So I had the occasion to really work the “purpose” question through. I try to do everything in life, and I mean everything, with the question of “what’s the purpose” in the forefront of my mind (including getting frustrated with people who refuse to even consider a new way). No purpose = not wasting time on it.

But to answer the question:
First and foremost, what schools are currently doing with students is plainly not working. There may be (likely are) many variables to what is causing many, old practices to no longer work, but it is undeniable that overall a change of some sort is needed in how we approach learning and “schooling.” Unless some one else has another idea for what should be tried, these ideas are as good as any that I’ve seen in engaging students, expanding their world of consideration, ie thought processes.

Secondly, HR people in business and industry are calling for people who know how to work in a team (remember that I teach in a primarily project-based environ). Teams may or may not be meeting in real-life anymore. Right now, presentations and planning new pedagogy is being done over distance inside education. This is also being done in other areas. Our students need to not only know how to work in teams coming together, but also across distances w/o making the cultural gaffes that are frequently made in “noob” interactions. When we train people in the environment in which they’ll work, first they’re comfortable there and secondly, they can easier adjust to the changes that inevitably occur over time. If we don’t begin allowing them to experience this environ today, the leap for them in the future will be literally multi-decades wide! That is NOT good for the US economy or national security at the very least! (I can develop this line of thinking more if someone needs me to)

Thirdly, maybe we don’t know where we’re going. But interacting in this way takes the drill/kill to the backseat where kids have to learn material because they’re immediately going to a deeper level of understanding. There’s a purpose to learning the countries/capitals of the world because we’re blogging about world news or talking to people overseas. There’s a purpose to learning foreign languages. There’s a purpose to be able to read/write/understand our historical texts. US students are so ego-centric (adults too, for that matter) that we only think about ourselves and in a global economy, a global environ, we really do need to look outside of ourselves and for the first time in history that’s readily achievable by every single person. To work/learn internationally is the first step to coming together to be able to solve the bigger problems of the world. I am able to have much more hope for humanity because of these tools.

Yes, I’m a big-picture thinker. Not everyone is, but it’s what allows me to survive the knocks and set-backs of everyday life. If I’m sinking in quicksand and don’t look to the horizon for help, I will surely die. My eyes, in education, are focused squarely on the horizon, and to those who love the minutae of paperwork or policy, I look like a fool somedays. But, to mix my metaphors, I like to think that the forest, as a whole, is a very good place to focus in order to be able to affect real and lasting change.

Thanks for asking this question!