There were several things that Sir Ken Robinson said that formed very vivid images in my mind . I'd like to comment on them first.
The analogy made with children being mass manufactured like products in a factory reminded me of the film, 'The Matrix' - in particular the scene where the machines are creating new species in the 'real world'. To be honest, this is very very scary.... and it's really happening- which scares me more. Is this what our education system has come to? Sir Robinson is correct when he mentions that our education system is based on the principles of 'mass production'. However, this is extremely unfortunate. This has to change... I don't really know how.. but it's not heading the right way.
The second vivid image that came to mind was when he talked about how a plant grows. A plant needs nurturing and the correct conditions to grow. This is very true. It is absolutely imperative, critical, crucial, important, and ESSENTIAL for schools to provide conditions, and teachers to enhance 'personal development' -- this according to me is the KEY to a good education. As Sir Robinson mentioned later, you can't just put the roots in the ground and stick the petals and expect the plant to grow.....
One factor that greatly contributes to this mechanical system is the fact that the government sets very definite targets by which it wants to accomplish extremely challenging feat. The new goal that came with the recently reformed ESEA is, " ..... that by 2020, America once again will lead the world in college competition." I would be really glad if this happened in the next decade. However, I'm just afraid that in order to accomplish this goal, we will resort to narrowing our focus on 'important', yet limited, aspects of teaching. Achieving targets, at the cost of inhibiting personal development, in my opinion is extremely unfair.
In such a system, not only do the students suffer, but so do the teachers. The latter have to teach to a restricted (and not necessarily an educationally prolific) curriculum.
On the positive side, the government has put in a HUGE amount of money into education, which should really help in a lot of ways. Also, the fact that the govt. mentioned that schools not performing well will not be punished, but instead be helped -- this was immensely heartening and encouraging to hear !
As a teacher, I firmly believe that I need to teach my students science in such a way that they understand , enjoy , learn it well, and trigger (in even the smallest of ways) some excitement or fascination for some aspect of science. I would like to provide conditions necessary for healthy personal development, as I believe that this is imperative. I had very few teachers who motivated me well, but I know that if I did, I would probably have learned much more, in a much better way. I wouldn't want my students missing out on this, and will do my best to be an inspiring teacher.
The problems in education are huge, and impossible for a single person to solve. Even though it might be insignificant, I will put in an earnest effort in ensuring that my students have learned the subject well, and nor just for the sake of the exam. If I can succeed in this challenge, I will be really satisfied.
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You know, I had the same "matrix" response. I also thought of "Brave New World", where people are formed (not born) to do certain jobs. They all end up more-or-less the same within their class. I don't know if you know this book, but I was always creeped out by the way a class system was created and maintained. The mass-production concept of public education is misguided at best.
ReplyDeleteI understand the problem that education faces. There will never be a one-to-one ratio of teachers and students. How do you foster individual development when each class has 30 students in it and most secondary schools have teachers teaching 5 or 6 classes? I know that this is taboo to say in education, but I feel that a certain level of tracking is beneficial to students. If there are classes that a made for gifted students, struggling students, and a few levels between, then there is more elbow-room for what kind of enrichment to give to the students. It would also be easier to create an activity that will allow all of the students in that class use creative problem solving. I know that some of the "problem solving" activities in my school experience didn't work my grey matter at all.
No matter the school system I am sent to, I want to be able to prvovide various levels of enrichment. I am not sure how to integrate it into a single class period, unless I have students doing different levels of a similar activity, but I hope to engage the students regardless of their performance level. If they hate science, that is alright. I want to teach them my subject, but more importantly, I want to teach them how to learn. This is something I seldom experienced in a classroom - a sad statement really.