A list to explain why most fellow students that I know don't like the common education system in America. Here are the main reasons that they said.
-Classes. The American school system separates kids into groups of 15-30 students, and usually there's only one teacher per class. The students are put into groups and limitted to what they can and can't do. It seems to the students with no specific difference from the majority that only the kids who need more help get the teaching that they understand the best. The classes are generalized to the majority, and teh minorities are ignored. For example, everybody but three students do the best work through group projects. Since the teacher focuses on the majority of their students, most projects will end up being group projects. This denies those three students the most enjoyable and understandable learning that they can get.
-Grades. The schooling system isn't focusing on what the students learn, but what they score on tests. There is no proof that the student has 'learned' anything, only proof that they had memorized a certain criteria long enough to take a test on it. Why do you think school is entirely review from the year before for the first month?
- Rewards. It seems that only the people who rarely show good behavior get rewarded when they do so. The students who always get good grades, score well on tests, show good behavior, and etc., aren't rewarded as easily. For example, the teacher sees a student--who almost never behaves--helping another student in class. They get rewarded with candy or something. But the student who always behaves and helps others isn't rewarded for the same behavior. It seems the misbehaved kids get more attention from the teacher, and many times they misbehave to get that attention. But the student who tries to get attention by doing positive and productive things almost never gets it.
- Subjects compared to real life. In real life, math, science, history, reading, and writing are all mixed together in various situations. Yet in school, those subjects are separated, even though they tie together so closely. It makes kids think that you only use certain subjects in certain classes, so when they leave that class for the day, they feel they don't need to use that subject until they have that class again.
- Homework. Mostly, the purpose of homework is to teach the students responsibility. But by middle school, it's gaurunteed that the kids know responsibility enough. Also, some teachers give homework just because they feel they have to. And, many times the homework is just review that only a portion of the class may actually need. I have been told by teachers that they want their students to have free time after school. It's just that we need the whole night of free time without any homework to worry about. It's possible that kids would play more sports and join more clubs it they didn't have so much school work to do while they aren't at school.
So, there's my list. I mean no offense to teachers or any other officials in the educational world. This is simply the students' point of view, and it may be biased in some ways.
Post-ly Question:
2. How was the Research Process created?
