How Would You Change Education?
I am still astounded to hear about high school students who are illiterate. I can’t figure out how you can go to school for 6-8 years and just by sitting in the class you don’t gain some cognitive capabilities. How can a teacher or school move a student to the next level if they don’t meet some basic criteria?
For elementary school that is grades 1-6, I would focus on the basics which are reading, writing, math and I would add speaking. For writing it would be a combination of hand writing and keyboard. I believe it is important to start children at a very early age to get comfortable speaking in front of a group of people. I understand how challenging it is for people at any age to get up in front and speak. However, if it was just part of the curriculum from first grade on, most of the students would lose that fear.
Now I know I would have critics who would say where are the arts in this? Well, in the writing assignments they could incorporate illustration and have them tell a story. What about music? I would not be adverse to starting band and/or choir 6th grade. What about foreign language? Not sure on this one.
Elementary school needs to be the foundation. There is no way that a student would be harmed if they focused on the areas I recommend. I believe that speaking training will have a profound impact. It would go hand-in-hand with the writing.
As I stated before, having competent and enthusiastic teachers makes all the difference. I want school to be challenging but also fun. It can’t be just heavy academics over and over. Students need to move during the day too. That is why recess and physical education are just as important.
We have to be willing to try new things. There needs to be a measurable way to see the effects. There will always be detractors in whatever way you try to educate students. Don’t ignore them, or belittle them, but do your best to have a conversation with them. You never know, you may have more in common than you think.
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