Column: Reimagining education with purpose is needed in pandemic — and for future

In the midst of the biggest disruption in the history of education, we are re-evaluating and adjusting our education practices and protocols, while also questioning the core purpose of education.

By definition, purpose is the reason for which something is done, created or exists. However, as we all know, the concept of purpose is a lot more complicated and something most of us encounter and question throughout our lives, but usually after graduation. But why?

Neuroscientists and education thinkers identified purpose as fundamentally essential to meaningful learning. Psychologists found that student engagement is enhanced when there is purpose in learning. Educators believe there is a direct correlation between purposeful learning and student interest and productivity.

Socio-emotional literature espouses that the earlier one engages youth in personal, purposeful learning journeys, the more ownership they take in their future.

Even in “real-life,” purpose is often identified as essential to obtaining and maintaining quality of life, according to successful innovators, entrepreneurs and studies like The Blue Zones Project and the Happiness Factor. The message: Find your passion, seek purpose, connect, and you will live longer, be healthier and have a more clear definition of a “successful life.”

So why does purpose not play a more central and integral role in developing curriculum? Why don’t we encourage and create more learning opportunities for youth to discover their purpose?

Ask any number and demographic of students why they are learning something, and the response is often, “I don’t know,” or at best, “because I have to.”

There are few options for youth to take responsibility and fully engage in real- world, real-time decision-making opportunities related to personal interests, other than during elective courses. Youth are simply taught to focus on “what” and “how” to arrive at specific, pre-determined answers from outdated curriculum.

Yet life is more often about variations than finite, singular answers or approaches. Media coverage, research and psychology reports constantly vary in results and conclusions.

Why not create a system that better reflects real life? One that focuses more on the “how,” and more importantly “why” youth are learning something and allow them to discover possibilities and different pathways where the process becomes more meaningful than the end result.

Imagine if we instilled purpose-driven processes in the way we educate.

Imagine if we allowed and encouraged youth to discover who they are and their connection to their family, peers, community and the environment. What if this was the starting point for understanding oneself and finding a greater purpose and connection — the launchpad for creating a truly collaborative educational journey?

Imagine if youth received more responsibility and ownership in managing their own schedules, connecting and contributing to their communities, and solving real world problems, while fueling their passions.

Imagine if we asked youth to develop ways to better conserve water for example, when teaching them about modern science and technology, along with traditional wisdom and local, cultural practices.

Imagine if we gave youth more opportunities to speak with, learn from — and sometimes — educate business, community and government leaders about proposals for better water management. Involving and engaging youth in the process, in the “doing,” is where the most impactful learning takes place.

There is no better time than now to re-evaluate the purpose of education and redefine the process. There is an opportunity to transform the system and empower youth to become active agents in their own learning experiences.

It is our responsibility to prepare the next generation for the real world, not just by regurgitating knowledge, but by guiding and supporting them in discovering their passions and ideas, and entrusting them to hone their inherent abilities to pursue and fulfill their purpose.