Education of the Future

Education of our future. How does it look like? Everybody talks about the aim of education, but no one actually does anything. Some people complain that because of formal education people are made to be computers. It takes years of practice to pass the final exam and to become a specialist. It’s common knowledge, that you can’t always obtain a qualification even if you get a diploma. As it is important to know, how to continue further education, I honestly think that it is better to give feedback on what I usually see in every school and university and what has to be done there.

Sugata Mitra gave an interesting view on this problem. He told that our education is obsolete. This man has told one interesting thought, which, I think, might shock a lot of our leading authorities: every exam is understood by our brains as a threat. For us it is only because we’re afraid not to show a remarkable mental agility or not to be among gifted children, but the real thing is that we do not need these exams anymore. The second speaker told the same, and I agree with him. It is a usual thing that people ask each other: How did you do in your exam?

One my suggestion is to look at the student’s work during the whole year, not when he or she sit an exam. I think a lot of students suffer from stressful situations, especially when they fail an exam. I guess it’s important to understand, that every problem needs practice, not testing. I think that practice makes perfect.

Ken Robinson mentioned three principles of human life, which are not actually taken into consideration in schools and universities: people are different and diverse, curiosity moves our life, human life is creative. I like reading and I am a bookworm, but I hate going through all the routine in our studying, especially boring rules and staff like that. So my second suggestion is to give students interesting tasks and to give them A for effort, not only strictly judge every step in their learning.

The third thing we should change is that we should individualize learning and teaching, to take almost nothing from the old school. I know the school “Summerhill”, and children there do not go to school if they don’t want, and they study what they want. There are no teacher’s pets or those who fall behind with geography, chemistry, or any other subject. As one of the speakers told, “Sciences are necessary, but not sufficient”. I don’t know how many children became famous after this school, but I know, that they are happy.

                Finally, I guess, that teachers or professors should ask questions. They shouldn’t be strict or subscribe to the theory that there is a need to make someone learn something. That’s why children do not like studying. Everything is in this way because of those who are not becoming aware of modern possibilities. Not only children, but everybody is a good learner, we only have to ask them. It is my firm conviction that our model of this discussion has to be like this one:

Education = pleasure.

This is a better way to studying.