What Elon Musk Knows About Education That Most Students Don’t
Elon Musk is undoubtedly one of the most innovative and creative men around. After all, he founded Tesla, SpaceX, Paypal and a host of other companies that contribute to his goal of changing the world and humanity. So we shouldn’t be shocked that he has also aimed to change the way students are educated.
Unhappy with the way his kids’ school was teaching them, Elon Musk started his own school. The school, small in number and highly secretive, is called Ad Astra — which means “to the stars.” It has no distinction between grades because it caters to its currently few students allowing them to learn at their own pace.
We’re not all going to be a genius like Elon, but there are at least three things we can learn about education that, well, most of us don’t know.
1. Education should be student-centric.
“Some people love English or languages. Some people love math. Some people love music. Different abilities, different times. It makes more sense to cater the education to match their aptitudes and abilities.” — Elon Musk
No two students learn at the same pace or learn the same things about the same subject. One student can be seemingly uninterested in the class because he is mentally advanced. Another student, on the other hand, may seemingly be behind because he doesn’t grasp the subject.
In order for students to learn at maximum potential, education must be student-centric — individualized, personable, and paced in a way that is advantageous to the interests, skills, and abilities of the student. Within the context of traditional schools, this student-centric educational model is largely impossible. In a classroom of 30 or more students, teachers simply don’t have the time.
But, here’s the catch for a student. If you’re really interested in a subject, like, molecular biology, you can customize your learning experience around your skills, interests, and goals. Love one subject? Awesome. Hate another? Pass on it and keep moving.
2. Students should focus on solving problems, not learning subjects.
“It’s important to teach problem solving, or teach to the problem and not the tools.” — Elon Musk
When asked an inquisitive question, we may not know the answer right off the bat. However, we can give our minds a chance to explore and discover something new. Giving answers to problems dulls learning. And quite a number of teachers are guilty of this.
Presenting problems in a way that is too easy results in boredom. Presenting complex problems in a complex manner results in a brain fog. Presenting a problem that is difficult, but has a hinge of solvability, will help to unlock creativity, critical thinking, and empowerment.
And, well, this is what people who want to change the world do. People who aim to make the world a better place often look for problems to solve. They don’t look for easy problems, or for complex problems necessarily, but for common problems that often have simple solutions right under our noses; but it takes a certain someone to discover it and figure it all out.
3. Learning should be fun.
“The kids really love going to school.” – Elon Musk (about his school)
Let’s admit it, most kids don’t enjoy school. Maybe you don’t enjoy school as much — endless lectures, unapproachable teachers, papers, math problems, and on and on. But Elon Musk believes learning should be fun. Schools should be places students love to go to, not dread going to.
If a student can learn faster, better, and more from playing a game, looking into space, or listening to music, then by all means, let them learn. As a student, when your interests, skills, and abilities are in play, the world is not only open to you, it is wide open before you.
Schools can take a bit of wisdom from Elon Musk. If teachers really want to help students learn, develop learning programs around students’ interests. And if this takes too long in coming from the top down, students owe it to themselves to contribute to their level of educational enjoyment. Focus on meaningful problems to solve, use your skills, interests, and abilities, mentally grow at your own pace, and see how many goals you’ll reach and how much you can do to save the world.