The way children are educated varies throughout the world. What's the education system where you're from? Do you think children are under-challenged or over-challenged? Do you think children should be streamed based on ability or is that unfair? What subjects do you think are important? Please reply. I'd love to hear your views.
Education - training human units to fit in the (post)industrial socio-economic state of things and to reproduce it. It's killing human spirit and brain, it's stupid to the point of absurdity. Ironically, most of the world's educational systems were copied from that of the early Prussian state. Total state which needed hardworking, trained (but not thinking) units to expand its borders and influence.
From 7-14 children should be taught to read, write, do arithmetic and geometry WELL. PhysED should have REAL tests of flexibility, strength and endurance. It shouldnt be a matter of just showing up and chaseing a ball around. After the age of 14 their educational choices should be self-motivated.
A 14-yr old in today's society doesn't know enough to motivate themselves toward anything useful or purposeful. Baron Max
I'll let you decide that for yourself. After all, I just typed a bunch of words on the screen, you're the one reading them. Baron Max
I think the Danes have the best system. Probably an opinion based on a significant amount of judgement. How many self-motivated 14 year olds do YOU know?
Sorry, it was the Fins. This is all from a US News article from about a month ago, I am hardly an expert on this subject. Parents have a lot of freedom (with government support) to choose the school their kid attends. The schools and classes are completely mixed, with people from every background, academic and economic, in the same room. Teachers are required to have a master's degree, and students with disabilities are assimilated into the mainstream classes. All of this equals the smalles gap between the top students and the bottom students. The one problem I see is that it seems like there is are separate academic and vocational tracks, starting in the fourth grade. What does a student know about life in the fourth grade? This seems like an early place to choose which kids go to college, and which end up as mechanics.
What does streamed mean? What subjects important? None that i can think of.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
The educational system is filled with socio-political nonsense. By that I mean a heirarchy is in place for students to socialize, relate with staff, and so on. This is a weakness in any system of education meant to teach. In order for humanity to move beyond its current limitations we must first understand that while in school learning is the only thing of relevance. Socializing is also important but it must not create outcasts like Cho, Columbine's initiators, etc. I would suggest a system where-by students are taught to seperate oneself socially from others is a weakness, that you must seek out those who are not social in order to include them. It is also important we give a sense of respect to students, they must understand you cannot insult someone without consequences. Being bullied is a thing of the past in this system, what instead happens is an attempt to bring about the best of each individual, but not confine them to being a loner. Also art and theatre should be required, and those with less expressive persona's should be included in the forefront of the events. This will help them to keep from becoming mad or nuts. I'd suggest to you that a regular testing of the childrens social perceptions and beliefs would help to deter any future crimes in schools.
I'd be interested in hearing some of your opinions regarding the current educational system in the US. Should there be massive reforms or can it be mostly kept "as is" with little in the way of alteration. The reason I ask is simple, considering the newest difficulties they've been experiencing (mass murder, teachers mating with students, bullying, alcohol / drugs) I feel there must be some primary chances made in order to bring about a more universal and technically superior form of learning.
Key words here being "today's society". A 14 year old in a more challenging or realist-based society might be different, might be more aware.
I think the first thing that should be done is to raise the requirements for being a teacher. I have seen the types of undergraduates who major in "education", and I wouldn't want half of them anywhere near my kids. Making teacher certification more difficult (i.e. requiring a master's degree or some such) would also have the side effect of driving up teacher salaries. Because teachers would be more qualified, they could command higher and higher salaries in the private sector, which would force school districts to pay teachers more. Raising the requirements for teachers would have a smaller side effect of making the profession more respectable. One of the problems in America is that teaching isn't as respected a profession as in some other countries. I have heard many times that teachers are the ones who couldn't make it in industry---in other words they fell into teaching as opposed to actually choosing to teach. Now, of course this isn't true, but it is an attitude that I have encountered, more than once.
Sorry, streamed, maybe that's not the English word, em, it's where students are put in seperate classes based on academic ability. You don't think any subjects are important? What about maths and languages?
Can anyone give me a description of what the education is like in their own country? (subject choices, exams, etc.)
