Esther Wojcicki: how to educate in the digital age

Did you know that two weeks after studying for an exam, your brain only retains 32% of this information? We have realized in recent years that the educational system based on memorizing and repeating has become obsolete, since we have tools to search for information and we must change the paradigm adapting to the new needs and realities of society.

Another fact that increasingly causes more inability to solve problems autonomously on the part of children, as well as stress and fatigue in parents, is the so called “helicopter parent syndrome”. How long has it been since you’ve seen a child walk to school alone? We are facing an increasingly expanded phenomenon. The media is constantly telling parents how dangerous the world is, while the reality is different.

Books like “In defense of the Enlightenment” by Steven Pinkler show us that, contrary to our perception, the world today is safer than it was years ago. Homicides, kidnappings, famines and war conflicts are on the decline. So why do we increase control over our children?

Esther Wojcicki and her book “How to Educate Successful People”

Esther Wojcicki describes this gap between today’s educational needs and institutions clinging to the status quo, as well as the shortcomings of today’s education beautifully in her book How to raise successful people”.

We should not misunderstand the word success at this point, since it refers rather to the happiness and self realization of the person, than to success in the literal sense, although the author is the mother of three very successful women, one being the CEO from YouTube; another, founder and CEO of 23andMe, and the third, a scientist.

Wojcicki presents us in this book his unique and scientifically proven methodology and offers parents a clear and visionary guide: a manifesto to radically change the paradigm on how to educate in the digital age.

The TRICK theory or how to educate in the digital age

The book “How to Educate Successful People” offers parents and educators worldwide the concept of TRICK values ​​to learn how to educate successful, happy and healthy people in the digital age. TRICK is short for Trust (Trust), Respect (I respect), Independence (Independence), collaboration (Collaboration) and Kindness (Amiability). In each chapter, the author explains how to apply these concepts to real life and why they are essential to education.

starting with the trust, Wojcicki presents us with the importance of trusting our children and that they can also trust us. An example he uses often in his book is shopping. We must trust in our children’s abilities to perform tasks autonomously. For example, giving them money and a shopping list so that they take responsibility for shopping on their own.

In relation to I respect, the author underlines the importance of respecting the times, as well as the decisions of our children. If they don’t make decisions and make mistakes on their own, they can’t learn. Here, she focuses on the importance of not measuring our successes by the achievements of our children. And she recommends that we respect their interests, even if they have nothing to do with our expectations. Likewise, she invites us to encourage them to make an effort in what they have chosen and, above all, to give them the confidence they need to make their decisions.

Collaboration, independence and kindness

In terms of independencefor her it is essential that educators take a step back, trying to empower children to act independently. We cannot control and overprotect them, if we want them to be independent in the future. Esther and her friends, in fact, did not do their homework with her children. They were responsible for taking homework to school, and if not, dealing with the consequences. We are not always aware, but since when was it established that parents had to do homework?

The collaboration is another fundamental principle. We are not slaves to our offspring. We don’t have to do everything for them. It is essential that they learn that, to live in society, it is essential to collaborate. Keeping the house clean should be the task of everyone who lives in it, for example. Together you can decide who is in charge of sweeping, removing the dishes from the table or taking out the garbage this week.

The amiability almost self explanatory, but this quote may be a perfect summary of TRICK’s last tenet: “We all share the future and the way we treat our children will be reflected in the way they treat the world..”

How to educate the little ones in fundamental skills

A foundation of the book is to focus on creativity. In fact, creativity is, after solving complex problems and critical thinking, the third skill that companies look for in their employees today.. Therefore, educating in the digital age is also educating to be creative. However, Wojcicki warns that it is totally against creativity to leave children exposed to screens 24/7, because they need to be bored to develop their creativity.

If we want to encourage imagination with digital media, we must be very selective when choosing. Nannyfy TV is a perfect example to encourage the creativity of the little ones, since it is a platform that offers content that involve the active participation of children, doing crafts, games and other activities, even in English. We can find these contents in the Nannyfy TV Living App in Movistar+.

In addition, you can find other content to promote the emotional learning of our children in the Living App by Jappy. Here the little ones can know the emotions or learn how to make a good use of the internet through interactive videos. If we want to foster mutual trust, it is highly recommended to carry out family activities, because playing unites and allows us to disconnect from daily tasks. For example, with the Living App of #SeguimosConectados, that offers games and sports activities for the whole family.

How to access content for the little ones and for you

For Movistar Fusión customers who have a UHD Decoder or UHD Smart WiFi Decoder at home, accessing all this content is as simple as entering the “apps” at the top left of the Movistar+ main menu. There, you can view the wide catalog of Living Apps that we can enjoy as a family.

If you are interested in the subject and would like to discover more about how to educate in the digital age, enter the EnlightED Living App wave Movistar Campus Living App and learn from the hand of education experts how educational paradigms are changing and what tools we need to successfully educate people.