Education is important and as my son will be starting his school-based education in a little over a year I find myself with a keen eye for discussion on the topic of education quality. I was lucky enough to leave school thinking that school failed me but those not so lucky more often leave school feeling like they failed school and this belief one way or another can set you up for life.
So if you too find the topic interesting I recommend having a read of this short blog post by Max Wind-Cowie of the Demos Think-Tank blog: Education is a high-stakes game
This TEDtalk from Bill Gates is also very interesting. I think it is in the second half where he talks about quality of education.
Rewarding good teachers is a great idea – devil’s in the detail though. How do you prevent elitist classes/schools, emphasis on results not processes (school is about more than testing), good teachers wanting the best students….??
I think Bill Gates has the answers to this one. He (from memory) points out that it shouldn’t be about bringing down the bad teachers but lifting up all teachers and giving them the opportunities to be great teachers.
A friend just reminded me that Sir Ken Robinson has one of the best talks on Education that I have ever heard.
Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity
Hey Morgs,
Great topic to be talking about, there should be more of it! Education is a minefield, it is complex and can be entirely frustrating. Or, it is simple, revolutionary and inspiring – how you view it is dependent upon your perspective and where you choose to focus your attention. There is plenty of negative media regarding education, you don’t need me to tell you this but don’t believe the hype. Regardless of the system, state or private, regardless of the school, the suburb, the curriculum etc. there are so many teachers who are making a huge positive impact in the lives of their students. I believe now is the most dynamic and important time in the history of education. We are at a real juncture, having had a system that has remained relatively unchanged for the past 100 years (teacher out front telling students what they need to know, then testing them) to living in a society where knowledge is so readily available and immediately accessible. What relevance does a teacher have when a students can google the content much quicker on their iPhones? Education is becoming less about the transference of information and more about preparing young people for the uncertain and dynamic future they (and we) face. We don’t need to teach students about the world, we need to teach them how to manage it and manage themselves, and the glut of information they have available to them. Huge task, and so multi-faceted, but really exciting! I’ve posted a link to Tony Ryan’s site, a guy who is doing some really great stuff with IT and education and facing this challenge in a meaningful and relevant, way. We need to start by meeting kids half way, we need to acknowledge the ways in which they communicate and use these mediums and technology to engage them. This is a difficult concept to implement in most schools, with the majority of the teaching population in their 50′s and 60′s. Using technology can be pretty daunting. I feel very privileged to be involved in education, no doubt you will be too!
http://www.tonyryan.com.au/blog/
It’s great to see that you are so passionate about education. You make an interesting point about the internet changing things. I guess the internet offers for students what education has lacked for a long time and that is the opportunity to contribute, to build upon what might already be known as opposed to simply regurgitating back to the teacher.
I guess it’s bad to point back to the teacher if the student fails. A good student should also do his/her responsibility and learn how to do a good research. Parents on the other hand should keep an eye to their children and give time to study together with them.