Friday, July 11, 2025
Throughout my educational career, I’ve observed profound shifts in how we conceptualize true learning. While contemporary literacy discussions often become mired in political and technological debates, the essential question persists: What capabilities must students develop to flourish in an uncertain future?
Today’s knowledge-driven economy requires workers who can expertly navigate intricate information ecosystems while maintaining adaptability and resilience. Our district recognizes that conventional reading and writing abilities, though foundational, constitute merely the starting point of student needs. The 16 Habits of Mind—including persistence, flexible thinking, questioning, and applying previous knowledge to novel situations—prove equally vital for success in our dynamic employment landscape. These dispositions have become indispensable for professional achievement.
Colleagues frequently inquire whether today’s educational methods differ substantially from my early career 25 years ago. Haven’t we always emphasized critical thinking and engaging with complex concepts? The answer is nuanced. Core principles remain unchanged, but the surrounding context has dramatically transformed.
Consider the warehouse employee featured in Laura Carreira’s documentary “On Falling.” Her unstable work environment—constant surveillance, productivity-based evaluation, and colleague isolation—exemplifies employment conditions previous generations never encountered. Her smartphone dependence for economic survival demonstrates how digital fluency has transformed from a luxury to a necessity.
These realities compel schools to broaden literacy definitions beyond traditional parameters. Students require informational literacy to differentiate reliable sources from misinformation. Media literacy becomes essential for critically evaluating their daily content consumption. Financial literacy helps them navigate economic systems, offering fewer securities than previous generations experienced.
Critics suggest these “expanded literacies” merely repackage established critical thinking principles. This perspective contains validity. Cognitive skills for evaluating news articles aren’t fundamentally different from those needed for historical document analysis. However, contexts, pacing, and consequences have transformed dramatically.
When I began teaching, students accessed information through carefully curated textbooks and library materials. Today’s learners encounter thousands of unfiltered messages daily, demanding immediate credibility and value assessments. While underlying skills remain consistent, their application has become significantly more urgent and intensive.
The 16 Habits of Mind prepare students for this information-saturated environment. “Managing impulsivity” and “thinking flexibly” help students pause before sharing unverified content and adapt when corrected. “Questioning and problem-posing” encourages deeper investigation beyond headlines. “Listening with understanding and empathy” enables thoughtful navigation of polarized discussions.
Our curriculum weaves these habits throughout all subjects. Mathematics develops persistence through complex problem-solving. Science cultivates data gathering through multiple senses. Literature encourages perspective-taking and empathy development. These dispositions and content mastery prepare students for potentially nonexistent future careers.
Technology has certainly changed the landscape of education, but tools must serve purposes rather than replace thinking. Our most successful graduates won’t be those who master specific technologies—these constantly evolve—but those who develop mental habits that enable adaptation to future innovations.
We must thoughtfully consider student technology exposure timing, ensuring developmental appropriateness. Our district has achieved equitable technological access by addressing digital divide challenges through substantial investment and community partnerships. With universal student resources secured, judicious usage becomes paramount.
Young children benefit more from hands-on exploration and face-to-face interaction than screen time, developing persistence and impulse control through tangible experiences. As students mature, they gain capacity for critical technology use, strengthening metacognition and applying precision when evaluating digital information while demonstrating flexible thinking across contexts. Our district thoughtfully introduces technological tools only when they genuinely enhance learning and students possess cognitive foundations for meaningful use, encouraging questioning over passive consumption while fostering creativity through appropriate applications.
As we navigate literacy debates and technological changes, education’s enduring purpose remains constant: developing minds capable of engaging with significant ideas. Students need fundamental literacies and thinking habits that enable meaningful application.
The warehouse worker in Carreira’s documentary illustrates the consequences of education focused too narrowly on job-specific skills without developing broader critical thinking and adaptability. Our graduates deserve a comprehensive education that teaches not just content but thinking processes, preparing them for lifelong learning and leadership from their first position through meaningful careers and engaged citizenship in our continuously evolving world.
Dan Rehman is the superintendent of the West Hempstead Union Free School District.
