learning to live education

Four Pillars of Learning And Their Examples

Learning is a lifelong process, and it’s important to have a system in place that supports you along the way. It is an essential part of life, and it doesn’t stop when you finish school or leave the workforce.

Four pillars support learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be

Who Proposed the 4 Pillars of Education?

The 4 pillars of education were first proposed by the World Commission on Culture and Development in its 1995 report, Our Creative Diversity . The commission was chaired by Spanish scientist, scholar and diplomat Federico Mayor Zaragoza , and the report was authored by a team of international experts.

The 4 pillars are:

Four Pillars of Education And Their Examples

There are four pillars of education, which are essential for the development and progress of any society. They are:

3) Learning to be: This final pillar encourages individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and identity.

What is Learning to Know Examples?

In learning to know, we focus on acquiring and mastering new information and concepts. This could involve, for example, learning the names of different countries in Europe or memorizing the steps in a scientific experiment. We often use rote learning techniques such as repetition and drills to help us commit new information to memory. Some educators believe that this kind of surface-level learning is not deep or meaningful enough; however, it can be argued that without first acquiring this basic knowledge, it would be difficult to move on to more sophisticated levels of understanding.

Meaning of Learning to Do

In general, learning is about increasing knowledge and understanding. It may involve acquiring new skills, or expanding ones that are already possessed. It can also involve developing a greater understanding of oneself and one’s world.

What is Learning to Be in the Four Pillars of Education?

In the 21st century, education is no longer about memorizing facts or regurgitating information. Instead, it’s about learning how to think critically, solve problems and become a lifelong learner. This shift in thinking has led to the Four Pillars of Education: creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Creativity is all about thinking outside the box and coming up with new ideas. It’s important for students to be able to tap into their creative side as they’ll need to be innovative in order to succeed in today’s ever-changing world. Critical thinking is an essential skill that all students must learn in order to be successful. They need to be able to analyze information and make thoughtful decisions. Communication is another key pillar of education. In order for students to collaborate effectively, they need to be able to communicate clearly and concisely. Lastly, collaboration is crucial in today’s society. With the advent of technology, it’s easier than ever for people to work together on projects from around the globe.

Learning to Live together

They have to develop a tolerance for different cultures and beliefs in order to have constructive dialogue- tolerance is necessary so that all people can interact productively regardless of different backgrounds or beliefs

Reflection About Four Pillars of Education

In a world where so many people are focused on what they do, it is refreshing to see the “Four Pillars of Education” as an important part of a successful educational system.

Reflecting on the Four Pillars of Education, I believe that they are important in helping students learn to be successful adults . Understanding ourselves and others is essential for living harmoniously together, and knowing how to work effectively with others is crucial in today’s professional world.

FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION

The Four Pillars of Learning are a framework that can be used to enhance the learning process. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. These pillars have been known to bring about success for generations because of their sound foundations. Now that we’ve talked about how important they are, let us know your opinions in this regard.

Sherry Lane

It’s our pleasure. You may browse the whole website for further articles. Thanks.

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The treasure within: Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. What is the value of that treasure 15 years after its publication?

• Published: 20 March 2013
• Volume 59 , pages 319–330, ( 2013 )

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• Jacques Delors 1  

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This is an English translation of a speech held by French economist and politician Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, on 7 November 2011 at the opening of the International Congress on Lifelong Learning in Donostia/San Sebastián, Spain. Fifteen years after the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century submitted its report entitled Learning: The treasure within to UNESCO, Delors briefly reviews the four pillars of education and then considers the current growth of continuing education, its primary functions and general trends. Next, he discusses how basic education and continuing education might be combined into a lifelong learning approach. This is followed by some thoughts about the educational society and the challenges of current changes it is facing which include the challenge of globalisation, the phenomenon of contemporary individualism, the influence of the media and modern technologies and the dominant economic (market-orientated) ideology. Delors concludes his speech by stressing that lifelong learning is essential for gaining self-esteem and the ability to take control of one’s own life.

L’éducation : un trésor est caché dedans – Apprendre à connaître, apprendre à faire, apprendre à vivre ensemble, apprendre à être. Quelle est la valeur de ce trésor 15 ans après sa publication ? – Ce texte reproduit le discours prononcé par Jacques Delors, économiste et homme politique français, ancien président de la Commission européenne, le 7 novembre 2011 lors de l’ouverture du congrès international sur l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie à Donostia/Saint-Sébastien (Espagne). Quinze ans après la remise à l’UNESCO par la Commission internationale sur l’éducation pour le vingt et unième siècle de son rapport L’éducation : un trésor est caché dedans, Jacques Delors passe brièvement en revue les quatre piliers de l’éducation, avant d’aborder l’expansion actuelle de l’éducation permanente, ses principales fonctions et ses tendances générales. Il analyse ensuite les moyens de réunir l’apprentissage de base et l’éducation permanente dans une approche d’apprentissage tout au long de la vie. Il poursuit par plusieurs réflexions sur la société éducative et sur les défis des changements qu’elle connaît aujourd’hui, dont la mondialisation, le phénomène actuel de l’individualisme, l’influence des médias et des technologies modernes ainsi que l’idéologie économique dominante (axée sur le marché). Jacques Delors conclut son discours en soulignant que l’apprentissage tout au long de la vie est essentiel pour acquérir l’estime de soi et être en mesure de prendre sa vie en main.

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Delors is referring to Isabel Celaá, Minister of Education, Universities and Research of the Basque Government.

This refers to the report entitled Learning: The treasure within (often referred to as “The Delors report”) which the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, chaired by Delors, submitted to UNESCO in 1996 (Delors 1996 ).

This refers to the European Commission’s White paper on education and training (European Commission 1995 ).

This refers to Peut mieux faire ! Pour un renouveau des politiques d’Education by Michel Dollé, for which Jacques Delors wrote the preface (Dollé 2012 ).

Jacques Delors is referring to Patxi López, President of the Basque Government.

For more information on Indian economist Amartya Sen’s concept of “capability” see his books Inequality re - examined (Sen 1992 ) and Development as freedom (Sen 1999 ).

This refers to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) designed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Gaston Berger (1896–1960) was, among other things, a French philosopher and futurist. From 1953 to 1960 he was Minister of National Education in France and modernised the French universities system.

Delors J. et al. (1996). L’Éducation. Un trésor est caché dedans . Paris: Éditions UNESCO – Odile Jacob. The English version of this report, often referred to as “the Delors report” is entitled Learning: The treasure within. Report to UNESCO of the international commission on education for the twenty - first century . Paris: UNESCO.

Dollé, M. (2012). Peut mieux faire ! Pour un renouveau des politiques de l’éducation . Paris: Èditions Saint-Simon.

Google Scholar  

European Commission (1995). White paper on education and training: Teaching and Learning. Towards the learning society. Retrieved July 12, 2012 from http://ec.europa.eu/languages/documents/doc409_en.pdf .

Sen, A. (1992). Inequality reexamined . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom . Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Delors, J. The treasure within: Learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to be. What is the value of that treasure 15 years after its publication?. Int Rev Educ 59 , 319–330 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-013-9350-8

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Published : 20 March 2013

Issue Date : September 2013

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-013-9350-8

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Learning to live together: How education can help fight systemic racism

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, rebecca winthrop rebecca winthrop director - center for universal education , senior fellow - global economy and development.

June 5, 2020

The protests raging across the United States in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death all call for an end to systemic racism and inequality, which have been alive and well since the very founding of the United States. There is much that needs to be done to address systemic racism from police reform to opening ladders of economic opportunity. Education too has a role to play.

The strategy of “divide and conquer” has been used for literally thousands of years to expand empires and extend control of authoritarian leaders. The military strategy of Nazi Germany was, as former Secretary of Defense James Mattis recently so eloquently reminded us, to divide and conquer, and the American response was “in unity there is strength.” This applies not only to military strategy and morale but also to the fabric of society and our ability as Americans to bridge our differences and connect with each other. It is why after World War II, a U.N. organization dedicated to education was founded, stating “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”

This remains true to this day and it is why education in its broadest sense must be a part of the solution to build unity across our country. Education does play a crucial role in social mobility and ensuring economic opportunity and it is why so many school districts across the U.S. are concerned with helping all young people develop academic mastery and 21st century job skills such as digital literacy, creativity, and teamwork. This is why there are such deep concerns about equity of access to quality schools and the disturbing legacy of tracking African American students into less prestigious avenues of study.

But education also plays a powerful role in shaping worldviews, connecting members of a community who might have never met before, and imagining the world we want. It is this power to shape values and beliefs that has made education susceptible to manipulation by those who want to divide and conquer (e.g., why extremists such as the Taliban in Afghanistan prioritized interfering in education as a top priority for achieving their agenda). Hence it is this power that we must turn to in an effort to fight inequality and racism. In 1996, a UNESCO global commission chaired by Jacques De Lors released a report—now affectionately known in education circles as the “ De Lors Report” —and spelled out the four purposes of education:

• Learning to know . A broad general knowledge with the opportunity to work in depth on a small number of subjects.
• Learning to do . To acquire not only occupational skills but also the competence to deal with many situations and to work in teams.
• Learning to be . To develop one’s personality and to be able to act with growing autonomy, judgment, and personal responsibility.
• Learning to live together . By developing an understanding of other people and an appreciation of interdependence.

These four purposes all remain urgent and relevant today but it is the fourth, learning to live together, that we must as a country pay more attention to. Luckily there are many in the education community that have for years been working on helping young people develop the mindsets and skills to live together. A number of organizations have long included fighting systemic racism in this effort, working tirelessly and more often than not with little visibility and recognition. Some of the best places to begin exploring this work include the nonprofit education organization Facing History, Facing Ourselves , which has been working for the past 45 years with teachers and schools across the United States to combat bigotry and hate and help build understanding across difference. Education International, a federation of the world’s teacher organizations and unions, has put forward the top 25 lessons from the teaching profession for delivering education that supports democracy for all and hence must foster inclusion and fight racism. More well-known to most Americans is Sesame Street, the children’s media organization that has for generations modeled tolerance to America’s youngest children.

On Saturday, June 6, Sesame Street and CNN will host a town-hall meeting titled “ Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism .” Finally, the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture has a host of resources for parents and families, schools and educators, and young people and adults for talking about race .  

As Brookings President John R. Allen so eloquently stated in his recent piece on the need to condemn racism and come together, the leadership for this is not going to come from national political leaders, but every teacher, principal, school superintendent, and parent of students can do their part to make sure education is playing its part and contributing to all of us learning to live together.

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Learning to Live Ltd (L2L) is an accredited alternative education provider based in BCP and Dorset that offers bespoke learning programs tailored to suit the specialist needs of young people.  We thoughtfully mentor young people to orientate their lives through everyday experiences, both enrichment and educational.

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Reworking Four Pillars of Education to Sustain the Commons

by Noah W. Sobe

How do we design meaningful learning experiences that develop the skills and competencies most needed in the present, for the futures we want to create? From the mid-1990s perspective of a world seen as awash in change and complexity,  a UNESCO commission under the leadership of Jacques Delors  proposed four pillars that education could rest upon.  

To “simultaneously provide maps of a world in constant turmoil and a compass that will enable people to find their way in it”, the Delors commission proposed  learning to know ,  learning to do ,  learning to live together , and  learning to be  as four fundamental types of learning. Each deserved equal attention. And together they were to form a whole that would guide education across the human lifespan.  

Change, complexity – also fragility, precarity and uncertainty – are very much with us 25 years later. The COVID pandemic has held up a mirror and shown us that we remain far from making our societies more just, equitable and inclusive. It is also clear that we still have much work to do to avert ecological catastrophe. But, COVID has also reinforced the conviction of many that mutual support, the cooperative sharing of resources, and collective action provide the right moral coordinates and give good reason for hope.  

The  commons movement  is one suggested strategy for leveraging mutuality, cooperation and collective action for a better world. Presented by  David Bollier of The Next System Project  as “at once a paradigm, a discourse, an ethic, and a set of social practices,” the commons has been held up as holding great promise for transforming societies. Important here is the common as what is shared, commoning as what is done together, and the common good as what is built and cared for by individuals together.  

No commons simply exists on its own. A commons needs to be nurtured, at times protected. And if we accept that “commoning” skills and competencies are high among those needed in the present for the futures we want to create, we might consider reorienting the Delors “four pillars” around the commons.  Reworking each of these pillars in relation to building capacity for commoning actions and strengthening the common good offers a compass and map well suited for the collective challenges of our present historical juncture.

Learning to study, inquire and co-construct together

Within a commons framing, acquiring knowledge needs to be recast as not simply enabling individuals, but rather as connecting individuals to one another and interegenerationally to the common knowledge resources of humanity.  A commoning paradigm requires attention to the collective ways knowledge is accessed, used, and created.  The knowledge pillar supporting education would then need to be oriented towards  learning to study, inquire and co-construct together . This revision would highlight the social dimensions of learning, as well as the diverse and networked dimensions of knowledge. Reworking the “learning to know” pillar in this way would point educators towards constructivist pedagogical approaches and towards viewing their students as learning communities. It would highlight the knowledge commons as an intergenerational resource and conversation that has been built and nurtured across millennia.

Learning to collectively mobilize

The Delors Commission’s discussion of “learning to do” almost exclusively narrowed to the issue of putting learning into practice in the workplace. A commons framing would recast this in terms of skills and competencies that enable collective action. The collaboration capability thus foregrounded would be valuable in the world of work and far beyond. The doing pillar that supports education would need to be oriented to  learning to collectively mobilize . Focusing educational efforts on empowering learners to take action together surfaces the importance of deliberation, cross-cultural communication and coalition building.

Learning to live in a common world

Setting “learning to live together“ as a key pillar puts education on the right track. As the COVID disruptions have unfolded, humanity has been reminded just how closely we are linked to one another biologically, politically, and socially. (Though at times this last has painfully manifested through its absence and deferral.) While “together” is a robust concept, we cannot let it only mean peaceful “living with others” co-existence. Tolerating and respecting the rights of others and the ways of being of others is a first step. But, the challenge for humans living on planet earth in 2021 is to make healthy, sustainable ways of co-living: with one another and with the planet. Orienting this pillar towards  learning to live in a common world  elevates the importance of education that engages with our common humanity and with the natural world of which we are a part. This change enables us to reshape common living as intertwined and a fundamentally shared experience.

Learning to attend and care

When the Delors Commission presented “learning to be”, it placed great emphasis on the development of one’s personality and being able to act with independence, judgment and personal responsibility. The role of education in supporting people in freedom of thought, critical thinking, and the realization of their own self-chosen purposes is not to be overlooked. At the same time, we have seen the insidious dangers of acquisitive individualism and diminished empathy that appear when autonomy comes entirely at the expense of an understanding of relationality. Applying a commons framing to the pillar of education that emphasizes the development of the complete person, we would do well to think in terms of  learning to attend and care . This would entail understanding ourselves as persons who are simultaneously capable and vulnerable. It would force us to reflect on how we affect and are affected by others and the world. It would require that educators focus their work on the rights and responsibilities that come into play in our relationships and interdependencies. A commoning paradigm would take problems of caring-about, caring-for, care-giving and care-receiving as inextricably social and moral questions that call for individuals to take action together and share responsibility. Considering this one of the fundamental pillars of education would put our relationships with one another and with a more-than-human world at the center of educational practice.

This piece has suggested that core educational foundations can be usefully reworked to value and empower individuals as they also leverage mutuality, cooperation and collective action for a better world. The Delors four pillars can be updated to better support educators who are working to design meaningful learning experiences. Using a commons framework to foreground what we share together, what we do together, and what we build together helps us reimagine the skills and competencies most needed in the present for the futures we want to create.

The ideas expressed here are those of the authors; they are not necessarily the official position of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

Noah W. Sobe is Senior Project Officer in the Future of Learning and Innovation team at UNESCO.  He is a former president of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and holds a faculty position as Professor of Cultural and Educational Studies at Loyola University Chicago. 

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Dr. Alazar was born in Eritrea, which is a country in Eastern Africa. He overcame the adversity of living in a developing country through education. He moved to the United States of America in 1989, where he began his education in Denver Public Schools as an English language learner. After graduating from high school, he attended Colorado State University and majored in Fine Arts.  Inspired from mentoring at-risk students, Dr. Alazar realized his passion was in teaching. He earned a Master in Special Education from Regis University, and after some experience in the classroom became curious about how to better support students with special needs, which led him to earn a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Denver. 

Dr. Alazar recently moved from Indianapolis, Indiana, where he worked as a director of student services in an urban school district. He was also an Associate Faculty at Indiana University in Indianapolis. Dr. Alazar loves sports and spending quality time with his three beautiful daughters and his wife.  Dr. Alazar is a life-long learner and educator. Dr. Alazar’s mission is to coach, to grow, to inspire, to love, to live freely with passion.

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Oregon early learning department needs to conduct stronger oversight, implement equity training, audit finds

• Updated: Aug. 19, 2024, 12:50 p.m.
• | Published: Aug. 19, 2024, 12:41 p.m.

Jess Sollaccio reads to her son Liam Sollaccio while posing for a portrait, Sept. 6, 2023, at Bumble Preschool in Astoria, Ore. Lydia Ely/InvestigateWest

• Kaylee Tornay | InvestigateWest

An audit of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care found the agency could benefit from stronger oversight and equity training to improve governance of the state’s early learning system.

Auditors’ findings, issued in a letter from the Secretary of State’s audits division to agency director Alyssa Chatterjee on July 24, align in part with critiques of the department voiced by current and former staff in an InvestigateWest investigation published in March. Employees sounded alarms — including one who contacted Gov. Tina Kotek — about what they saw as the agency’s failures to foster equity, retain leaders and manage programs that serve Oregon’s lower-income families.

Auditors spoke to at least three of those employees to learn more.

Their final recommendations urge agency leaders to regularly review disciplinary decisions made by child care licensing investigators to ensure they are being made fairly; expand required equity and bias trainings; and improve coordination between regional and statewide authorities and among the various preschool and child care programs that the department manages.

Agency leaders said they welcome the feedback and are already working to implement some of the recommendations.

“One of DELC’s values is continuous improvement,” said Kate Gonsalves, spokesperson for the Department of Early Learning and Care. “In particular, Director Chatterjee valued the recognition of the intentionality that went into the launch of DELC. We are proud of this intentionality and appreciative of the chance to have this review so early in the agency’s tenure.”

The audit examined how smoothly the early learning division transitioned out of the state education department into an independent agency. The Department of Early Learning and Care launched July 1, 2023, and auditors monitored its performance throughout its first year.

Rather than complete a full audit, which takes longer and typically looks at established government practices and protocols, the audits division conducted its analysis in real time, so the findings would be available to the agency in a time frame that allowed leaders to act on them, said Laura Kerns, spokesperson for the Secretary of State’s Office.

“The benefit of a real-time analysis is that we can get in at the beginning before too much has happened and provide feedback as programs are being shaped and controls are being established,” she said. “Simply put, we hoped our review would help (the early learning department) get off to a good start as a new state agency.”

“We also decided to send a letter instead of doing a full audit because we found DELC was generally on the right track,” Kerns said.

The letter noted the department’s success in taking over management of programs and responsibilities previously handled by other departments, including the Employment Related Day Care subsidy that helps families afford child care. It is a more than $400 million program that is in high demand; since November 2023 thousands of families have been waitlisted. Reducing that waitlist is a high priority for staff.

However, the audit said the agency’s recordkeeping and budgeting practices could be improved: One example auditors pointed out was the decision to pay providers of Preschool Promise, the state’s free preschool program, during the pandemic without any enrollment requirement, in order to prevent closures. Preschool Promise is one of the early learning department’s marquee programs, but has come under fire from legislators and the public for under-enrollment, which some employees told InvestigateWest was partly due to mismanagement.

“When auditors asked for documentation to show when and why the initial decision was made and how it was communicated to providers and the public, DELC staff were unable to provide that information,” the letter states. “The pandemic was a chaotic time; it is in these crucial times agencies should provide assurance and accountability for their decisions.”

In a letter responding to the audit, Chatterjee said the programs division will improve such documentation. The agency also launched a data dashboard to track Preschool Promise enrollment throughout the year and assist in reallocating spots where they’re most needed, and it reinstated enrollment minimums for providers to receive state money.

The agency also implemented a new equity training program for managers in February, and is considering making the training mandatory for all staff, Chatterjee said. Training is one of several strategies mentioned in the agency’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan that was announced in early July.

The department also is completing a “culture assessment” initiated in the spring shortly after InvestigateWest’s reporting was published “to gain a deeper understanding of our workplace dynamics,” Chatterjee said. Leaders expect to review the results of that assessment in the fall, she said.

-- Kaylee Tornay, InvestigateWest

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For Immediate Release

Easterseals school for limitless learning invites community to explore inclusive education at open house on august 28.

Valrico, Florida, August 20, 2024

Media Contact: Tanya Cielo [email protected] 813-337-0893

For Immediate Release:

Valrico, FL (August 20, 2024) -  The Easterseals School for Limitless Learning is excited to invite local parents, caregivers, and community members to an open house at its new facility in the Bloomingdale BayCare HealthHub, Valrico, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This event will showcase the new private school’s innovative approach to early learning and provide an opportunity to explore its inclusive and supportive environment for neurodiverse learners, from infancy through second grade. Registration fees will be waived for families who attend the open house, and all enrolled students will receive free September 2024 tuition!

Open House Details:

• Date: Wednesday, August 28, 2024
• Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
• Location: Easterseals School for Limitless Learning, 2460 Bloomingdale Ave., Suite 170, Valrico, FL 33596

"Our open house provides families and caregivers with a wonderful opportunity to discover the unique qualities that set Easterseals School for Limitless Learning apart," said Dr. Janine Stewart, the school’s director. "We are delighted to support our community by waiving registration fees for open house attendees and offering free September tuition for all enrolled students, making education more accessible for all. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our new school and embarking on a journey of limitless growth and discovery together.”

During the open house, attendees will have the chance to:

• Tour the brand-new facility
• Meet the dedicated staff and administrators
• Learn about the school’s comprehensive curriculum, supported by the DIRFloortime® Model
• Discuss enrollment and scholarship options (Pre-enrollment is available online at https://www.easterseals.com/florida/programs-and-services/children--families/school-for-limitless-learning.html/ .)

“At the Easterseals School for Limitless Learning, we’re integrating individualized support for neurodiverse learners with innovative early education. This expansion into the Bloomingdale area marks a significant step for Easterseals Florida, ensuring local families have access to this specialized early educational programming for their children," said Jenn Siffermann, Vice President of Programs for Easterseals Florida.

Program Highlights:

·          Early Learning Program (6 weeks to 3 years):

-    Anticipated opening in September 2024

-    Operating year-round

-    Serving children with or without diagnosed disabilities

-    Helping children reach developmental milestones through hands-on activities (DIRFloortime® Model and Frog Street Curriculum)

-    Providing regular child screenings and assessments

-    Including nutritionally balanced breakfast, lunch, and snacks

-    Program hours will be from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday to Friday

·          Lower Elementary School (Pre-kindergarten through second grade):

-    Operating on a 10-month school calendar

-    Serving children who are neurodiverse or have other related disabilities

-    Offering a comprehensive approach to education that focuses on development, relationship building, embracing individual differences, and fostering growth (DIRFloortime® Model)

-    Small class sizes for individualized learning

-    State-certified teachers trained in the DIRFloortime® Model

-    School hours will be from 8:00 AM to 2:15 PM, Monday to Friday

Families attending the August 28th open house event will have their registration fees waived, and all students enrolled for the upcoming school year will receive complimentary tuition for September 2024. Starting in October, financial assistance will be available through Step Up For Students scholarships, including the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities. Additionally, the school has launched the Limitless PossAbilities Scholarship Fund ( https://bit.ly/limitlesspossabilities ), dedicated to ensuring that education remains accessible for students.

Please email [email protected] or call 813-236-5589 to RSVP for the open house event. For more information about the Easterseals School for Limitless Learning, please visit https://www.easterseals.com/florida/programs-and-services/children--families/school-for-limitless-learning.html/ . 

ABOUT EASTERSEALS: Founded in 1919, Easterseals is leading the way to 100% equity, inclusion, and access for people with disabilities, families, and communities by enriching education, enhancing health, expanding employment, and elevating community. In its role as America’s largest nonprofit healthcare organization, Easterseals provides essential services and on-the-ground support to more than 1.5 million individuals and families each year through its national network of affiliates in communities nationwide. Learn more about Easterseals' local programs and services: https://www.easterseals.com/florida/

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The valuable role video games play in the classroom

Do video games belong in the classroom?

It may sound counterproductive to learning, but experts say the right games can help students stay engaged and learn about history, science, math and more.

A 2019 study from Carnegie Mellon University found that nearly 75% of teachers have used digital game-based learning in their lesson plans.

Games like "The Oregon Trail" have been teaching students about 19th-century pioneer life since the 1970s in American classrooms, but today, students and teachers have so many more options.

"Games in American society tend to get a bad rap because they get associated with things like violence and addiction. But in fact, games have immense interpersonal possibilities. And so, games are a great way of teaching people things,” said Patrick Jagoda.

Jagoda has a bit of a dream job: at the University of Chicago, he teaches game studies and game design. His lab is filled with board games, and he gets to talk about video games all day.

But as the faculty director of the university's Weston Game Lab, Jagoda emphasizes that video games, board games and role-playing games aren't just for fun, he says they can be valuable for interactive learning.

"You can learn about economies, you can learn about political systems, you can learn about climate change through games, for instance,” Jagoda said.

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"We have a game called 'Infection City' that we produced, and this is a game where you have one player play the infection ... and then the rest of the players are playing as epidemiologists,” said Ashlyn Sparrow, game designer for the University of Chicago.

Jagoda mentioned another.

"Right now, our team is working on 'Haven,' which is a game for all of the incoming students, and the learning objectives are focused on freedom of expression,” he said. “So the idea is, how do you have a debate or how do you have a conversation about something you disagree about?"

Jagoda and Sparrow said games are safe places for students to fail and learn from their mistakes. Interactive puzzles can either be collaborative or competitive, and compelling stories can be played from multiple perspectives.

"There was a game that came out in 2007 called 'Peacemaker' that came out of Carnegie Mellon. And you could play either as the Palestinian or Israeli president or prime minister. And you have to create peace in the region,” Jagoda said.

"There's 'Cytosis,' which is another kind of science game,” said Sparrow. “There's a game on freedom that talks about abolition. There's a new game that's going to come out called 'Chicago 68,' which is talking about protesting."

For teachers curious about getting games into the classroom, Jagoda and Sparrow say students can help lead by talking about what they're playing, connecting it back to lessons, or even by designing their own games for the class.

"Games are their art form in the way that film or novels were for previous generations,” Jagoda said.

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