Seth Godin links to a few YouTube videos that American students have taken of teachers in the classroom.
With technology taking over every aspect, you are less and less likely to get away with anything.
What these clips don't capture is how hard it is to teach people who don't want to learn. It also lays down the challenge for teachers to find a new way of marketing the value of learning to students.
It is quite remarkable how much of school is spent feigning/or genuinely being apathetic and disinterested. Admittedley, a bad teacher makes it difficult not to be apathetic... BUT a lot of kids go without any education so it is quite sad that a lot of those who actually have the opportunity go to great lengths to throw it away.
I think clips like this are useful in highlighting problems, but once highlighted, hopefully something is done about both cause and effect.
4 comments:
Ja, it does.
And we spend 12 years mostly spending time doing stuff we don't want to do.
Problem is whether what you want to do and what you should do are the same thing? The traditional answer would be No. That teacher knows best.
I am not so sure. Your example of a kid becoming phenomenally good at chess in his spare time, while being very mediocre in the majority of time spent at school suggests problem solving etc. can best be learnt by doing stuff kids want to do.
Another criticism a friend of mine David has of school is that it artificially seperates people by year.
Here's a concept... what if you had to go to school, but you got to choose which classes you signed up for, and they were all short courses... and anyone who passed an entrance test could attend.
I reckon this could start after the `my teacher is the best' of say 12 year olds and younger has worn off. So, normal school till 12...
then as you like it from 13 to 17.
Some kids may choose Math. Some may do woodwork...
some may kick the ball around a soccer field.
I agree about grouping kids by age.
My idea is to just abolish schools altogether. the kids will be fine. I'd be interested to see what springs up to take its place
and you wouldn't have a job :-)
yip. I think that all potential jobs for me should be wiped ot.
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