Educația cu scop: cum să creștem generații mai puternice | Alin Popescu | TEDxSatuMare

The Genesis of escu.me and Its Educational Philosophy

• When giving a child a universe to play with, the child will need more, want to shape it, understand the characters, and ask questions, which can lead to a chain reaction of curiosity and exploration (4s).
• The idea of creating a universe for children to play with and learn from was shared with friends, acquaintances, and their children, who in turn asked more questions, creating a demand for more content (17s).
• To address this demand, a website called escu.me was created with the help of Loredana Teșileanu, where poetry, stories, and explanations could be shared for children to read and learn from, all for free (50s).
• A designer, Eliza, was also involved in bringing the characters to life, and the goal was to give children a perspective on the universe, help them understand it, and identify with it (1m11s).

Expanding the Vision: From Resource to Opportunity

• The story created for the website aimed to teach children values such as nobility, kindness, and generosity, which are often forgotten in today's society (1m28s).
• The project's initial goal was to provide a resource for children, but it eventually grew into something more, highlighting the importance of sharing ideas and being open to new opportunities (1m50s).
• The motto of the year, "Life is not about beaten paths, it's about the unpredictable, opportunities," resonates with the project's journey and the importance of being adaptable and open to new experiences (1m56s).
• The project's success is a testament to the idea that life is full of unexpected opportunities, and being able to anticipate and adapt to them is crucial for growth and success (2m5s).

The Shaping of Aspirations and the Influence of Societal Values

• An example of such an opportunity is an offer received from a woman who prepares children for admission to Harvard, highlighting the potential for growth and exploration (2m31s).
• The idea of shaping a child's path in life is mind-blowing, as it can lead them to follow a predetermined route without questioning, much like a horse wearing blinders, until they are told to stop (2m52s).

A Global Perspective on Children's Aspirations: The Lego Study

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to a period of reading and exploration, during which various studies and surveys were discovered, including one conducted by Lego in collaboration with the Harris Group in 2019 (3m34s).
• The Lego study surveyed children in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom, presenting them with predefined options to answer a question, and the results showed significant differences in aspirations between countries (3m53s).
• The options presented to the children included becoming an astronaut, a professor, an athlete, a musician, or an influencer, and the results are considered relevant not only to the surveyed countries but also to other nations, including Romania, Hungary, and Poland (4m7s).
• The study found that, proportionally, more children in China aspired to become astronauts, professors, musicians, and athletes compared to children in the United States and the United Kingdom (5m1s).
• The differences in aspirations between Chinese children and those from the United States and the United Kingdom are striking, with Chinese children being more likely to choose careers such as astronauts, professors, and musicians (5m17s).
• The question arises as to what factors contribute to these differences in aspirations between countries, particularly in China (5m27s).
• Statistics show that only a small percentage of children in countries like the UK and the US want to become astronauts, professors, athletes, or musicians, with around 10% in the UK and just over 20% in the US having such aspirations (5m42s).

The Commodification of Education and Its Consequences

• A theory is proposed that people have started treating education as a banal service, similar to going to the hairdresser or a car service, where teachers are the providers and parents are the clients (6m32s).
• In this service-oriented approach, the client (parent) is always right, and this mindset can lead to problems, such as parents pressuring teachers to give their children higher grades (6m53s).
• This approach can result in children being educated out of fear, fear of their parents, fear of grades, and fear of exams, rather than a genuine desire to learn (8m0s).
• Very few children learn for pleasure, as they feel that education will lead them to something, and there is a sense of equality between education and entertainment (8m9s).
• If education is not made simple and enjoyable, similar to entertainment, it can be complicated for many children, and this can lead to a lack of engagement in the learning process (8m31s).
• Learning is not as easy as watching a YouTube or TikTok video, and if it's not engaging, it's not worth doing, which is a problem stemming from various factors, including the abundance of screens that bombard children with distractions (8m57s).

The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Shifting Focus Towards Entertainment

• The current era is characterized by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, with new models being launched almost every week, which have two primary purposes: augmenting human abilities and automating tasks (9m25s).
• Augmenting human abilities means improving existing skills, such as writing emails faster or more correctly, or even writing in a foreign language without knowing it (9m42s).
• However, this also means that humans may be replaced by automation, leading to a future where people are no longer needed (9m59s).
• As a counterbalance, society is creating a culture where children are more interested in entertainment than education, but studies show that children are actually interested in fame, which they believe can be easily obtained and comes with money (10m19s).
• This desire for fame is often associated with being an influencer, which means posting content online to attract likes and strangers' attention, ultimately leading to fame and fortune (10m43s).
• This mindset is prevalent among children from the second grade to the 12th grade, who idolize influencers and prioritize fame over other values (11m6s).

Adapting to the Current Generation and Reimagining Education

• There are two options: accept this reality or try to do something about it, which is where the project comes in (11m21s).
• A refresh of characters was made to adapt them to the current generation of children and young people, considering their needs and the world they live in today (11m41s).

Ambitious Proposals for Romania's Future in Space and Technology

• The idea is proposed that Romania could set a goal for 2030 to have a satellite orbiting the Moon, which would be a challenging task due to the Moon's lack of atmosphere and the gravitational attraction of the Earth (12m17s).
• Having a satellite orbiting the Moon would be necessary for navigation, as many countries plan to establish bases on the Moon and a system equivalent to GPS on Earth would be required (12m47s).
• Another proposal is for Romania to create a digital catalog of all inventions and innovations made by children by 2030 (12m55s).
• Additionally, a digital catalog of all historical monuments and archaeological sites in Romania could be created, allowing people to navigate and explore the country's history (13m1s).
• The idea of creating a catalog of "digital twins" or digital projections of athletes, such as football players, is also proposed, which would allow for the tracking of their performance, nutrition, and injuries without affecting the actual players (13m30s).
• These proposals are part of a larger idea of creating a series of interdisciplinary lessons, like a train with many cars, each representing a different subject, with the ultimate goal of achieving the proposed objectives, such as having a satellite orbiting the Moon (14m4s).

Rethinking Education: From Subjects to Skills and Goals

• The current education system requires students to learn various subjects such as physics, chemistry, and astronomy, but it's not enough to just study these subjects, as students need to develop other skills as well (14m18s).
• To achieve a goal, such as launching a satellite, students need to acquire skills like marketing, public speaking, and problem-solving, which are not typically taught in modern schools (14m27s).
• Future schools will likely offer students a choice of 50 goals to pursue, in addition to traditional subjects, allowing them to select the goals they want to achieve and switch to new ones if desired (15m5s).
• The goal is to launch the first set of goals and have them adopted by schools, with the aim of engaging 1 million children in the system within the first two to three years (15m50s).
• The project's success will depend on finding like-minded people who understand and support the idea, and having a coherent and well-planned approach (16m24s).
• Even if not all students achieve the desired goal, having a group of 500 students who can work together to achieve something significant, such as launching a satellite, is still a valuable outcome (16m34s).
• The key takeaway is that investment in education should not just be about spending money, but about creating a system that allows students to develop a wide range of skills and achieve their goals (16m54s).
• The goal is to provide children and parents with real ideas to help them answer the question of what they want to become when they grow up and what they can actually become (17m0s).

Practical Applications and Real-World Projects: The Case of "Orașul Portofel"

• The project "Orașul Portofel" (Wallet City) is an example of this, created to teach financial education to middle school students, and has been included in the educational curriculum starting this year (17m26s).
• The project aims to help children understand concepts such as interest, savings, and how to manage money, and to encourage them to think creatively about how to use their money (17m51s).

The Ultimate Goal of Education: Cultivating Explorers and Innovators

• The ultimate goal of education should be to raise explorers, innovators, visionaries, and creative minds, rather than just teaching them a specific subject (18m18s).
• The purpose of education is to help children develop a sense of purpose and to encourage them to make a positive impact on society (18m36s).

Celebrating Unsung Heroes and Recognizing Positive Contributions

• It is suggested that if the audience is going to applaud, they should do so for the people in their lives who are making a positive impact, such as family members, neighbors, or community members who are working towards a greater good (19m15s).
• The audience is encouraged to appreciate and recognize the efforts of those around them who are contributing to the betterment of society (19m40s).

Acknowledging the Organizers and Participants of the Event

• The organizers of the event deserve applause for making the current discussion possible and for allowing the speaker to share ideas with the audience (19m51s).
• The event featured various performances and presentations, including a song by Mădălina and a display of food by Remus, which were both impressive (20m6s).
• Other notable contributions included a discussion about drugs by Mihai, a presentation by Alex Iulia, and a showcase of films by doamna Nist, some of which the speaker had not seen before (20m24s).
• The speaker acknowledges that some people might have been afraid to admit not knowing something, but encourages the audience to appreciate the efforts of all participants (20m32s).
• The speaker requests applause for the organizers and participants, not for themselves, as a way to show appreciation for their contributions (20m38s).

Conclusion and Invitation

• The speaker concludes by mentioning a story about a bright future and invites Vlad to join, before ending the event (20m45s).