The School System is Broken

Introduction

The school system is broken. Well it isn’t, it’s exactly doing what it’s designed to do. The problem is that what is it designed to do isn’t very good, it’s less valuable than ever.

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Some Examples From The 1800 School System:

i. “The teacher would use a large board to explain things to the whole class in one go, and the children would sit with smaller boards, recording what they see and hear.” Sound similar, well the teachers now use whiteboards instead of large blackboards and the children use notebooks instead of small blackboards.

ii. “An adult in front of the children. The adult leading, the children listening. Lessons generally tailored to the teacher’s strengths and interests.”

EXPLAIN

The school system was made for the past not for the future. Schools train children to work in factories, they make them sit nice and neat, put your hand up if you want to speak, give a short break to eat and get +A, hints grade A meat. Schools educate all the children the same they don’t focus on individuals, they give the same education to all the children even when they know each child has a different mindset. Imagine if a doctor gave all of its patients the same medicine, the results will be catastrophic, yet this is happening all over the world

School System In Finland

The school system in Finland is extraordinary, they have consistently come at the top for the international ranking for education. So how?

Firstly, students start formal schooling at the age of 7. The kids start school when they are actually developmentally ready to learn and focus. The first year is followed by only 9 years of compulsory school. Students start between 9:00 and 9:45, this is because research has shown that students need quality sleep in the morning. The school day ends at 2:00 or 2:45.

After every class the students are allowed 15 mins of break, this allows both teachers and students to be well-rested and ready to teach/learn. Teacher also have a shorter day, they teach 6 or more lessons daily. Teachers and students are not expected to be at school when they do not have a class. E.g. if they (students and teachers) don’t have any afternoon classes on Thursday they can simply leave. This allows teachers to create great, thought provoking lessons.

Elementary students in Finland often have the same teachers for up to 6 years of their education. This allows the teachers to learn the learning style a student has, and keep track the progress they have made.

Facts:

1. There are no “bad teachers”, Finland only accepts 10% of its applicants.

2. Students only have 3 to 4 classes a day.

3. Teachers and students get 15 to 20 minutes break after every class

4. 66% of students go to university

5. 93% graduate (17.5% higher than the US)

6. The school system is 100% state funded

7. Teachers are respected

8. No private schools

How To Solve It?

Here are some areas we need to focus to improve our current school system:

1. Education is not a one size fits all process. Some students learn best with different settings like: with a teacher or they like to find it out themselves. This also depends on the subject as well, some students who learn better alone in one subject they might learn better in a small group in another subject.

2. There are many ways to learn one subject or concept. Some students need many concrete examples to grasp and concept or idea, other only need an abstract explanation. Some students are visual learner, others need to be actively involved in the process, other learn through presentations.

3. A teacher is not always needed. It is true that certain subjects need an educator, this is not the case for all subjects. Some subjects may be learned by individuals or groups through collaboration and independently of an instructor.

4. Students do not all learn at the same pace. Some students may require more time than others to assimilate a particular subject. The opposite can be true for a different subject. Classes need to engage and challenge all students, but at the same time allow them to advance at a comfortable pace.

5. Tests do not reflect proficiency. It is essential to evaluate the proficiency of students on subjects. The purpose of an evaluation is to identify areas of weakness, so students can improve in these areas. However, in many cases tests simply do not reflect student’s proficiency. When standardized test are involved teachers may focus on teaching what will be on the test, instead of focusing on making the students proficient.

Conclusion

Our current school system was set up in the late 1800 and early 1900, to meet our industrial economy. The schools believed in a model of education where one mold fits all. Public schools effectively provide the skills necessary to succeed in the industrial economy. Today we live in a post-industrial economy, and a rapidly globalizing world. Because of its industrial roots, our school system considers some subjects (math, reading, and science) to be useful and important, while others (music, art, drama) useless and unimportant. While the former subjects certainly are important, the latter are no less important.