Did you know that 50% of the information taught in class will be forgotten in less than 1 hour ?
This is what the studies say:
Did you know that only 10% of the information is obtained in class?
Did you know that 20% of the information can be learned from other people?
Did you know that 70% of the information is obtained through experiences, practice?
Under these circumstances, it is crystal clear that the education system is exceeded. And there is no other way it could be different because it was founded in the 18th century in Prussia. It was raised by and with soldiers and its purpose was to create raw material for the army. This is why the state schools, school specializations and, especially, mandatory education were created.
The 19th century changes the social view. The industry develops. The education develops in order to send workers to the new created factories. The compliance of the strict early program (every class at the same time), the 50 minute class with 10 minute breaks, slowly increasing the program (up to 8-10 classes a day), are the needs of the industrialists.
Dividing science into subjects is arbitrary. Mathematics and statistics go hand in hand. So does physics and mathematics or chemistry. It is difficult to divide the topics in 50 minute classes, each topic being taught by teachers and, unfortunately, teachers do not synchronize. Schools like Montessori fix this problem because the classrooms are divided in wider curricular areas: “Nature and Culture”, where there are topics like: geography, history, biology, musical education, universe. Another curricular area is “Sciences” (all type of sciences) or “Languages” (literature or foreign languages studies.)
What could schools / teachers do ?
They could replace teaching in class with individual or groups projects.
They could do more practical experiments, in the nature.
What if 2-3 teachers would choose a common topic to debate in their classes? Would it be possible that a topic like “The Roman Empire” is studied at history, as well as geography, musical education or technology ?
They could focus on the abilities they will need in life, like:
– public speaking
– debating topics (one side comes with pro arguments and another cons arguments on a topic chosen by a teacher)
– team work (group projects)
– involvement in social and voluntary activities
The pointless memorizing of some lessons does not help them in life! The endless homework make them hate school, they don’t make them learn the topics better. What if quality was more important than quantity? The measureless quantity makes them shallow, while quality could make them profound. What do we want?
What could parents do ?
They could make a parents core in every class to sustain their point of view together.
They could make research regarding education topics and stop pressuring the children’s grades… because their mental health is above every grade! Don’t wait for the child to collapse for you to figure out that you took it too far with the pressure! The fact that they work more hours a day than adults is already a sign. On a long term this work could lead to chronic fatigue.
You could use every moment to talk, because education does not happen only in school. Any experience could be turned into a lesson.
Did you get mad in traffic? Explain them what did the driver that got you mad do, explain them what risks were you exposed to when he overtook you illegally. This way they will learn the risks they will be exposed to when they will get to the steering wheel.
Do you go shopping from one store to another ? Explain them what is your plan, how did you pick the order of the stores… this way they will learn to prioritize, to manage their time.
Talk to them about your problems during the day, how you fixed them, ask for their advice. They will learn to find solutions since they are small kids.
Do you go in the nature during week-ends? Tell them about the clouds, about fauna. Tell them what you were doing in week ends, when you were kid. Do they know that you used to go to school on Saturday?
What do we do
We measured the weight of the air in the room. Mathematics (calculating the volume) + physics.
The hours of individual study and reading:
Did you know that the works of art of one of the most famous painters in the world, Vincent Van Gogh, are exposed in the Baroque Palace in Timisoara? The exposition is called “Vincent Van Gogh – the archetypal drawing” and it was very little publicized… as shown by the number of visitors. I’m sure there is an art exibition in your area too.
What do you do for your child in order to reduce his school stress ?
The psychological illnesses caused by stress are harder to “fix” than any other cold, virosis, fracture… and their effects remain for many years. What price are you willing for your child to pay in order to be “the best” from “the best class” in “the best school” ?
