Review of: "Tackling Tradition in Education"
Résumé
What do we mean by tradition in education?Why is the idea a travesty of reality?Is this important?With 60%+ students worldwide not reaching required educational standards to cope with life it is time to review policies and practices.Problems in achieving this, due to reliance on tradition and culture, are defined within the context of the history of education and a society changing more rapidly than ever before.We make mistakes, exaggerate, skew and suppress truths not in our interests to maintain a comfortable status quo.The Article clarifies these ideas and explain why there is urgent need for change if wanting world peace and progress.Rosemary Sage 1 The most dangerous phrase in any language is "we have always done it this way" 1. Introduction: Traditional vs. Progressive Education Passive Traditional Approach As I write this, an invitation has popped into my mail box about a seminar:E" ducation: A Flawed Process", indicating that the traditional approach is not effective for the modern world.What is the "traditional approach"?Why is it questioned?This mode has teachers controlling a class of students and taking responsibility for the learning.Duties and powers set down by government have educators as student instructors, controlling how to teach.Students attend school/college to gain knowledge.Transmitting information is the teaching aim, viewed successful if test results reach national standards.Traditional education takes place in classrooms with students sitting at desks in front of a teacher and mastering content by repetition and practice.This happens at all learning levels, known as the passive, traditional method, encouraging fact based learning for exam triumphs.Active Progressive Approach Differentiating traditional, passive versus progressive, active education is the latter puts students at the centre of learning.Qeios, CC-BY 4.0 • Article, March 14, 2023 Qeios ID: CDVBT5 • https://doi.org/10.32388/CDVBT51/21 Reformers like John Dewy, the American philosopher and psychologist, argued for active education .He drew on philosophers, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, suggesting hands-on, experiential learning applies knowledge more effectively.It focuses less on job preparation and more on student interests, natural abilities, thinking and communication.The aim is lifelong learners, engaging with new ideas to solve problems.Traditional education tends to be prescriptive with a "one-size-fits-all" approach geared to national and international comparison tests.In contrast, the progressive method, as in the Forest, Montessori and Waldorf schools, promotes active learning giving students more control and chances for communication and collaboration in projects.Progressive schools offer inspirational learning, encouraging holistic (rounded) growth through activities inside and outside classes.Less focus is on testing and more on personal, practical knowledge application, assessed in personal portfolio records.2. What are Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional and Progressive Approaches?Today's classes show great diversity in ability, interests, backgrounds and ethnic cultures to require various learning approaches.Traditional education is an Qeios, CC-BY 4.0 • Review, May 4, 2023 Qeios ID: 4E0XQ8 • https://doi.org/10.32388/4E0XQ81/17 established mode, developed in monocultures, with educators finding it easier to implement a familiar curricula structure of coursework and assessment.Students sit at desks facing the teacher, who delivers content in lecture style.Consistency across levels encourages rigid order and organisation.The downside is it produces compliancy, eliminates individuality and experimentation to stifle creativity.Students are machines and fed facts which often they cannot apply in reality (Sage & Matteucci, 2022).Progressive education benefits are that teachers recognise and value creativity, interests and differing student abilities.They do not just teach prescriptive facts and expect students to memorise them for perfect test scores.Students engage actively through projects, experiments and peer partnerships, pursuing topics of interest to develop personal and practical abilities.This enables them to reflect and refine ideas and evaluate real issues.Students have personalised input, with experiences targeting holistic growth.Personal and practical attributes are what employers value most and note are lacking in employees (Winterbotham, 2020).Thus, the progressive teacher is mentor and facilitator rather than knowledge transmitter -demanding more competencies for this flexible approach.UK training changes mean that people can enter teaching with a subject degree to be then monitored against national standards.Many new teachers lack psychology, sociology and history of learning background, along with pedagogic theories learnt from full-time courses.A third leave within 5 years, feeling unprepared for diversity (UK Office for National Statistics, ONS, 2022).Thus, it is a distortion that traditional education should still be promoted in diverse communities, as it is unsuitable for many students and increases special educational needs.However, institutions are mainly interested in creating obedient, subservient learners for exam success.UK policy requires regular Standard Assessment Tasks (SATS) and national examinations at age 16 and 18. Quality assurance (QA) systems are a significant education development since the 1980s, but Van Vught & Westerheijden (1994) noted adverse effects from continual cost pressures.Despite growth and sophistication, little is known of impact (OECD , 2008).Scepticism is expressed in QA studies (Christensen, 2010;Ewell, 2010).Bias towards available data on inputs and research excellence in universities may not provide accurate
Citer ce document
Accès au document
Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter
Voir l'article sur le site de la revueAuteur(s)
Statistiques
Consultations : 1
Téléchargements : 0