His explanation is expressed around the headings of personal fulfilment, social and civic involvement, contribution to the economy and practical wisdom.
The sort of people I want the education system to produce are well rounded adults. They need to the skills necessary for careers, family, social situations and be able to deal with difficult situations effectively. Students should have empathy for others and have a understanding of who they are. This gives them confidence and ability to accept others for who they are. They must be organised, know how to study and work in a team. They should have an awareness of people and the world around them, how their actions affect others and vice versa. Students should have an awareness of health and diet and the risks of drug taking, alcohol and smoking; but they should still have the freedom to choose to partake or not. They should know the value of relationships; family, friendships and sexual. They should be aware of different cultures and religions. It is also important that they have a good knowledge of history and how past events have effected who we are today. But most importantly they have to be free thinkers who believe in the equality and wellbeing of themselves and others. Students should be able to pursue careers in their choice with the necessary writing, reading and IT skills. They should be able to use a wide range of multi media but also understand the importance of it and the rate at which it changes.
I very much agree with Whites view on what education should aim to achieve. I think schools should offer a range of subjects suitable to students needs, abilities and learning styles. I think that schools should offer a range of subject in different areas such as languages, humanities, arts, technical and vocational. Students should be able to choose more than one subject but it should be mandatory that they choose at least one in each area. Subjects such as English, Maths, Science should also be compulsory. Extra curricular subjects should be offered in the form of after school activities so students can put extra time into subjects they enjoy and will most likely utilise in later life. It is important that students have a wide range of choices and feel like they are part of the decision making process when mapping out their education, this is more realistic to real life, it makes them more motivated and keen to learnt.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience of school, we were offered a range of subjects at A Level but these subjects were more academically related rather than relevant to modern society. This was great for students who would go on to Oxford or Cambridge but for students like myself I felt disillusioned about what path I could take to a career. None of the subjects offered were vocational. I wanted to study Information Technology and went to great lengths to arrange lessons with a college outside of school but in the end my proposal was denied. In the end I was lucky enough to be offered subjects which were mostly project based which suited my learning needs, but I still wonder if my life would be different if i was allowed to do the IT A Level.
It is important that children have skills necessary for life such as managing money, socialising, showing empathy to others and decision making. This should be achieved through the community of the school. A school must give students the opportunity to prepare for future life by immersing them in real life activities such as work experience, expeditions, social events; possibly let the students plan these events themselves. Studies should be related to real life situations. Teachers must also take the time to find out what is happening in their students life so they do not create a barrier between adults and students, schools must be able to cater to their needs and students will therefore relate to teachers and view school as a place which understands them and their needs. A place that will prepare them for everyday situations which we encounter as adults.
All school staff must lead by example with the hope that students will follow. As teachers we must prepare students for real life situations; mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. Schools should make students aware of themselves and the world around them. We should teach the importance of money management and practical wisdom and we must create an environment for students to explore who they are and develop the necessary skills; career, family and socially related, in later life.