Participants in a Midland Public School panel discussion on 21st-century learning believe students should be prepared to be lifelong learners, reported Roger Bryant of Midland Daily News in Michigan.
“Work and education are not mutually exclusive,” local dentist Shelly Jones told the panel. “You have to be flexible and adapt.”
Panelists also discussed the importance of emphasizing STEM education, valuing the hard skills and problem-solving which tend to characterize its disciples. However, Bryant reported that MidMichigan Medical Center CEO Greg Rogers was quick to remind the 150 attendees that communication and teamwork are also necessary skills.
“We’re looking for well-rounded people,” he said, adding that accountability was also an important skill.
Continuing on the theme of personal accountability, Bryant reported that vice president and site director of The Dow Chemical Company’s Michigan operations criticized the current “entitlement culture” in the United States and encouraged schools to help students “accept accountability”.
Personal accountability is an extremely important characteristic of the lifelong learner; someone who takes their education into their own hands and accepts the challenge of personal enrichment.
It seems Michigan is on the road to generating a lifelong learning culture the rest of the country would do well to pick up on.
