Introduction
Strategic management involves all the actions and decisions made by managers that affect long term performance of organizations through creating programs. It includes a set of those managerial decisions from environmental scanning; both internal and external, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and evaluation and control.
This video Changing Education Paradigms evaluates the challenges that mainstream public education careers in the modern world. It looks at the weaknesses and threats facing the system and why it is not working. Further, it demonstrates that the content taught to children in schools was orchestrated in an industrial area and thus not fit for the current world needs.
In this paper the author seeks to find out several pertinent issues that jibe with the concept of the video contents. Secondly, we seek to identify ways through which strategic management can be used to manage education effectively. Finally, the author will give and opinionated decision on the whole concept of changing education paradigms.
Reaction and Analysis
Public education is grouped into categories ranging from kindergarten to tertiary college levels. Research shows that education in most cases is a political tool used by governments to guide people and enable the leadership to implement their policies (Manidis, 2015). Another research confirms that education can be used as atool for instilling fear into the population and thus make country management and public control an easy duty for governments. Further, it is easier to rule poor and educated people than ruling rich and open- minded people (Garner, 2013).
However, the human mind is a peculiar phenomenon. Each individual has different capacities of thinking and imagination. While this facet holds true for almost individuals, the current education system takes a general approach in instilling pre-collected content to students. This denies the learners and opportunity to utilize their own divergent thinking and creativity during learning. On the other hand, general learning also obstructs learners from pursuing their passions at an early age. The students will therefore spend most of their entire life learning concepts that will not be beneficial to their lives in the future.
The only resonate thinking in learning is that the human mind cannot be filled no matter the amount of content fed to learners. While they may take in a lot of information from school, TV and the internet, the human mind will not fill (Binder, 2008). Further, all the information learnt is kept in the long- term part of the brain and can be retrieved whenever there is need to use it. Research claims that humans react spontaneously to situations depending on what they have learnt whether formally or informally. With this in mind, the current education system carries some credit though not as effective. This video presents a clear relationship between growth and learning and how the former diminishes divergent thinking as the children grow. This has become a challenge.
Strategic Development Direction
Education is a vital part of the human society. Basic concepts in mathematics, language, art and science are effectively passed through the system (Waldow, 2013). In order to evaluate the success of the education system, it is paramount to conduct a quality assessment to ascertain the nature of education in the modern world.
(Source; Author, Strategic Management Case Analysis)
The initial objective in evaluating the usefulness of education is to evaluate the end product. Over the past century education has been turned into a venture for young people to finish school and seek jobs. On the flip side unemployment has been on the rise since the system does not train job creators. In summary learners have been industrialized by the school system to think in a manner the proprietors of the system desire (Green, 2013). This becomes detrimental to the development of the economy in the long run.
Conclusion
The question of changing the education paradigm is arguable. While mainstream education is important is vital in passing basic concepts in science, mathematics, science and art it is based on concepts developed and likely relevant in past generations. This leaves learners with very little to learn that can help them solve modern problems. A quick evaluation of the end product is significant in justifying this situation.
Further research and intelligent deductions conclude that learner ought to be let to learn through experimentation. This opens up their minds to critical and divergent thinking which is very imperative for human development in the 21st century (Saavedra and Opfer, 2012). Instead of discouraging open thinking throughout the system open ended question should be included to allow students to try out their labels and evaluate their results with those of their peers. Inculcating this issue in the system will prove very dynamic in improving education.
References
Binder, D. (2008). The Changing Paradigm in Public Legal Education. SSRN Journal.
Garner, r. (2013). Schools in Finland will no longer teach 'subjects'. [online] The Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/finland-schools-subjects-are-out-and-topics-are-in-as-country-reforms-its-education-system-10123911.html [Accessed 20 Jun. 2015].
Green, H. (2013). Time For An Education System Makeover. [online] Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2013/03/05/time-for-an-education-system-makeover/ [Accessed 20 Jun. 2015].
Jeffs, C. (2008). Strategic management. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Livingston, J. (2013). 3 Ways to Radically Remake U.S. Schools and Education - US News. [online] US News & World Report. Available at: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/02/15/3-ways-to-radically-remake-us-schools-and-education [Accessed 20 Jun. 2015].
Manidis, M. (2015). Changing practices, changing education. Studies in Continuing Education, 37(2), pp.218-220.
Pieczywok, A. (2013). Changing the Paradigm of Education for Security. ConnQJ, 13(1), pp.1-12.
Saavedra, A. and Opfer, V. (2012). Learning 21st-Century Skills Requires 21st-Century Teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(2), pp.8-13.
Special Issue of Strategic Organization: "Strategic Management Theory and Universities". (2015).Strategic Organization, 13(2), pp.163-165.
Waldow, F. (2013). PISA under examination: changing knowledge, changing tests, and changing schools. Comparative Education, 49(4), pp.536-537.
