13 replies to this topic

[Padme]

How should children be taught? 

Do you feel you were educated well?

What do you think would repair the education system(s)?

 

Most people believe that our school systems in most 'western' countries at least, are fundamentally flawed.

Little is done to revolutionize these systems. Small 'band-aid' type changes are made to alter schooling slightly but little is done to change the foundation on which our school systems are designed.

 

Well, today I read an article on Finland which is doing just that:

 

article from: http://www.independe...m-10123911.html

 

 

Subject-specific lessons – an hour of history in the morning, an hour of geography in the afternoon – are already being phased out for 16-year-olds in the city’s upper schools. They are being replaced by what the Finns call “phenomenon” teaching – or teaching by topic. For instance, a teenager studying a vocational course might take “cafeteria services” lessons, which would include elements of maths, languages (to help serve foreign customers), writing skills and communication skills.

More academic pupils would be taught cross-subject topics such as the European Union - which would merge elements of economics, history (of the countries involved), languages and geography.

 

 

Thoughts? Feelings? Do you think this is a step in the right direction? Finland already had a top rated school system so to change it without need is a far cry from the typical reactive initiatives we see from governments. 

[KaibaSama]

I agree with this approach. I want to be a doctor. I want to learn about bio. I'm taking a bio class right now, but I still need to take pre-calc.  When is a patient going to come to me, and I'll end up seeing a triangle shaped tumor in their head and need to figure out the sin, cos, and tan, of it? Some of the things I'm learning, I'll never use in real life. It's an annoying waste of my time when I could be learning things that will actually be relevant to the job I want. 

Am I understanding this right? I mean there's the thing about the vocational courses, and how kids will take lessons relevant to that course. So are they basically tailoring lessons to what sort of thing the kids want to do? Or what courses they want to take? I feel like I'm not. 

[Prisca]

I haven't read the article, because tldr, but i know that Finland has been doing well with its education system. My university gave it raving reviews while i was studying there. i have always felt 'if only we could be more like Finland'. It would surprise me if this change worked out really well. 

[KaibaSama]

We should teach kids through osmosis. If you sleep on your textbooks, you'll be smarter!

No more studying late into the night, no more having to pay attention in class....

Someone, invent this, quick!

[Prisca]

We should teach kids through osmosis. If you sleep on your textbooks, you'll be smarter!

hahaha, ive done this before. #shame

[Swar]

hahaha, ive done this before. #shame

 

You just gotta believe!

 

I've done it too

[pancakeface]

We should teach kids through osmosis. If you sleep on your textbooks, you'll be smarter!

 

True story. My math teacher told my class this once when we were all quite frustrated with a particular chapter because

Spoiler

i didn't know why, still don't, probably never will

 

On the one hand, I'm for "if it's not broken, don't fix it" but on the other, I guess they're the at the top of education for precisely their opposite attitude to that. I think it's a fairly interesting approach but I'm terrified it will move towards a direction of figure out what you want to do with your life at 9 years old. I love how they're showing real consideration about it though, training teachers, phasing it in gradually, doing trial projects at the school.

Edited by argonate, 22 March 2015 - 09:08 PM.

[Padme]

@Satsuki I think that is the approach they are taking to later in the educational years...

 

@Prisca you studied there? That's fascinating! How did it differ? Did you learn in english or in another language?

 

@argonate I think just because people are pushed through the education system successfully that it isn't broken I think the systems are broken. I think this approach sounds very similar to the IB format I learned in the last few years of high school. I think basics should still be taught: reading, writing, basic maths, language (not emphasized enough in North America as far as I'm concerned). Through IB we had structured classes, we had to but our teachers were strongly encouraged to let us discuss and have whole classes where we just had conversations about world events. In fact we had a class called theory of knowledge where we just discussed current events or social issues and I learned quite a bit. =) (Obviously a very condensed post about my feelings haha)

[Prisca]

@Padme sorry, i meant while i studied at my university they were raving about it. Would love to study in Finland though!

[NapisaurusRex]

I don't think all children can be taught any one way, and shouldn't be. Not everyone was designed to go to college or do great academic things. I firmly believe in different kinds of intelligence and that you don't need college to be successful in life. Opportunity is great, sure, but why set yourself or your children up to 'fail' at one thing when they could do excellent in another?

 

I don't think I was educated well. It was easy and boring and I did drugs to amuse myself (which helped in art and English, I guess, but not a lot else.) Burned a lot of brain cells and now I'm average white trash. 

 

I have no idea how to fix the school systems here in the US. I homeschool my children, and we don't actively sort things out by subject. (I do for state mandated stuff, but the kids don't usually see that side of it.) It's too difficult to do. How do you explain to a child that baking bread is considered science class one week, math the next, and social studies the one after? Our whole day is a kerfluffle of intertwined, overlapped subjects. It's easy for them to see connections, learn real life skills, and helps keep them absorbed in life.

[LittleBambi]

The school system here in Belgium is okay I guess, but it does have its flaws. What I personally missed when I was in high school was the proper guidance. I didn't belong in the study direction I was doing. Drawing has been one of my passions ever since I was 7 years old. Teachers both in primary school and high school found me drawing every chance I got. There were even teachers that told me I was good at it.

Yet no one saw fit to inform me that art schools existed. I was struggling so much with some of my courses. I did Economy-modern languages. The languages weren't a problem (except for French, but I managed) but Economy and Mathmetics were a complete disaster. I managed to get through it, I never had to redo a year, but still, it wasn't easy.

 

Then, a few months before we graduate, we get this session regarding what to choose in higher education. Once again, no mention of something like art and stuff. But fortunately I was smart enough to know that there had to be something art related you could study. But that's when I also discovered that art education in high school is a thing.

 

I'm still angry that no one ever told me about art education when I was a kid. It's like they look down upon art education. Now, I'm finally doing Graphic Design in college, but of course, I'm way behind on those who have followed art education in high school. It's just a shame that they denied me something that would have fitted me perfectly as a child. I hope that things have changed now. I'm 24, so a lot of years have passed since then. One can only hope.

[Turnip]

I'm still angry that no one ever told me about art education when I was a kid. It's like they look down upon art education.

Mmmnn, yeah that's a pretty common thing. A lot of people see art-related degrees as jokes ("Why aren't you taking something useful, like *thing you clearly aren't interested in*? You won't get anywhere with that, you need to be doing what I'm doing because that's the only way to be successful!") so they'll try and push something else on you. Like I guess they forget that art is important because without it we wouldn't have things like logos/architecture/general sorta graphic design things, so they say it isn't important? I dunno. But I think it's a waste of time trying to get someone to study a completely unrelated subject when they do way better in a different one.

[LittleBambi]

Mmmnn, yeah that's a pretty common thing. A lot of people see art-related degrees as jokes ("Why aren't you taking something useful, like *thing you clearly aren't interested in*? You won't get anywhere with that, you need to be doing what I'm doing because that's the only way to be successful!") so they'll try and push something else on you. Like I guess they forget that art is important because without it we wouldn't have things like logos/architecture/general sorta graphic design things, so they say it isn't important? I dunno. But I think it's a waste of time trying to get someone to study a completely unrelated subject when they do way better in a different one.

Exactly, everyone should be able to do what they like the most, because in the end that's what gives the best results. People that do a job they don't like doing... I can't imagine that they'd do their job as well as someone who loves it. Not that they wouldn't try their best of course, but motivation is such a huge factor.

[NeoVix]

I believe some children are just..not academic. I have thought for a while that when you hit yr9 or whatever, when you get the option of which GCSEs to take, there should be an option of taking up an appernticeship type thing instead. Something thats going to help you get into a proper job on leaving school if you have been predicted like..fails for all exams, or if you just don't want to go down the academic, college, uni etc route. Honestly GCSEs on their own mean nothing I have found when looking for a job.

 

Not sure how schools work elsewhere, but this is for UK schools.