I met Nikhil at the MIT Media Lab about six months ago and think the conversation he’s sparking among students is awesome. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you will.
17-year-old Nikhil Goyal, in GOOD:
Last March, Esquire revealed what it called the current “War on Youth.” In July, Newsweek dubbed millennials “Generation Screwed.” In the middle of this mayhem, young people have been left on the sidelines, given the cold shoulder, and ignored. In my life, I’ve been told to shut up, sit down, and listen. I witness this every single day at school. Top-down, rigid policies dictate word-for-word what students and teachers must do and learn. As a young person, very few seem to be on our side and even fewer attempt to strengthen our voice. Education thought leader Paulo Freire once quipped, “If the structure does not permit dialogue, the structure must be changed.”
Young people bring a fresh angle to the conversation. It may not always be correct, but at the very least that perspective isn’t drowned in years and years of expertise. You wonder why this may be the best time in human civilization to be a young entrepreneur. Anyone can invent or create something without the risk of failing miserably considering the networks, mentors, and resources we’re bathing in.
Nikhil has written a book, One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School. Here’s one brief review.
We were feature in this article by our friend and ally Nikhil!
Higher Order Teaching 