Towards a Unification of Education and Healthcare

Earlier this year I presented this hypothesis to a special interest group at the American Educational Research Association, which extends some of the ideas that will be part of my book on unifying science and education with metacognitive practices of self examination that will be being published by Springer Nature in October. It goes right to the heart of the the potential of a universal problem solving procedure that can be used to increase a person’s ability to address the problems that confront them, particularly problems that affect their learning, health and general well-being.

In this video I present the general idea that a society's educational system can be unified in a very fundamental way with its healthcare systems producing significant improvements in delivery, cost, and quality of service. This fundamental relationship occurs at the most elementary levels of problem-solving. Connecting these two institutions intentionally and consciously, using the same natural, neuro-biologically rooted universal problem solving routine used by children and scientists alike would ground the goals and practices of these institutions in the science of learning and human development. Present weaknesses in both education and healthcare systems stem from institutional practices that impede, rather than support, the problem-solving abilities of individuals. Teaching students how to engage a problem-solving process to better understand and  access educational support for their learning needs will transfer into more productive interactions with healthcare professionals supporting their healing. A problem solving curriculum promoting metacognitive education about learning and self regulation could expand to include personal problem solving around health, wellness and personal care. Constructing institutions that support and develop an individual’s natural problem-solving skills while engaging in the communal problem solving that underpin the needs of the institution.