Lane专栏▕ 上还是不上？ 美国妈妈如何看待‘重点学校’？

【小米推荐】开学之际，我家门口的小学，被北京一所重点小学兼并了，教学设施瞬间得到全部更新、周围的房价每平米瞬间增长了1万块。我找到Lane，跟她讨论美国是否也存在‘重点学校’这样的现象，还分享了中国‘孟母三迁’的故事。

出乎我的意料，她认为家长选择重点学校是一件好事，说明中国对教育的重视程度。但是，她还提出，家长要看清楚‘好学校就意味着好工作、好社会地位’的时代，已经过去了。我们应该想想怎样培养有自己的特长、有自己比较优势（Competitive Advantage)的孩子。

（以下是采访Lane的文章）

我出生在弗吉尼亚，母亲为了让我能上更好的学校，也会每天驱车1小时送我去另一个社区的学校。美国也有‘学区房’这样的现象，教育资源并没有向德国、新西兰等国际那么平均分配。当然，美国并不是所有家庭都特别看重孩子在学校的教育，大多数家庭，没有期待孩子一定要上常春藤学校，这一点跟中国家长追逐‘清华、北大’的心态不太一样。

还有一点原因，就是美国存在本科学历贬值的现象。越来越多的本科生毕业后，并没有找到合适的工作，或者说一踏入社会后，他们发现原来一直遵循的‘精英晋级’规则瞬间不再起主导作用了。这一点在华裔家庭的男孩子身上会更凸现一些，一般都会一直上名校、整个家族以培养一个‘哈佛毕业生’为荣耀，为人谦虚谨慎、兢兢业业，认为‘努力会证明一切’。有人做过统计，美国常春藤学校30%的毕业生是华裔，但是在大公司中华裔的高层管理在5%以下。即便在学术机构，比如实验室中，担任领导角色的华裔科学家也很少。

所以，我想，代替一直焦虑于孩子的重点学校这个问题，父母确实是需要去思考的是‘怎样让我的孩子与众不同？’这个问题。我们一起来看看时代是如何变化的：

Thirty years ago, the journey from high school to the workforce went something like this:

1Take a standardized test (SAT in America, 高考 in China).

2.Graduate from high school.

3.Go to college.

4.Graduate from college.

5.Get a job and continue working for the same company for many years, working up the career ladder.

30年前，一个人从高中到工作需要经历：

1.参加标准化考试（如，美国的SAT考试，中国的高考等）

2.高中毕业

3.进入大学

4.参加工作并且在一家公司工作很多年，在职业发展的天梯上不断攀登

For the next generation of workers, this journey will be very different. To effectively compete, the steps will look more like this:

1.Take a standardized test (高考, SAT, TOEFL, ACT, IB, etc, etc, etc).

2.Graduate from high school.

3.Go to college.

4.Graduate from college.

5.Go back to college.

6.Graduate with a master’s degree, MBA, or any combination of higher-learning degrees.

7.Look for a job. Take something with low pay and long hours. Change jobs in a year or two, working across, sideways, up and down the career jungle gym.

新一代人才会有不同经历：

1.参加标准化考试（如，高考，美国的SAT，托福，ACT, IB等等）

2.高中毕业

3.进入大学

4.大学毕业

5.重新回到大学

6.从硕士、MBA或者其他更高的学位毕业

7.从事一份薪水相对较低的工作，随后的一两年，在同行业横向跳槽，以求得纵向更快的职业发展

Exhausting, right? The truth is that, as more people go to college, the traditional college degree depreciates in worth and value. The next generation will have to work much harder for a comfortable position in a competitive company.

感觉心力交瘁？事实是，随着进入大学的人越来越多，传统大学学位的价值在缩水。未来的大学毕业生需要付出更大的努力，才能在一家竞争激烈的公司得到自己想要的位置。

Or, they can work smarter.

或者，你可以更智慧地工作。

The Institute for the Future has published a study named Future Work Skills of 2020. By focusing on these character and technical skills, parents can guide their children to develop unique, marketable skills that will translate into a fulfilling career.

一家叫做The Institute for the Future的机构出版了名为《2020年人才必须具备的工作技能》的调查研究。通过集中精力培养这些技能，家长可以引导自己的孩子发展独特、适应市场需求的职业素质，在未来拥有更好的职业发展。

Character Skills:

职业素养（软实力）：

1.Sense-Making (Critical Thinking)-

As smart machines take over rote, routine manufacturing and services jobs, there will be an increasing demand for the kinds of skills machines are not good at. These are higher level thinking skills that cannot be codified. We call these sense-making skills, skills that help us create unique insights critical to decision making.

理解能力（批判性思维能力）-

一台智能机器可以机械地进行生产工作。但是，未来会有越来越多新的需求产生，即使再聪明的机器也没法满足我们的所有需要。这就是为什么高级思维能力永远无法被破解，让我们找到规律和捷径。我们将这种高级思维称作批判性思维能力，即帮助我们独立思辨，最终做出理性判断和决定的思维能力。

2，Social Intelligence-

Socially intelligent employees are able to quickly assess the emotions of those around them and adapt their words, tone, and gestures accordingly. This has always been a key skill for workers who need to collaborate and build relationships of trust, but it is even more important as we are called on to collaborate with larger groups of people around the world.

社交能力-

社交能力强的员工可以很快地感知周边人的情绪，用更合理的语言、语气和行为方式和周围的同事沟通，更好地适应周围环境。在我们需要和他人合作、建立良好关系以及信任的时候，具备这项技能非常重要。当我们需要和更大的国际性团队合作时候，社交能力变得尤为重要。

3，Novel/Adaptive Thinking (Creativity)-

Novel or adaptive thinkers have the ability to respond to unique unexpected circumstances of the moment. Tasks as different as writing a convincing legal argument or creating a new dish out of set ingredients both require novel thinking and adaptability.

灵活应变及创新能力-

在工作中可以灵活应变以及具备创新能力的人，可以有效应对工作中未知新情况的出现。无论您的孩子在未来成为一名律师拟定思维缜密的法律意见书，或者成为一名厨师把传统菜做出新花样，都需要具备这种能力。

4，Cross-Cultural Competency-

Diversity will become a core competency for organizations over the next decade. Successful employees within these diverse teams need to be able to identify and communicate points of connection that transcend their differences and enable them to build relationships and work together effectively.

跨文化能力-

团队人员和文化的多样性会成为未来十年组织需要具备的核心竞争力之一。在这样的组织环境下，成功的员工需要学会求同存异，利用好团队文化的多样性，更有效地推进工作。

Technical Skills:

技术能力

1，Computational Thinking-

Computational thinking is the ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data-based reasoning. This data, and the information that drives it, will feature regularly in discourse and decision making.

计算机式思维方式-

计算机式思维是将海量的数据转化成概念，基于数据进行推理的能力。数据以及数据所基于的信息在未来世界的语境和决策中将起重大作用。

2，New-Media Literacy-

Next generation workers will need to become fluent in forms such as video, able to critically “read” and assess them in the same way that they currently assess a paper or presentation. They will also need to be comfortable creating and presenting their own visual information.

新媒体读写能力-

新时代人才应对视频等影像产品熟练掌握，对影像文件进行分析理解运用，对它们的熟悉程度和运用能力不亚于对纸张和PPT的熟练程度。他们应能熟练掌握创作技能和顺利展示影像信息。

3，Transdisciplinary-

Many of today’s global problems are just too complex to be solved by one specialized discipline. Multifaceted problems require future workers to be literate in and able to understand concepts across multiple disciplines.

跨学科能力-

现今的全球问题过于复杂，已不能用一个学科的有限知识来解决。未来人才应对多学科的知识都有所涉猎，以应对复杂的形势变化。

4，Design Mindset-

A worker with a design mindset is able to represent and develop tasks and work processes for a desired outcome. New discoveries in neuroscience highlight how profoundly our physical environments shape cognition. As neurobiologist Fred gage said, “Change the environment, change the brain, change the behavior.”

设计理念-

有设计理念的人才知道如何将工作和工作流程呈现和安排得更好，以达到更好的效果。神经学的最新研究表明，身边的环境的复杂程度和我们的认知水平息息相关。正如神经学家Fred Gage所说，“环境改变大脑，大脑改变行为。”

5，Cognitive Load Management-

Organizations and workers will be able to turn the massive influx of data into an advantage if they can learn to effectively filter and focus on what is important. This ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to maximize cognitive functioning requires a variety of tools and techniques.

认知能力管理-

现在的企业和个人每天都产生大量信息，如果可以学会对信息进行有效分析处理，将重要信息分离，将对企业和个人多有帮助。这种对重要信息的识别和分析的能力，对扩大理解认知能力的理解需要利用各种工具和技术。

6，Virtual Collaboration-

Connective technologies make it easier than ever to work, share ideas, and be productive despite physical separation. As a leader of a virtual team, individuals need to develop strategies for engaging and motivating a dispersed group.

虚拟合作-

电子通信工具让虚拟团队的合作，想法分享，和提高工作效率前所未有的简单。虚拟团队的领导者应该制定策略，凝聚和激励分散的组员。

Next time you contemplate your child’s future, think smarter- not harder. Activities that foster technical skills such as computer design or programming, as well as characters skills such as critical thinking and creativity, may have more positive impact than a top high school, university abroad, or a great score on the高考.

为了孩子的未来，家长们都为上好的学校绞尽脑汁，用尽全力，但下次何不换个角度呢？

对孩子们的一生来说，计算机设计和编程等技术能力、素质能力，包括思考能力和创造力的养成也许比上更好地高中、上国外的大学和在高考中取得高分更重要。

【Lane的简介】

Lane is an education professional with eight years of experience teaching and designing curriculum. Lane was born in a small city in America and as a child dreamed of traveling the world. After graduating from university and living in Mexico and Spain, Lane moved to Guangzhou, China. She met her husband(a New Zealander) in Guangzhou and, in 2012, their daughter Stella was born. Lane’s passion for education continues to motivate her to create educational materials that benefit children both cognitively and socially. Lane aspires to make language learning an experience which captures and cultivates children’s natural passion and curiosity.

宜兰是一个拥有八年的教学课程设计经验的学术专家。她出生在美国一个小城市，在小时候就梦想着环游世界。大学毕业后,住在墨西哥和西班牙,后来她搬到了中国的广东。在广州，她遇到了她的丈夫(一个新西兰人), 2012年,他们的女儿呱呱坠地。宜兰对教育的热情激励着她对教材编写的热情, 为儿童和社会做出贡献。宜兰希望语言学习能成为一种培养儿童自然激情和好奇心的体验。

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