Dr. Tony Wagner, co-director of Harvard’s Change Leadership Group has identified what he calls a “global achievement gap,” which is the leap between what even our best schools are teaching, and the must-have skills of the future. The presentation below was given at the Asia Society in 2009. Dr. Wagner quotes Albert Einstein who says, “The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution.” Wagner says we need to reframe our educational problem. Rather than focusing on reform, we ought to focus on “rethinking, re-imagining, and re-conceptualizing education for the 21st century.” Today’s students need to master the skills for a successful career, skills for continuous learning, and skills for active and informed citizenship. Generation Z is motivated in different ways, and we must respond by changing our approaches and mindset surrounding teaching and learning.
