Why the education system is failing (school, literacy, logic, science)

[sanspeur]

Some really good points made here....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFc...layer_embedded

[stepka]

Thanks for that--I always enjoy and agree with his lectures, but I don't have much hope that change will come--it would seem that schools spend most of their energy and resources on upholding the status quo and many of the teachers are dedicated to that same goal, though most don't realize it. It's just that most of them are people for whom the system has worked very well and they can't imagine what the flaws might be or why there are so many disengaged students.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by stepka

Thanks for that--I always enjoy and agree with his lectures, but I don't have much hope that change will come--it would seem that schools spend most of their energy and resources on upholding the status quo and many of the teachers are dedicated to that same goal, though most don't realize it. It's just that most of them are people for whom the system has worked very well and they can't imagine what the flaws might be or why there are so many disengaged students.

We have disengaged students because society does not value anything that doesn't give instant gratification. There are other countries that educate well using the same type of system (even more rigid than ours in many cases). The difference is in the attitude of the students towards education.

[Lincolnian]

That same video was discussed last month in another thread.

I don't think you'll find much disagreement with most of what he says in theory. It's the economics of reality that is the challenge.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by Lincolnian

That same video was discussed last month in another thread.

I don't think you'll find much disagreement with most of what he says in theory. It's the economics of reality that is the challenge.

Reality tends to put a damper on many ideas about how education should be handled. We don't have unlimited funds or resources. There is only so much teachers can handle. How much individualization can you achieve with 170+ students? Without tracking?

At the end of the day, we have to deal with reality.

[lkb0714]

I was onboard until the end. He made well reasoned arguments and then ends with statements that he didnt support with either facts or logic.

The one about all great learning has occurred in groups doesn't make sense to me. Maybe its my science background that beats publish or perish into us and thus competition but all of the great inventions and ideas I can think of where the work of mainly individuals. Working towards a common goal but not necessarily together. Discoveries in science are almost always individual, natural selection, quantum mechanical model, medicines, etc all come from the work of individuals building separately on what others have done.

Any one know what he means about group learning?

Maybe he means

[namomof3]

...because parents are too busy on their crackberries to realize what's going on
...because parents are too busy meeting status quo to enrich the lives of their children
...because parents over-indulge their children instead of enjoying the simple things in life
...because parents are too pre-occupied in lala land over the next BMW to lease that they don't
realize their kids are obnoxious brats

There is a lot of "learning" that must occur before we can blame te failing systems. Things such as reading with your kid ALOT, challenging your kid, playing catch outside, eating healthy, going to parks to play safely with other children, go to a museum, spend a day at a zoo ad actually talking about it afterwords, etc... How many kids are going to school with these experiences and continue to be "kids" throughout their childhood??

[skreem2]

Originally Posted by lkb0714

I was onboard until the end. He made well reasoned arguments and then ends with statements that he didnt support with either facts or logic.

The one about all great learning has occurred in groups doesn't make sense to me. Maybe its my science background that beats publish or perish into us and thus competition but all of the great inventions and ideas I can think of where the work of mainly individuals. Working towards a common goal but not necessarily together. Discoveries in science are almost always individual, natural selection, quantum mechanical model, medicines, etc all come from the work of individuals building separately on what others have done.

Any one know what he means about group learning?

Maybe he means

EXACTLY - I was on board with this guy and followed him quite well until the end of little lecture for these very same reasons.

[jtur88]

There is no "education" system. There is a system that provides the fundamentals of literacy and arithmetic, which then goes on to indoctrinate people with Big Brother's blab. Critical thinking is considered the most dangerous form of thinking, and dissent is systematically punished.

[zthatzmanz28]

Originally Posted by jtur88

There is no "education" system. There is a system that provides the fundamentals of literacy and arithmetic, which then goes on to indoctrinate people with Big Brother's blab. Critical thinking is considered the most dangerous form of thinking, and dissent is systematically punished.

Therefore the LEAST taught and most ignored skill. When will we demand more for our children? Analytical skills and being able to actually solve a problem rather than regurgatating text book answers.
I know other teachers who refuse ANY and ALL answers that are not in the annotated teacher's guide. NO VARIATION is acceptable.
So many systems have prepared scripts in place of actual teaching for educators and if it isnt scripted, it is not addressed.