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The world is evolving rapidly but our educational system isn't. We're still practicing an educational model designed for the 19th century to prepare children to be factory workers.
Here's my list of 10 obsolete educational practices that we need to change/reform.
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Here's my list of 10 obsolete educational practices that we need to change/reform.
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1. Copying long notes in class: Why would a teacher spend hours copying notes from the textbook to the "blackboard" & then instruct all the students to spend more hours copying that note, even when the students have the textbook and might not understand the content of the note.
This teaching style is not only time wasting but limits the child's thinking ability. Learners/students should be encouraged to study the course work before the class & then questions are addressed in class with key points highlighted and noted during discussion.
This generalized teaching model always leaves several students behind since the comprehension process for all the students in the class differs. Unfortunately over 40% of the class will be left behind by the 6th week of the semester because the learning isn't individualized.
2. Starting school at 7am for children.
Why do we have to wake a little child up by 6am to get ready for school by 7am or 8am even when several offices resume at 9am today. This schooling practice was effective when preparing factory workers to resume by 7am.
Why do we have to wake a little child up by 6am to get ready for school by 7am or 8am even when several offices resume at 9am today. This schooling practice was effective when preparing factory workers to resume by 7am.
Studies show that starting school an hour later improves a child's health, increases overall function & helps reduce sleep deprivation in children. This, in turn, has a myriad of health benefits like longevity, better performance in school and healthier brain development.
3. Ringing Bells: The bells we hear in schools today were designed to get children ready to work in factories & mines where bells signify the end of a shift/break. Today since we have our own timepieces, bells aren't relevant at work places. So is this practice still relevant?
4. Stereotypical, and demeaning dress codes:
I visited some secondary schools last year and while the boys wore shorts that stopped at their knee, the girls had to wear long skirts that touched their ankle. Off course this was to protect them from exposure and enforce modesty.
I visited some secondary schools last year and while the boys wore shorts that stopped at their knee, the girls had to wear long skirts that touched their ankle. Off course this was to protect them from exposure and enforce modesty.
Many dress codes are targeted to girls based on religious & cultural beliefs. Girls shouldn't wear shorts because it's meant for boys. Girls shouldn't wear sleeveless tops because their shoulders are distracting to the boys.
Quite obsolete but are still practiced today.
Quite obsolete but are still practiced today.
5. Standardized Testing & Exams.
Our school system is designed to judge monkeys, fishes & birds by their ability to swim & this is unfortunate.
While standardized tests can measure some of what a child learns in school, it is a very limited way of measuring learning outcomes.
Our school system is designed to judge monkeys, fishes & birds by their ability to swim & this is unfortunate.
While standardized tests can measure some of what a child learns in school, it is a very limited way of measuring learning outcomes.
Students today need to learn to solve global problems, think creatively & manage real life issues. They shouldn't to be boxed up with static content & forced to memorize themto pass an exam. We need to train our youths for jobs that don’t yet exist & a future they'll create.
6. Teachers should stop thinking they are always right. So they come prepared with a manual and force the students to regurgitate all they have downloaded word for word.
This flawed system leaves us trying to make humans robots when we should be building & designing robots.
This flawed system leaves us trying to make humans robots when we should be building & designing robots.
7. Lack of, or inaccurate Sex education. 90% of our schools will never teach sex education because sex "forbidden" to be talked about. But data shows that 1 in 3 teenage girls will get pregnant and 80% of boys are never taught about prevention, protection or even consent.
Many schools that are brave enough to teach sex education will use scare tactics to divide boys vs girls or teach only absinence. The "Do not let boys touch you or you'll get pregnant message". Teaching abstinence limits teens from the reality of the world & the associated risks.
For many teenagers, the culture of a girl telling a boy "no" actually means you have to try again. And if he doesn't try harder it means he's a weak boy.
Girls need to know that they can ask boys out if they like them. The power isn't meant to be in the hands of the boys alone.
Girls need to know that they can ask boys out if they like them. The power isn't meant to be in the hands of the boys alone.
8. The use of manual labor and flogging to correct children. I went to a Naval school where discipline was our motto. Teachers will flog you, Naval officers will drill you & even your seniors will punish you. Sadly, this practice was passed on from generation to generation.
And while the intention was for discipline & to make us "good", it damaged a lot of young people. Made them vulnerable to various forms of abuse & even developed various forms of fright & trauma.
There are several non violent forms of discipline and schools must embrace them.
There are several non violent forms of discipline and schools must embrace them.
9. Handling computer education as a special subject that must be learnt only in the computer room. Back in secondary school over 18 years ago we had just 1 computer room & every class went in once in 2 week. Today over 80% of our schools still do not even have computer rooms.
We must stop seeing technology as competition or as a danger to students or education. We should start integrating technology into the curriculum. Many educators still see mobile devices, tablets & laptops as distractions to students when indeed students learn better with them.
We must not let the future leave us behind. Someday children will no longer need exercise books and pens. Students will not even need a physical teacher or classroom. So the earlier we start preparing to & start integrating technology in education, the better for us & our world.
10. Hiding our history. Learning about our history with a clearly defined purpose gives us a sense of pride. It makes us cherish the experiences of our past, accept the realities of our present & work in unity to pursue the hopes & vision of our future.
We must stop hiding it.
We must stop hiding it.
Indeed our future can be much more brighter if we are more intentional about the purpose of our education.
We must teach the 21st century skills & ensure that our education isn't just preparing us to get a job but to make us see the world as our oyster, to explore and to develop.
We must teach the 21st century skills & ensure that our education isn't just preparing us to get a job but to make us see the world as our oyster, to explore and to develop.
