The problem with education is that the students done care. With a growing competition between modern day media and school projects, there is actually no competition over to which students will dedicate themselves. There needs to be a new philosophy.
Students are taught procedures, which are limited to the examples they encounter in course work. Students are not taught concepts, which is where most application is founded. The solution would involve integrating benefits, entertainment and ambition. This doesn't mean teach kids with videogames, but rather give them projects that require research and application.
Projects would consist of real-world problems that are interesting to solve. Imagine being in high school and being asked to implement a full Java application. Not only would you get to use your own product, but knowing that you can control just how awesome it is, you will work harder. That might be a poor example. Imagine if a company was willing to give money to schools and students who complete research. This has already happened in the past!
Along the same line, have instructors show how things really work and explain why. Nothing is more influential than a science course where the teacher explains why hydrogen is explosive (BOOM). You don't learn to read and write by reading grammar books (you can't read anyway)! When better to learn to read than when researching! You won't try to learn unless you are motivated.
The problem is that there are so many children with so many different skills; wait, that is not a problem... that is the solution! Why do we assume that high school students aren't capable of doing intensive projects? I remember being bored in high school; so why not give them something to do with their time (they sure aren't doing their homework). If we want to motivate them, we need to free them from daily lectures and fruitless homework.
This is a philosophy that would have an interesting impact on the roles of students and teachers. I think this would actually save money in a lot of cases because students wouldn't need books and the awesome of amount of paper that is wasted. Teachers wouldn't be bored with their lesson plans because they would have new projects for different students. They would be more like group leaders. Students would be more likely to participate knowing that they will gain from the experience.
It will take a lot to drag students away from televisions and computers. But, it has to be a decision they make, and they won't make it if they are not motivated. Give students more responsibility and show them that they can impact others. Teach real-life skills and team work. Show them how to do research and then let them discover what they need.
I believe there is a strong difference between college and high school. Unfortunately, I am seeing this line deteriorate in the wrong direction. I believe most colleges are taking the approach of procedure over practice and it is killing our education system. If we are training people to become workers, why are we making schooling less and less like the real world? You have a problem, you find a solution and apply it; you don't have someone give you the solution, do thirty problems and then never apply it.
So, what about motivation? I never wanted to work hard in high school. I realized that grades didn't mean much of anything. I could study the night before a test and get an A, forgetting everything I learned later on. If everyone else does the same thing, grades become inflated and no one learns anything! How would you like it if you went to school and graduated when you finally did something deserving recognition? Imagine being in 8th grade and graduating because you helped increase performance in an engine. You knew from the day you entered high school that you could graduate at any time because A) a company liked your work and hires you or B) because you are recognized for some effort. That would have motivated me to learn as much as I could (I would have done anything to g
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The problem with education is that the students done care. With a growing competition between modern day media and school projects, there is actually no competition over to which students will dedicate themselves. There needs to be a new philosophy.
Students are taught procedures, which are limited to the examples they encounter in course work. Students are not taught concepts, which is where most application is founded. The solution would involve integrating benefits, entertainment and ambition. This doesn't mean teach kids with videogames, but rather give them projects that require research and application.
Projects would consist of real-world problems that are interesting to solve. Imagine being in high school and being asked to implement a full Java application. Not only would you get to use your own product, but knowing that you can control just how awesome it is, you will work harder. That might be a poor example. Imagine if a company was willing to give money to schools and students who complete research. This has already happened in the past!
Along the same line, have instructors show how things really work and explain why. Nothing is more influential than a science course where the teacher explains why hydrogen is explosive (BOOM). You don't learn to read and write by reading grammar books (you can't read anyway)! When better to learn to read than when researching! You won't try to learn unless you are motivated.
The problem is that there are so many children with so many different skills; wait, that is not a problem... that is the solution! Why do we assume that high school students aren't capable of doing intensive projects? I remember being bored in high school; so why not give them something to do with their time (they sure aren't doing their homework). If we want to motivate them, we need to free them from daily lectures and fruitless homework.
This is a philosophy that would have an interesting impact on the roles of students and teachers. I think this would actually save money in a lot of cases because students wouldn't need books and the awesome of amount of paper that is wasted. Teachers wouldn't be bored with their lesson plans because they would have new projects for different students. They would be more like group leaders. Students would be more likely to participate knowing that they will gain from the experience.
It will take a lot to drag students away from televisions and computers. But, it has to be a decision they make, and they won't make it if they are not motivated. Give students more responsibility and show them that they can impact others. Teach real-life skills and team work. Show them how to do research and then let them discover what they need.
I believe there is a strong difference between college and high school. Unfortunately, I am seeing this line deteriorate in the wrong direction. I believe most colleges are taking the approach of procedure over practice and it is killing our education system. If we are training people to become workers, why are we making schooling less and less like the real world? You have a problem, you find a solution and apply it; you don't have someone give you the solution, do thirty problems and then never apply it.
So, what about motivation? I never wanted to work hard in high school. I realized that grades didn't mean much of anything. I could study the night before a test and get an A, forgetting everything I learned later on. If everyone else does the same thing, grades become inflated and no one learns anything! How would you like it if you went to school and graduated when you finally did something deserving recognition? Imagine being in 8th grade and graduating because you helped increase performance in an engine. You knew from the day you entered high school that you could graduate at any time because A) a company liked your work and hires you or B) because you are recognized for some effort. That would have motivated me to learn as much as I could (I would have done anything to g