This is a question I've been asking my self for quite some time. Ever since I was a student I had, like most adolescents, this question in my mind "why exactly am I learning this?!". And my teachers always had the same answer prepared: "you will need this later on in your life." or the other version "one day you will see why."
Well, both these answers were not only vague and abstract to an adolescent mind, but they were also disheartening and incredibly patronizing because they didn't value our own opinion in that moment. We just got stuck with an answer that we couldn't really argue with, seeing that we hadn't reached "that" moment of our lives yet.
Nowadays, I think I have reached a moment in my life where I can see what part of what I learned in school was really important for my adult life or not. I am young, yes, but the concepts I haven't used until now don't strike me as the most important ones for my life from now onwards.
So why did we learn those things? Why do we have to know how to use derivatives, or to analyze semantics or know all the elements in the periodic table? Of course we need to know how to read, how to write properly, how to do math. And general knowledge is always important - I for example LOVE to explore the most different subjects on my spare time... But why can't these things be taught in a way that is not only fun for the student but also in a way that they can see their future uses?
Lory Hough wrote this article and I have to say I completely agree. There are concepts being taught in school that could easily be learned by those who really want to dig deep in the subject and others, that should be taught in schools that aren't.
Why aren't we teaching more empathy, more group work, more creative thinking? Those are skills that are essential in today's and tomorrow's lives... Why do we keep insisting on making our students memorize the rivers or mountains of a country, instead of teaching them how to quickly access that information?
A student that learns to be curious is in the end a better student than the one who memorizes everything but doesn't question anything. Do you agree with me? Please comment and share your opinion on this topic. I love to read what you have to say!
Well, both these answers were not only vague and abstract to an adolescent mind, but they were also disheartening and incredibly patronizing because they didn't value our own opinion in that moment. We just got stuck with an answer that we couldn't really argue with, seeing that we hadn't reached "that" moment of our lives yet.
Nowadays, I think I have reached a moment in my life where I can see what part of what I learned in school was really important for my adult life or not. I am young, yes, but the concepts I haven't used until now don't strike me as the most important ones for my life from now onwards.
So why did we learn those things? Why do we have to know how to use derivatives, or to analyze semantics or know all the elements in the periodic table? Of course we need to know how to read, how to write properly, how to do math. And general knowledge is always important - I for example LOVE to explore the most different subjects on my spare time... But why can't these things be taught in a way that is not only fun for the student but also in a way that they can see their future uses?
Lory Hough wrote this article and I have to say I completely agree. There are concepts being taught in school that could easily be learned by those who really want to dig deep in the subject and others, that should be taught in schools that aren't.
Why aren't we teaching more empathy, more group work, more creative thinking? Those are skills that are essential in today's and tomorrow's lives... Why do we keep insisting on making our students memorize the rivers or mountains of a country, instead of teaching them how to quickly access that information?
A student that learns to be curious is in the end a better student than the one who memorizes everything but doesn't question anything. Do you agree with me? Please comment and share your opinion on this topic. I love to read what you have to say!