Education - What Counts?

 Content Over Process

I believe very little is appropriate about the way we chose to educate our children and young people in the early decades of the twenty first century. I'm confident there will be those detractors who feel this is exactly the kind of sweeping generalisation so often made in the public arena without adequate justification. I do not intend to fall into that trap.

So, what exactly in my view is inappropriate about education?

Education should be one positive element in the rich tapestry of every young person's life, following close on the heels of growing up inside a nurturing family. Sadly, schools often have to work first to compensate for the lack of a nurturing family! That aside for the moment, as I will return to the subject frequently, I am not alone in declaring that, at its best, education should provide children with an enjoyable, rewarding and exciting experience that opens doors onto a lifetime of learning. (Hopefully, not too many feathers ruffled by that broad overview!)

But, what exactly does this grandiose rhetoric translate into in practical terms? How would a parent or child identify such an educational experience?

At every level, education should develop specific attitudes, skills and knowledge (ASK) that match the learner's needs, whatever they might be. Clearly, these would have to evolve over time as needs change to reflect changes in the learner and in society. Education must also anticipate the future. The broad aim, therefore, must be to prepare young people to become active participants in society, no matter what the future holds. The present climate, in which content and testing dominate (particularly in primary education), has to be challenged because it fails our children, the most needy in particular.

The regime of testing that currently proliferates world-wide is largely dedicated to identifying outcomes in narrow sub-sets of mathematical skills and language. Also, test results are widely (mis)used, often for unintended purposes. For instance, in this country tests judge first pupils, then teachers, then schools and then (most recently) Local Authorities. All are held to account over the outcomes which are widely published. Human intelligence is multifaceted. Reducing it to the collection and ranking of numerical data across narrow fields devalues it. Some argue it isn't even properly understood within the profession.

http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/02/ofsted-dashboard-uses-the-wrong-data/

In situations characterised by rapid change, the ability to think critically is especially important. In fact, individual survival often depends on it. More effective thinking can be developed through specific programmes, as has been found (Edward DeBono, Matthew Lipman). These skills need, therefore, to be taught and practiced throughout the period of formal education. Interestingly, speaking and listening skills, much vaunted by employers and those in higher education, can be systematically improved through such programmes. But, unfortunately, there seems to be no room for them in the crowded primary curriculum. Even in the New curriculum, speaking and listening plays a distant third fiddle to reading and writing, if schools eventually decide to take it up systematically.

Teaching is a complex mix of art and science. At no time in history has there been a better understanding of the role cognitive science can play in helping to clarify how effective learning takes place. We can improve learning, understanding and recall if we commit to appropriate research in this area. If we ignore the impact of up-to-date research, the education of young children in particular will not benefit.

Predominantly, teacher training today is biased towards improving subject knowledge. Of course, there is no such thing as content-free learning. My argument is, if this was being conducted in parallel with in-depth learning about child development, questions of pedagogy would inevitably arise and trainees might not find the transition form student to teacher quite so challenging.

I do not hold teachers responsible for the current crisis in state education. Neither do I feel our political masters are responsible, despite their over-frequent proclamations professing a commitment to improving educational opportunities for all, even when they fail so miserably to deliver. (In this regard, I remind myself, they are like the May fly that appear for a day and then are gone for ever.) The present system exposes this short-sighted vision which may simply be a consequence of their short terms in office.

We're all to blame for the present situation in education. Yes, all of us! We have grown up to believe that others will act in our best interests. Nationally and globally, the wisdom of this attitude is being questioned.

The greatest thinkers have always understood that education has the power to transform lives and nations from within. Likewise they have judged that most, arguably all, our challenges and problems are better understood and tackled in a society composed of intelligent individuals who share certain traits; they are emotionally grounded thinkers, know how to negotiate and work alongside others and are possessed of the capacity to delay or even forfeit gratification in order to achieve the greater good for the greater number.

A tall order, I hear you say. It is not a utopian dream, but it cannot happen overnight. Without doubt, it must happen. If we are to survive, education is the key. As parents, we have a part to play. The most significant contribution we can make is to convince authorities we want to engage in meaningful debate. In short we have to question.

Question the relevance and balance of our children's current educational experiences.

Question why what we know and understand about the way young children learn is not being applied in our schools.

Question whether we are willing to make our views count in a wide-ranging debate about the direction of reform in education.

Question if we understand that to deliver the finest education for all our young people we need a clear vision of what education is for and a willingness to commit to long term change.

(If we accept all this, do we also accept that decisions about the direction of reform, the methods of delivery and the content of curricular can no longer be dictated by politicians?)

Increasingly employers are speaking from their perspective about the specific attitudes, skills and knowledge needed of their employees. They look to the education system to provide, but their vision may be too narrowly focused. We have to consult widely to agree what best suits our children's future and hold on to the idea that childhood is not a preparation for a life to come. 

I repeat what I said earlier, what we are doing is not working. Look beyond the headlines that confuse as often as they inform. Question your young people about their experience of schooling and their expectations for the future.

In answer to my question, what counts? Education counts! This is because all young people matter. They have a unique opportunity to progress towards independence when they are young and developing most rapidly. We are joint custodians in securing opportunities for and with them and we must not let them down.