“These kids that are digital natives – we just need to meet them where they’re at, and the reality is technology is where they’re at.”
Marc Ecko, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and founder of
Sweat Equity Education (SEE), an education innovation organization, is working at the intersection of education, workforce development, and entrepreneurship. At SEE, Marc uses the technology that excites kids today and combines it with real-world projects that teach real-world skills. SEE is focused on re-engaging and re-invigorating at-risk students and young adults to help set them on a path for success – in school, in the workplace, or in launching their own businesses.
I had the pleasure of meeting Marc in his New York City office:
In his
Solutions in Action interview with NBC News Chief Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis, Marc talks about how to build a better education experience through applied learning. At SEE, for example, kids approach learning through the lens of design and hands on, project-based learning. Check out these
videos of “SEE in Action.”
My favorite part of the day, however, occurred after Marc concluded his interview. As the production crew was packing up, Marc gave us more insight into what drives his work and passion for education and technology. His view is that we need to think about teaching and the ways kids learn through a different lens. Specifically, Marc called attention to the difference between
andragogy and
pedagogy in terms of education. His point was that we are missing the mark in conversations about learning and education reform in the U.S. and that the current national debate centers on teaching, not learning. Take a look at this
table outlining the difference between the two approaches to thinking about teaching.
Does today’s information age have implications for educators? Do we need to think more about the way we teach kids today? Does use of technology in the classroom merit the shift of thinking about education as teacher-centered to learner-centered?
Be sure to check out Marc’s
Solutions in Action video.
