Posted by
Waski_the_Squirrel on Sunday, June 08, 2008 7:57:46 PM
Some "children" leave themselves behind. This is a simple truth. I really believe that all children
can learn, but not all children
will learn. As I've noted before, some schools and teachers move children into this latter category because of their practices or structure. The solution (for most children) is almost magical in its simplicity. Implementation is more difficult. That solution is: choices.
Choices in Education
Not all students will go to college. Not all students will work with their hands. I live in a very rural area, but not all of my students plan to be ranchers. School needs to be structured so that these students can pursue interests based on career choice. At the same time, schools need to retain the flexibility for students to change their minds as they mature and their interests change.
The only way to truly accomplish this is flexibility. Some school districts are large enough to provide this "in house." Many, like mine, are not. My district covers over 1000 square miles and contains only 450 students. We can't offer the choices of a Bismarck or Fargo.
This brings up the other part of flexibility. Not all schools need to hire a teacher of every subject. ITV is one way to deliver courses. Another is online coursework. Neither quite replaces having an actual instructor in the room. However, they provide options. The students in my school can take German through ITV. We will never offer German ourselves. We're too small to employ a full time instructor.
Schools would be able to share teachers, hire specialized teachers, and give students choices. My students are shut out of AP courses right now because we don't have the population to justify AP courses. Online courses would change that.
While we need choices, we also need to set some limits. I would make the junior and senior years the time when students truly branch out and focus. This would also be the time for apprenticeships, internships, and other real work experience. It might also be a time to start taking some college courses.
A few electives would be appropriate at the sophomore and freshman level, but these students are really still figuring out who they are. They aren't ready to specialize.
A Base
We are all citizens of a great nation. Citizens should all have certain things in common. We should all have the ability to better ourselves. We should share certain cultural elements. We should all share certain skills and knowledge. Because of this, students should master certain skills.
Up until the 8th grade, students should share a common curriculum. Now I don't want to hold any student back. I want them to be able to work faster. However, there are certain skills and bodies of knowledge that all should master. Individual students should be able to move beyond this base, but all should have that base. I would only make exceptions for those who are mentally incapable of understanding the base.
For some examples of a common curriculum, look at the standards of
Project 2061. This is a good example of a base in science. Science majors and the college bound should move beyond it. Skilled workers will likely move beyond it. However, everyone should have that base.
Conclusion
I recognize that this whole series rambled a bit. In some ways, this blog helps me organize my own thoughts. Let me sum up my main points. In other entries, not in this series, I will try to look at specific issues of implementation.
- Students need choices. A one-size-fits-all curriculum does not serve the needs of all students.
- Students need a base curriculum. There are certain skills and areas of knowledge that we should all share.
- Junior and senior years should start serious specialization. This would include true apprenticeships, college coursework, and various specialized courses.
- School should not lock students into a particular "track". Students are still maturing and deciding who they are.
- No choice should be the "easy" choice.
- ITV and online courses should be expanded so that teachers can specialized.
- Even small rural schools can offer more options.
- The current definition of a school day is out of date. Schools should be measure by results, not "seat time."
- Some students will choose to be "left behind" no matter what the school does.