Wednesday, March 23, 2011
kids rule the school
After reading this piece I thought it was a joke. I do agree that we learn more when we study subjects we are interested in. However, I don't think students should be able to choose what that information is in high school. Students should be exposed to a variety of subjects. How do students know what they are interested in if they are never exposed to it. Besides just the content, what message does this send to the kids? Where is responsibly and accountably in this method. Why should kids do whatever they like in school? What will happen to these kids in the workforce. Will they be able to function properly or worse tell their boss i'd rather do something else, and not be able to hold jobs. Life doesn't work this way. We need to teach our students accountability in all facets in life and schools are where that needs to start. They should understand what is expected of them and be able to do it. Allowing them to choose their own curriculum is just ridiculous. This author claims "participants will end up more accomplished, more engaged and more knowledgeable than they would have been taking regular courses". He fails to mention what happens if a students decides he doesn't want to do math. Now the poor kid gets out of high school and cant figure out how to pay bills, manage money, or buy groceries due to lack of math skills. I might be a bit extreme here but I see people all the time who went through a lifetime of no accountability and they end up a burden on society. I'm not saying schools are perfect but they do need a general direction.
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I agree with your point about how this program would not work if a student decides he doesnt want to "do math." I am just trying to picture the classes I have observed, and the only reason they do the work is because they are forced to in order to pass. This system "without grades" will be exploited by students who can get through if their friends write favorable evaluations of them at the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about students not knowing what they are interested in if they're never exposed to it. However,it makes it difficult for students to figure out what they are interested in when they are just led by teachers and schools and don't get to choose their direction; it seems to make schools a bit rote. I do agree with you said that the sole responsibility of deciding what students learn should not be the students. There are certain things that students need to know in order to function in society. I think more student input is needed, but not to decide an entire curriculum.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about if a student decides he doesn't want to do a certain subject was one of my first thoughts when I read the article. I think that this is very idealistic and would not be beneficial for a lot of students, for the reason that there is no structure being implemented and it is basically up to them to learn. We can give them more social interactions in classrooms without getting rid of the entire traditional structure.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to this that you said here:
ReplyDelete"This author claims "participants will end up more accomplished, more engaged and more knowledgeable than they would have been taking regular courses."
I'm sorry, but I agree with the author completely. Everything that I was not interested in during school, I did not give 100% effort to. If I had an option to choose what I wanted to do or if I chose a book to read and write on, I would give it all of my efforts because it is something that I am completely interested. I understand your grievances with this issue, but honestly, a lot of the things that were mandated to me based on a curriculum were things that I do not use in my life at all. If I were spending that time learning about the subject that I am focusing on now, I would have been that much better at what I am currently trying to accomplish.
Just something to think about...
I agree with Melody to a large extent. However, I think it's important to remember that the things you like in High School aren't necessarily going to be the things your interested in when your 21. What if you were allowed to ignore Science to concentrate on English, and then in your freshman year of college you realize you realize you want to apply to medical school? I think the point of High School is to expose students to an array of subject matter so that they can specialize in college. But then again there are always those people know exactly what they want to early on and could benefit from early specialization.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Mike, and disagree with Melody. High school in my opinion is not a place for specialization. That is what higher education is for. High school is meant to provide an introduction to many subjects in an effort to give students a broad background and familiarity with all subjects. There are things from every subject in high school that I use every day. I disagree with the author 100%.
ReplyDelete