As someone who is dyslexic and only diagnosed at the age of 44 (I’m now 55) what you say could also be said of my school experience. Steve mentioned groupthink, administration and engineering children for jobs not to be critical thinkers, or what children want.
Well, isn’t it the case that education always needs to be evolving in response to change and in particular the rapid change that is going on currently? The government did mess up with exam results in both Scotland and the UK over the algorithm rather than listening to teachers. These are unprecedented times and difficult for everyone with change.
Well, it would be wonderful if there could be a utopia where all children were critical thinkers and free to be choosing a path they want with an education system that develops talents and abilities such that potentials are met. But how many children know what they want and what if doing what they want results in another form of groupthink, i.e. what is easiest, most fun, meets approval with their peers and does anything their parents tell them not to do rather than their own development?
I’ve known people get to their 30s and be directionless through doing what they want and still dependent on the bank of mum and dad.
Also, it takes until the mod 20s to fully develop biologically, the last thing being the brain with the ability to predict future outcomes for present choices and why so many young people struggle to plan for the next college assignment, never mind skills that are going to set them up for life.
Well – there was talk about training people up for a job. And there is a sense of that being conditioning. But at the most basic level, there is a need for that to be employable. What good is being able to think critically if you are starving, unable to put a roof over your head and are still dependant on your parents in your 30s? I think it is a reflection of how well educated and how advance our cultures are that we should be in a position of privilege to be able to think critically. I wonder what previous generations struggling to cope with, say, the devastating effect of a war or without access to healthcare, basic work or welfare would be thinking of the discussion we are having now.
I don’t know what the answers are and I think it’s going to take time to settle into the “new normal” with this. I expect there to be more difficulties and struggles to cope with change as this happens. I also think that mental health and the effect of lock-down measures needs to be taken into account. And I think it’s going to take calm strong leadership and remaining calm and enduring these difficulties and struggles to be able to get through this and thrive.
You might like the Hoover Report from the Hoover Institute (at Stanford University, CA, USA). They always have articles on education issues and so much more. It’s a free email from a conservative think-tank. They can have some links, though, to articles that are subscription only, which I don’t have.
As someone who is dyslexic and only diagnosed at the age of 44 (I’m now 55) what you say could also be said of my school experience. Steve mentioned groupthink, administration and engineering children for jobs not to be critical thinkers, or what children want.
Well, isn’t it the case that education always needs to be evolving in response to change and in particular the rapid change that is going on currently? The government did mess up with exam results in both Scotland and the UK over the algorithm rather than listening to teachers. These are unprecedented times and difficult for everyone with change.
Well, it would be wonderful if there could be a utopia where all children were critical thinkers and free to be choosing a path they want with an education system that develops talents and abilities such that potentials are met. But how many children know what they want and what if doing what they want results in another form of groupthink, i.e. what is easiest, most fun, meets approval with their peers and does anything their parents tell them not to do rather than their own development?
I’ve known people get to their 30s and be directionless through doing what they want and still dependent on the bank of mum and dad.
Also, it takes until the mod 20s to fully develop biologically, the last thing being the brain with the ability to predict future outcomes for present choices and why so many young people struggle to plan for the next college assignment, never mind skills that are going to set them up for life.
Well – there was talk about training people up for a job. And there is a sense of that being conditioning. But at the most basic level, there is a need for that to be employable. What good is being able to think critically if you are starving, unable to put a roof over your head and are still dependant on your parents in your 30s? I think it is a reflection of how well educated and how advance our cultures are that we should be in a position of privilege to be able to think critically. I wonder what previous generations struggling to cope with, say, the devastating effect of a war or without access to healthcare, basic work or welfare would be thinking of the discussion we are having now.
I don’t know what the answers are and I think it’s going to take time to settle into the “new normal” with this. I expect there to be more difficulties and struggles to cope with change as this happens. I also think that mental health and the effect of lock-down measures needs to be taken into account. And I think it’s going to take calm strong leadership and remaining calm and enduring these difficulties and struggles to be able to get through this and thrive.
You might like the Hoover Report from the Hoover Institute (at Stanford University, CA, USA). They always have articles on education issues and so much more. It’s a free email from a conservative think-tank. They can have some links, though, to articles that are subscription only, which I don’t have.
Apologies for repeating myself , but this essay on Education is a gem :
https://www.aei.org/articles/the-age-of-educational-romanticism/#:~:text=Educational%20romanticism%20consists%20of%20the,potential%20to%20do%20much%20better.&text=Educational%20romanticism%20characterizes%20reformers%20of,race%2C%20class%2C%20and%20gender.