Alternative schooling

Thanks all - I am finding your replies very interesting along with your different experiences.

Expecto_Patronum said:

There should be far more emphasis on applying knowledge, rather than memorising it. 

Indeed.

My husband went to a Technical High School.

These were phased out but he learnt on 6 weeks rotation: brickwork + plastering, painting + decorating, metalwork including using lathes and blacksmith tools.  They made wood boxes using dove tail joints.  Academic subjects were also taught.

I would have loved this but in any case girls were expected to become mothers so were taught cooking and needlework.

I think that besides these practical skills, things like managing money would have been good, but maybe that's taught these days.

Maths beyond arithmetic + simple division etc seemed a waste of time.

I just hated school, right from the start, from my first day at infants, I think it was partly my parents fault for not preparing me, in that I rarely played with other children and regularly only one other, so I was totally overwhelmed, that never went away.

I think less group work would have been good for me, more independent study. I still hated working in groups at uni.

Definately no uniforms, or running about in your underwear for PE at primary school. Rules that made no sense, the social gap between the teachers and pupils seemed unbreachable, we were all working class kids who had our main meal during the day, we'd never heard of lunch, but were made to call it that, lots of little things like that.

I do agree with EP about the need to learn basic English and Maths, but I hated them, I coulldn't do maths at all and being dyslexic my English wasn't very good either. 

Overall I think classes or schools divided into learning styles would be better, trying to teach someone who's visual in a verbal style dosen't work nor does it vice versa. I also think we need to ask what are we educating people for? On the surface its obvious, but when you scratch below the surface it isn't. The world has changed so much since I was at school, I dont' feel that school prepared me in any way for the adult world, it didn't teach me how to learn, it was so segregated into who would work in a shop, who would work in a minor clerical role and who was factory fodder, but most of all there was no amibition for us beyond a couple of years of work before getting married and having babies. It didn't seem much better when my children were at school either, they couldn't cope with the bright ones who found the work easy, who got bored and they just couldn't seem to cope at all really. Schools seem to be so focused on those of us who sruggle to learn at the expence of those who don't, those who don't struggle seem to be left to their own devices and aren't stretched.

I think schools and FE colleges could do a lot more to prepare students for university, it's so different to college or school, so many struggle and many of the people I saw struggle the most were the ones who were privately educated, they were so used to being spoon fed so they'd pass exams and keep the schools reputation up they couldn't work on their own.

Expecto_Patronum said:

There should be far more emphasis on applying knowledge, rather than memorising it.

So many good points, but this in particular - in real life it's much more important to have the skills to look up knowledge.

If you rely on memory alone like they teach you in exams, then you are more likely to have out-of-date-knowledge and not listen to experts.

I think that's almost why the world is in such a bad state. Finding out things should be prized more than memory alone.

I had experience of both state and private education and sadly I can't say that private was a luxury. They even more wanted me to conform to what they wanted me to be and had ridiculously strict rules that I was expected to obey with no flexibility. Horribly uncomfortable uniforms. Same level of bullying. No understanding for my needs. It was a very unpleasant experience.

I was super-fortunate to get into an independent secondary school when I was 10, thanks to connections of my then-headmaster (who I sadly never got the chance to thank) and support from my local county council (which definitely wouldn't happen now alas). It was still stressful, especially because it was a boarding school and I was away from my parents, but I wouldn't have gotten nearly half the qualifications I did if I'd stayed in the state system.

Personally, I think the best alternative to the current state system is… a state system that's properly funded and supported. Private education remains a luxury that's beyond the reach of most folks.

Although I agree with you to a large degree about making people study things they dislike. I do think there are some things that are important to teach. Basic English and maths should be essential for everyone. As should aspects of life skills and pshe. I don't think they need to be taught the extent of what they are taught now though. Just the skills that are actually useful in life. I don't know how far I'd go in other subjects as I'm aware that kids may change their mind about what they want to do and then may not have any basic knowledge in the subject area they want to go into. So I think they should probably do basics in a variety of subjects like science and geography.  However, I do think there should be a lot more flexibility in the curriculum. If a child really hates a subject then adaptations or an alternative should be found. And I absolutely think there should be more choices in it. Especially for older kids. I think there should be more realistic opportunities that actually teach skills that would be useful for careers rather than everything being book learning.

I think there should be smaller class sizes and a stepped timetable system so that not everyone is on break/in the corridors at the same time. I also think there should be more time for kids to be kids and for regulation. Being allowed to move around when you feel fidgety should be encouraged not stopped.

I'm not sure how you fully tackle bullying. Unfortunately, I think this can often stem from home which schools have little to no control over.

I'd get rid of most homework. Reading, particularly for younger children yes. Maybe some practice of things like timetables. But no relentless worksheets etc. Some revision when they get older maybe but I also would want to move away from the heaviness of exams. I think they should bring back coursework and open book exams. There should be far more emphasis on applying knowledge, rather than memorising it. 

Cinnabar_wing said:

The one thing, the teachers could do with more assistance for the very different learning levels in their classes, so I do think we should invest more in schools, listen to teachers and provide what they need as it's a crucial time and worth a lot of futures to get right! 

My sister taught in primary school for many years, and would heartily agree with you on the need for more support and resources! Unfortunately, that's one of the reasons why she left full-time teaching, though she still does private tuition.

Cinnabar_wing said:

Small schools seem much better -my kids go to a small rural school (less then 40 for the whole school). There are two classes and the kids learn and play together so it's more a family vibe and they tend to look out for each other more.

That does sound good and I'm glad to hear it.

I went to school in the 60s-1980 and this was in a city and the poorest/roughest areas.

I think I had a combination of factors that led to extreme bullying and an education that didn't bring out the best in me.

I wonder how much has changed over the decades and whether state schools in particular are better nowadays, especially where bullying is concerned.

Small schools seem much better -my kids go to a small rural school (less then 40 for the whole school). There are two classes and the kids learn and play together so it's more a family vibe and they tend to look out for each other more. My daughter still struggles with the playground being small and noisy, but overall it's a better system. Kids who have had trouble in other schools sometimes transfer here, which helps boost numbers too. 

The one thing, the teachers could do with more assistance for the very different learning levels in their classes, so I do think we should invest more in schools, listen to teachers and provide what they need as it's a crucial time and worth a lot of futures to get right!