Khan Academy, Edward de Bono and Sir Ken Robinson
empowering innovation with critical thinking and confidence
The events of international politics in 2022 have contributed to a wider and deeper awareness regarding currency patterns and sovereign controls over foreign assets. It has been hard for anyone to miss the fact that people around the world quickly turned to Bitcoin as a monetary means by which to support the plight of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. It is certainly something we have discussed as significant in the way the world and society is beginning to function.
And at the core of our conversations in faculty meetings, is the idea of how we address change ; a change in educational delivery, and a change in the way we consider educational content around the idea of finance. Afterall, if the world of money is changing, we need to know how. And what we do about it?
There are a few iconic names in the field of education - Khan Academy, Edward de Bono and Sir Ken Robinson. They represent some key conceptual landmarks surrounding the process of how we learn. These include:
the use of web technology for widespread distribution of learning
demonstration how a physical or metaphorical prop can be deployed to imagine, construct and utilize perspective for learning
the encouragement of confidence to be innovative and curious in learning
The commonality of all three names perhaps culminates in the idea of how to harness opportunity and manage change.
The faculty meeting on Monday morning this week focused on how The School of Bitcoin will make a difference through opening up opportunity for people to learn about defi via a basic curriculum framework, or forking the framework to suit the needs of their learners and their organization.
Taking a blue hat, big picture approach to this, what does it mean?
The big picture in defi means recognizing ideas of value, transaction and risk. This can be challenging on all three counts. How can we see value in crypto assets? How difficult is it to transact? And what risks does working in the defi pose to me and my portfolio, or my future aspirations for wealth creation?
White Hat - What is the truth behind money? How can I access the facts and the information that I need to know to give me confidence in investing?
Red Hat - How do I feel about the defi space? Does it worry me?
Black Hat - What kind of critical questions do I have about de-financial literacy?
Yellow Hat - What are the positive things I can see about learning about de-financial literacy?
Green Hat - How can I signal to my brain that there are creative opportunities that will emerge through immersing myself in defi?
The de Bono approach to managing our thinking has become one that is well accepted and respected in education. And it is therefore perhaps a fitting one to introduce some of the big change items we are seeing in the legacy tradition of money, finance and wealth.
But for those who want to push the conversations and provocations of defi literacy further in schools, there is a game that can be played using another wonderful de Bono invention.
The word ‘Po’ is one that was invented by de Bono to contribute to the extension of dialogue and debate for greater understanding.
‘Po crypto Po savings. Tell me what you think you know?’
‘Po national currencies. The US dollar will never fail in world dominance.’
‘Po wealth instability. Bitcoin can offer a solution.’
How would you respond to the Game of Po with defi?
Like de Bono, Khan Academy had a vision to break the one-directional model to thinking about instruction and education. And in a similar way, Ken Robinson contributed to disrupting the institutionalization of schools by asking whether these very places (where creativity should be generated), were actually the places where creativity was killed. The question is as defi becomes more accepted in mainstream, can educational institutions like schools look for curriculum that fits into teaching about wealth, money and the economics of coins.
As we continue to watch the monumental shifts in perception around macro-economics, uncertainty over the impact of inflation, and an imbalance between those that are defi literate and those that are not, our thinking needs to be prompted by the proactivity of Khan Academy, the lateral thinking of de Bono and the inspirational passion for creativity of Ken Robinson.