Changes in the Education System

From teachers scolding children, to 'copy down the lessons written on the chalkboard', to an environment where students can learn through a variety of different ways and resources, the education system has changed immensely over time. The world has also evolved from decades ago to the current age. As the world is changing it makes it important for the education system to change alongside it, for the newer generations to become more advanced. The education system can change by implementing many ideas correctly like changing testing methods, incorporating internships in school, and adding learning-driven models and community.

Tests are always dreaded by students due to the endless amount of homework, review, and other stress-related circumstances. Usually, students prioritize their academics and push themselves to receive high test scores without taking into account their mental health, physical health, etc. For a short term after their tests, they have a mix of emotions due to the thoughts of their performance and overall score. After they receive their test scores, it is highly predictable that the test material or topic that was studied will be forgotten unless it is frequently revisited. The reason why they forget is solely due to the fact that their purpose for studying is for the sake of scores, not for learning. On top of that their studying was crammed and tested in a short period of time while skills in the real world need to be practiced and used daily for experience, which raises the question of whether tests are testing knowledge or memory.

"The pressure to raise test scores has become so strong that testing often degrades instruction rather than improving it. Many parents have encountered this — large amounts of teaching time lost to test prep that is boring, or worse".

Daniel Kortez, who has spent a career studying educational assessment and testing policy backs this theory as he states, “The pressure to raise test scores has become so strong that testing often degrades instruction rather than improving it. Many parents have encountered this — large amounts of teaching time lost to test prep that is boring, or worse.” To develop a fair testing system for the knowledge and creativity of students, tests would have to be made accordingly to experience, preparation, memory, and overall more creatively. This is so a student can grow and learn rather than self-criticism on their “intelligence”, which possibly may not even be referring to actual intelligence at all.

Internships incorporated into schooling may also help to increase real-life experience to provide background knowledge to programs of interest. Although school and education itself has been very beneficial and valuable for several years, some skills that are taught have been proven to be unnecessary for some students in the long term due to the none or infrequent application of information to use in their general lives or occupation. Often, many students are on their paths to find a passion to continue and persevere for their jobs. With a lot of unrealistic or unimportant information taught in subjects, a student usually feels bewildered or anxious to hastily choose a path that will set the blueprint to a possible lifetime career. Internships would give students insights into different occupations and a chance to explore them. They would also help to reduce the anxiety of making a life-changing decision.

Learning-driven models and a learner-driven community are very beneficial for students to be creative without discouragement and restrictions. Being a student in either or both a learner-driven model and community gives students the opportunity to take ownership and make their own decisions. It will allow students to work at their own pace and learn the most effectively. As students are given opportunities to be independent it will encourage them to learn and go to school rather than perceiving school to be a draining place. Overall, learner-driven models and communities help students to not only grow academically but also grow as a person.

To conclude, it is an indispensable fact that the education system should change for the betterment of the new generations. There are several ways to change the education system that may include changing testing methods, incorporating internships in school, and adding learning-driven models and community.

Sources:

Walsh, Bari. “When Testing Takes Over.” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 3 Nov. 2017, https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/17/11/when-testing-takes-over

Timothy, Anand. “Learner Centered Approach: Does It Really Matter in Elearning?” ELearning Industry, 12 May 2021, https://elearningindustry.com/learner-centered-approach-elearning

Berwick, Carly. “What Does the Research Say about Testing?” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 25 Oct. 2019, https://www.edutopia.org/article/what-does-research-say-about-testing

Education, Culture and Employment. “Reasons for Change.” Reasons for Change, Government of the Northwest Territories, https://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/en/services/renouveau-en-education-aux-tno/reasons-change

Academy, Action. “Five Ways the Education System Should Improve.” Acton Academy Miami South, 19 Nov. 2021, https://actonmiamisouth.com/five-ways-the-education-system-should-improve/