Creating Student-Centered Schools
The underlying problem in the schools is that many students are disengaged from learning, in large part,because of what they're taught and how they are taught. The essential ingredient in good schools is teachers who are sensitive to students' needs and differences,and able to inspire intellectual curiosity. For that has guided successful teachers and schools is teach the child, not the subject. Instead of trying to agree on a one-size-fits-all curriculum, schools should teach what students will not soon forget: problem-solving skills and critical thinking -- in otherwords, how to think.
What Should be Done?
Teachers should use innovative methods to teach analytic skills and encourage creativity. History, for example, is best taught by examining the different ways in which events can be viewed and interpreted. English is best taught by stressing creative writing and personal expression first, and then later teaching kids correct spelling and grammar. Students working at different levels should be grouped together to teach social skills and an appreciation for personal differences. Student progress should be assessed through teacher observations and portfolios of student work rather than simply by traditional tests, letter grades and report cards.Students are more likely to learn when lessons are taught thematically, rather than approaching learning through traditional subject areas. Teaching should be based primarily on discussion, not lectures, and on learning by discovery rather than rote memorization and repetition.
Arguments For This Approach
The most important skill adults need is the ability to access information and examine it critically. Students may forget specific facts, but they will rely daily on well-developed problem-solving skills. By giving students more latitude in what they learn and how they learn it, schools acknowledge differences in learning styles, as well as racial and ethnic differences.American students may not do so well on standardized tests, but these tests don't measure many of the things Americans excel in: problem-solving, innovation, and creativity.
Arguments Against This Approach
Many students area pathetic and disengaged not because they're taught in an uninspired and traditional way, but because too little is demanded of them.They're not challenged to meet demanding standards.An unstructured, progressive approach to education has led to students choosing from a smorgasboard of nonacademic activities and electives. American students end up with superficial knowledge because they study too many subjects. Because basic academic areas don't get the attention they deserve, students don't acquire the knowledge skills needed in today's workplace. Over the past several decades, many public schools have adopted a progressive approach to teaching, but student achievement has not improved and in some respects has declined. The student-centered approach to education has led, in many cases, to automatic promotion of children from one grade to the next, regardless of what they learn. Schools that operate according to progressive theories of education do little to improve the economic chances of poor children, who need basic academic skills to get good jobs.This approach would not ensure that kids master the basic academic skills, which are needed for all further learning.
Tags: alternatives, basics, class size, education, exams, funding, parents, report cards, standards, students, teacher salaries 
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