as gays and lesbians create their own families, the numbers are increasing. According to statistics from the coalition, about 67% of lesbians have children, compared with 72% of straight women. About 27% of gay men have children, compared with 60% of straight men” (Carroll 2000). With America becoming more liberated and gays and lesbians acquiring more rights the numbers will continue to rise.
Some people say children should not grow up with homosexual parents because children need a female and a male in their life to be raised correctly. This is not the case. Children of gay and lesbian parents may be raised differently, but in a good way. “…daughters of lesbian and gay parents are more assertive, confident, and ambitious, while sons are less conforming to traditional notions of masculine aggression and domination, and more fluid in their gender identities” ( Kimmel 2004 p 153). If gays and lesbians continue to earn more rights there will be more children that are raised to be confident and caring. Same sex couples are also less likely to separate because they get along better than opposite sexes. They also share responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, and raising the kids better than traditional marriages.
Single parents are becoming more and more common also. Women are becoming more independent and are able to support themselves. Only a few decades ago it was normal for women to be housewives and be dependent upon their husbands financially. As more and more women attend college, there is no need for marriage and a husband. “Many single parents are better educated and are able to support themselves so marriage is no longer a financial prerequisite to parenthood. Under enormous work-pressure families are splitting-up and giving rise to single parenthood” (K 2000). It is ironic that women are working more to be able to support their families and have what they want, but working is what is causing the family problems. Women can afford to take care of themselves and a child now, and it is becoming more and more accepted by society. In
2050 it will be much more common and women will be free to make their own choice about parenting without the ridicule of society.
Cohabiting is also becoming very common. “And forty percent of all cohabiting households include children” (Kimmel 2004 p 126). Couples are finding marriage unnecessary. Having children out of wedlock and males and females living together is becoming more common and accepted. “For growing numbers of couples, cohabitation is now becoming an alternative to marriage or being single. Many couples seem to be living together longer without marrying or ending their relationship” (Grabmeier 2004). This trend is expected to rise over the next couple years. Couples believe it is easier to break up when they don’t have to go through the courts and split everything up. The only negative is insurance. Both people need to have medical coverage because without marriage they won’t be covered under the other’s plan. “Overall, more than a third of births in the United States are to unmarried women, up from one-fifth in 1980” (Sege 2007).
Overall, families will be pretty much the same in the year 2050. With women and gays and lesbians gaining more and more rights as indviduals, families will continue to change slightly. Women are inddepent and can choose whether to have a child and whether to do it with a male, female, by herself, adopt etc. Birth control has also had a big impact on smaller families. The nuclear families that were the norm a few decades ago, will be just as common as gay and lesbian families, single mothers, and cohabiting couples.
Bonner, Joseph. “By the Year 2050, Human Population Could Add 2.6 Billion People, Reports Rockefeller Scientist” Rockefeller University. November 13, 2003. http://www.eurekalert.org/
Carroll, Jonathan David. “The New Nuclear Family. What Was Once Inconceivable” The Austin Chronicle. August 28, 2000. http://weeklywire.com/
Cherlin, Andrew J. “American Marriage in Early Twenty First Century” The Future Of Children Magazine. Volume 15, Number 2. Fall 2005
Grabmeier, Jeff. “Cohabiting Couples Not Likely to Marry, Study Finds” Ohio State: Research News. February 2, 2004.
K. Praathi, “Single Parent- Norm in the Future?” XML. 2000
Kimmel, Michael S. The Gendered Society: Second Edition. Oxford University Press. 2004.
Sege, Irene, “Unmarried with Children: Number of Cohabiting Couples With Kids is on the Rise” The Boston Globe. July 24, 2007. www.huffingtonpost.com
The Frustrations of Learning
Here is Edward Bear coming
downstairs now, bump, bump, bump,
on the back of his head...
It is, as far as he knows,
the only way of coming downstairs,
but sometimes he feels that
there is another way...if only
he could stop bumping for a moment
and think about it.
-- Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne, 1926
The Classroom in 2050
The Classroom in 2050
Schools are acquiring new technology all of the time. It started with overhead projectors and then computers and is now evolving into a way of teaching. There is now e-mail, the internet, on-line classrooms and information at the touch of a button. In the future classrooms will be run with technology. By the year 2050 it will be possible for classrooms to be run solely with technology, but the need for social interaction will keep kids physically attending school. "But schooling is more than just learning. Despite all the new technology in 2050, school remains a social occasion, even if sometimes that interaction is through a wall-sized display module" (McQueen 2006).
The technology that is about to enter schools in the near future will allow children to interact and learn with children in other coutries. In foreign language classes they will be able to speak to children of different cultures and hear the language as it is spoken by the children of that country. "They wear wireless headphones and enter their own acoustic bubble, hearing the original sounds of the language in one ear and an auto translation in the other” (McQueen 2050). Children will also have their own computers called e-books that will allow them to upload their homework and have access to all kinds of information. These new computers will be used with hand gestures, voice recognition, and touch screens. There will be no excuses for forgetting your homework. “A computer-generated teaching assistant checks the work, flagging good examples to the human teacher and poor efforts language tutor who starts the lesson using stored records and works at the level and speed of each child.” (McQueen 2006). Having a computer check the homework will allow the teachers to know what area students are having trouble with, and the technology will help the child in the areas they need help with to prevent falling behind.
There is also talk about children having ID chips implanted in them. This could turn out to be a controversial issue because many parents may not want a chip to be implanted in their child. The ID chip may be very helpful, and increase safety. Scanning the ID chip will allow children access into the school, as well as taking out library books, logging onto computers, and buying lunch. As soon as the child arrives to school in the morning a text message will be sent to the parents letting them know their child is there. The parent will also receive a message at the end of the day to inform them that their child is on their way home. This will let parents know if their child never made it to school and will cut down on teenagers skipping school. This would also prevent anyone from entering the building that does not belong there.
The chip will help students buy food and keep track of the calorie intake of each student. This may help with the obesity problem in America. The student scans the chip and whatever he/she buys is added on to a smartcard which will probably be prepaid. A record is kept of all the food intake the child has had and a daily log of all the activity the child has participated in throughout the day. "Lunch has taken on a new meaning. The meals look the same, but provide the exact nutritional and calorie content needed by each child based on their record of activities and other food intake reported by the implanted chip” (McQueen 2006).
What children eat and the activities they partake in throughout the day all have an impact on their ability to learn. A child who eats a granola bar for breakfast and then runs around in gym class and recess will not learn as well as a child who ate a full nutritious breakfast and particiapted only in a little physical activity. “Awareness of the need for stress management, nutrition, exercise, and relaxation must all be built into the learning process” (Banburg 1997).
The possibilty of having same sex classrooms may be explored along with uniforms and all year round schooling. North Carolina is now focusing on having year round school with nine weeks on and three weeks off. “All students and teachers attend school for nine weeks (45 days), then are on a three-week vacation (15 days)” (US Department of Education). This may be very difficult with parents trying to find babysitters as well as teachers who enjoy the benefit of going away for the summer, and enjoying the hot months off. There are two different types of year round schooling. One type is single track where the students go for nine weeks and have three weeks off. The other is multi-track where the sessions are based on a twelve week period. “Alternatively, in a multi-track 45/15 design, students are normally divided into four groups. During a 12-week period, all students receive nine weeks of instruction and three weeks of vacation, but only three of the four groups are in school at one time, while the fourth group is on vacation. When the vacation group returns, another group leaves for a three-week vacation” (US Department of Education). This may make teaching a little harder for teachers where they would have different groups of kids all the time all on different levels and learning different things. It would also mean that the teachers would constantly be switching or would have to work all year round. Parents would also have to find babysitters sporadically, and many children would not be home the same time as their friends making carpooling and babysitting harder.
Schools will also have to change what they teach and how they teach it. The twenty first century is going to have higher standards of learning than ever before. Students will need to know how to use all the new technology that is being invented as well as how to deal with the constant change in the workforce when they graduate school. Technology is taking over a lot of jobs that used to be taken care of by people. The competition for jobs is much greater than it used to be with so many people being laid off and hired temporarily. More and more jobs are requiring a college education.
Without the proper education kids will not be prepared for the upcoming society. “Stated in the simplest terms America's schools, as presently organized, are incapable of providing the kind of education that our children will need to live productive lives in the 21st century” (Banburg 1997). Recent research in brain function has shown the different ways of how people learn and the teaching methods that are effective and those that are not. Males and females use different parts of their brains when learning, and have different interests. “Boys tend to hate English and foreign language for the same reasons girls love it” (Kimmel 2004 p 170). Schools will have to reform their curriculum to prepare students for the evolving world.
Research has proved that males and females use different parts of their brain when performing different actions. “…perhaps both males and females use both halves of their brains, but use them differently” (Kimmel 2004 p34). The things that females would use the right side of their brain for are different from what a male would use it for, and vice versa. Educators should start taking this into consideration in their teaching methods. There is also a wide variation of maturity levels. Just because children are the same age does not mean they will be at the same level and maturity. “…there can be a five-year difference in maturation between any two children of the same age. Expecting equal achievement on the basis of chronological age is inappropriate” (Banburg 1997).
Classrooms in 2050 will be different but not drastically. Many college classes will be on-line as well as the possibility to go to high school on-line. The new technology will be the biggest change. Students will know more about new computers and technology than older people. The main goal for the upcoming years should be to change our method of teaching. Schools and educators need to take into consideration the fact that boys and girls mature at different ages and learn differently. Having hands on learning seems to be the most effective and the use of memorization should be decreased.
Bamburg, Jerry, “Learning, Learning Organizations, and Leadership: Implications for the Year 2050”.1997. http://www.newhorizons.org/
Kimmel, Michael S. The Gendered Society: Second Edition. Oxford University Press 2004.
McQueen, Craig. “Class of 2050. Discover What Schools Could be Like in the Future” The Daily Record. March 15, 2006. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/
“On Teacher and Teacher Education”. US Department of Education. ERIC Clearinghouse. Washington.
Schools are acquiring new technology all of the time. It started with overhead projectors and then computers and is now evolving into a way of teaching. There is now e-mail, the internet, on-line classrooms and information at the touch of a button. In the future classrooms will be run with technology. By the year 2050 it will be possible for classrooms to be run solely with technology, but the need for social interaction will keep kids physically attending school. "But schooling is more than just learning. Despite all the new technology in 2050, school remains a social occasion, even if sometimes that interaction is through a wall-sized display module" (McQueen 2006).
The technology that is about to enter schools in the near future will allow children to interact and learn with children in other coutries. In foreign language classes they will be able to speak to children of different cultures and hear the language as it is spoken by the children of that country. "They wear wireless headphones and enter their own acoustic bubble, hearing the original sounds of the language in one ear and an auto translation in the other” (McQueen 2050). Children will also have their own computers called e-books that will allow them to upload their homework and have access to all kinds of information. These new computers will be used with hand gestures, voice recognition, and touch screens. There will be no excuses for forgetting your homework. “A computer-generated teaching assistant checks the work, flagging good examples to the human teacher and poor efforts language tutor who starts the lesson using stored records and works at the level and speed of each child.” (McQueen 2006). Having a computer check the homework will allow the teachers to know what area students are having trouble with, and the technology will help the child in the areas they need help with to prevent falling behind.
There is also talk about children having ID chips implanted in them. This could turn out to be a controversial issue because many parents may not want a chip to be implanted in their child. The ID chip may be very helpful, and increase safety. Scanning the ID chip will allow children access into the school, as well as taking out library books, logging onto computers, and buying lunch. As soon as the child arrives to school in the morning a text message will be sent to the parents letting them know their child is there. The parent will also receive a message at the end of the day to inform them that their child is on their way home. This will let parents know if their child never made it to school and will cut down on teenagers skipping school. This would also prevent anyone from entering the building that does not belong there.
The chip will help students buy food and keep track of the calorie intake of each student. This may help with the obesity problem in America. The student scans the chip and whatever he/she buys is added on to a smartcard which will probably be prepaid. A record is kept of all the food intake the child has had and a daily log of all the activity the child has participated in throughout the day. "Lunch has taken on a new meaning. The meals look the same, but provide the exact nutritional and calorie content needed by each child based on their record of activities and other food intake reported by the implanted chip” (McQueen 2006).
What children eat and the activities they partake in throughout the day all have an impact on their ability to learn. A child who eats a granola bar for breakfast and then runs around in gym class and recess will not learn as well as a child who ate a full nutritious breakfast and particiapted only in a little physical activity. “Awareness of the need for stress management, nutrition, exercise, and relaxation must all be built into the learning process” (Banburg 1997).
The possibilty of having same sex classrooms may be explored along with uniforms and all year round schooling. North Carolina is now focusing on having year round school with nine weeks on and three weeks off. “All students and teachers attend school for nine weeks (45 days), then are on a three-week vacation (15 days)” (US Department of Education). This may be very difficult with parents trying to find babysitters as well as teachers who enjoy the benefit of going away for the summer, and enjoying the hot months off. There are two different types of year round schooling. One type is single track where the students go for nine weeks and have three weeks off. The other is multi-track where the sessions are based on a twelve week period. “Alternatively, in a multi-track 45/15 design, students are normally divided into four groups. During a 12-week period, all students receive nine weeks of instruction and three weeks of vacation, but only three of the four groups are in school at one time, while the fourth group is on vacation. When the vacation group returns, another group leaves for a three-week vacation” (US Department of Education). This may make teaching a little harder for teachers where they would have different groups of kids all the time all on different levels and learning different things. It would also mean that the teachers would constantly be switching or would have to work all year round. Parents would also have to find babysitters sporadically, and many children would not be home the same time as their friends making carpooling and babysitting harder.
Schools will also have to change what they teach and how they teach it. The twenty first century is going to have higher standards of learning than ever before. Students will need to know how to use all the new technology that is being invented as well as how to deal with the constant change in the workforce when they graduate school. Technology is taking over a lot of jobs that used to be taken care of by people. The competition for jobs is much greater than it used to be with so many people being laid off and hired temporarily. More and more jobs are requiring a college education.
Without the proper education kids will not be prepared for the upcoming society. “Stated in the simplest terms America's schools, as presently organized, are incapable of providing the kind of education that our children will need to live productive lives in the 21st century” (Banburg 1997). Recent research in brain function has shown the different ways of how people learn and the teaching methods that are effective and those that are not. Males and females use different parts of their brains when learning, and have different interests. “Boys tend to hate English and foreign language for the same reasons girls love it” (Kimmel 2004 p 170). Schools will have to reform their curriculum to prepare students for the evolving world.
Research has proved that males and females use different parts of their brain when performing different actions. “…perhaps both males and females use both halves of their brains, but use them differently” (Kimmel 2004 p34). The things that females would use the right side of their brain for are different from what a male would use it for, and vice versa. Educators should start taking this into consideration in their teaching methods. There is also a wide variation of maturity levels. Just because children are the same age does not mean they will be at the same level and maturity. “…there can be a five-year difference in maturation between any two children of the same age. Expecting equal achievement on the basis of chronological age is inappropriate” (Banburg 1997).
Classrooms in 2050 will be different but not drastically. Many college classes will be on-line as well as the possibility to go to high school on-line. The new technology will be the biggest change. Students will know more about new computers and technology than older people. The main goal for the upcoming years should be to change our method of teaching. Schools and educators need to take into consideration the fact that boys and girls mature at different ages and learn differently. Having hands on learning seems to be the most effective and the use of memorization should be decreased.
Bamburg, Jerry, “Learning, Learning Organizations, and Leadership: Implications for the Year 2050”.1997. http://www.newhorizons.org/
Kimmel, Michael S. The Gendered Society: Second Edition. Oxford University Press 2004.
McQueen, Craig. “Class of 2050. Discover What Schools Could be Like in the Future” The Daily Record. March 15, 2006. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/
“On Teacher and Teacher Education”. US Department of Education. ERIC Clearinghouse. Washington.
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