IF EDUCATION WERE MORE LIKE FASHION...

Fashion trends are constantly changing to reflect the interests and desires of society and as a result, stores and advertising companies are continously altering their marketing strategies to ensure that consumers have access to what is current and trending. Upon reflecting about how much time, energy and money is invested into the fashion industry to ensure that consumers are happy it occurred to me that if our education system were more like the fashion industry then perhaps our curriculum would better reflect the current needs and interests of our students. Our students are exposed to technology at a very young age and begin interacting with various forms of technology before even coming to school and while there is evidence at at attempt by the education system to incorporate technology into the classrooms to affectively engage students, it has been left up to the teacher to decide when and how technology will be used... if at all. Much of what continues to be taught by teachers no longer applies to the real lived experiences of the youth that are going through the system and many of the methods and strategies that teachers use to implement the curriculum are outdated and do not reflect the growing and ever changing needs of our students. Why is it that the fashion industry can keep up with the speed at which society is progressing and changing but the education system cannot? What does that say about the ways in which "we" as a whole set our priorities? Our education system has a significant influence and impact on those who grow up to become contributing members of our society so it should be a priority that our education system teaches them the skills and provides them with the knowledge necessary to succeed... which will undoubtedly require continuous review and alteration of the curriculum content and the methods in which it is implemented in the classroom.