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Essance of education. (1 Viewer)

Famous quote: "You'll learn more by listening than you will by talking, and you'll make more friends."

By---my mother...probably the most important words she ever told me.
 
Lenin had a simple one actually....

"Learn, learn, learn!"
 
One thing that I have noticed is that at least in America, education has broken away from quality in favor of quantity, in other words, instead of taking the time to teach children why they are learning subjects and it's meaning, modern methods stress moving along to more advanced subjects.
When I graduated high school in 1997 Algebra and basic Geometry were required for graduation, Trigonometry(sp?) was taught to the advanced classes, I didn't even need to learn calculus in college, and yet it is a few years away from becoming a grade school requirement. Computer science was an option, now it is becoming mandatory.
I think that we need to go back to teaching logical reasoning behind the basics, then we can allow the students of this country to think again, with that thinking an expansive learning is possible instead of the current machine like precision of spitting out answers and awaiting more commands. After logical reasoning, then we need to allow teachers to teach critical thinking, this can be done by challenging the students to solve complex or multi answer problems to form their own solutions, by doing this, we can create the kind of americans that would essentially be immune to dogma, propaganda, and could even create more entrepeneurs and better leaders. :2usflag:
 
LaMidRighter said:
One thing that I have noticed is that at least in America, education has broken away from quality in favor of quantity, in other words, instead of taking the time to teach children why they are learning subjects and it's meaning, modern methods stress moving along to more advanced subjects.
When I graduated high school in 1997 Algebra and basic Geometry were required for graduation, Trigonometry(sp?) was taught to the advanced classes, I didn't even need to learn calculus in college, and yet it is a few years away from becoming a grade school requirement. Computer science was an option, now it is becoming mandatory.
I think that we need to go back to teaching logical reasoning behind the basics, then we can allow the students of this country to think again, with that thinking an expansive learning is possible instead of the current machine like precision of spitting out answers and awaiting more commands. After logical reasoning, then we need to allow teachers to teach critical thinking, this can be done by challenging the students to solve complex or multi answer problems to form their own solutions, by doing this, we can create the kind of americans that would essentially be immune to dogma, propaganda, and could even create more entrepeneurs and better leaders. :2usflag:
Click to expand...

Great post...I would also add that between 1986 (which is when I graduated) & 1997 our education system changed dramatically including required courses & credits for graduation. Our system does need the ability to change with the passage of time. Not to say that our education should change with the times in the manner of pop culture or whatever seems to be the educational flavor of the month...but real & positive changes that keep our system improving. I think one of the reasons you see these changes as possibly extreme is that we've tried to stall our education growth...now we see other countries (Japan is a major source of this...I believe) doing things in a much more regimented way & pushing all their children to learn above what the norm has been in the past. It's as though we're trying to play catch-up with our education. Remember that folks from all over the world come to our country to attend our universities & colleges. Why do you suppose that is? My guess is because it's based on competition, performance, privilege, & generally our government stays out of it. We allow the professionals to do the job they were trained for & were hired to do. Our public school system has become a dependent welfare recipient. Every year there is more dependency on our government to fund our schools. It wasn't always this way. The book "How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy & found inner peace" by Harry Stein has a section (I say section because it's not numbered like traditional chapters are) dedicated to public education & the history of it. He shows how it used to be a privilege to attend public high school. An entrance exam was given to prove your worthiness to attend. I have watched my mother go from loving her job to hating the bureaucracy of our government involvement (by the way...she's been a teacher for 25 years).
 
Am I the only one that finds it amusing that "Essence" is spelled wrong?
 
I kinda thought it was too, but was more concerned with formulating that last thought. That is kinda funny though, in an ironic sort of way.
 
I'm going to have to check that book out Fonz, and I can relate to your college education statements, but it makes you wonder how much our own countries children will be prepared for college if we don't teach them to think that way from the beginning.
 
Would an education system like that of Japan's be suitable here in America, in which students go to school all year long for 6 days of the week?
 
LaMidRighter said:
I'm going to have to check that book out Fonz, and I can relate to your college education statements, but it makes you wonder how much our own countries children will be prepared for college if we don't teach them to think that way from the beginning.
Click to expand...

I will warn you...it's not an easy book to read. At least it wasn't for me. I found it rather boring in some spots. BUT, was full of information from a man who was a writer for popular publications (admittedly, by him, liberal in thought) before realizing he didn't think like his coworkers & that he was indeed a conservative. He does tell a few somewhat interesting personal stories to get his point across. I say somewhat interesting because it's rather obvious he was a total nerd. None the less, I think it's worth the time to read. Another long book chock full of info is "Holy War, Inc" ... 'inside the secret world of Osama bin Laden' by Peter L. Bergen (he's a former CNN reporter).
 
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