My Ideal Education System

My Ideal Education System

Lucy Fallows

What is 'IDEAL'?

Play

FINALLY...

Technology

Satisfying ones conception of what is most suitable, perhaps perfect

Technology would be incorporated into my ideal curriculum, as its becoming more and more used within the world and a necessity to everyone.

The Government would fund every child with their own laptop, as computer skills are becoming a fundamental part of education.

They will....

-Learn how to research, and find out new and interesting facts

-Enjoy learning

-Be able to easily edit and change work

-Be able to complete maths and literacy tasks

- A playing child is a learning child

- Play gives children the opportunity to explore, develop and understand the world around them

-Play allows children to ask questions like 'What if''...

-It enables them to take challenges and test their own ability

OUTDOORS

From this system, society will end up with educated children, who:

-are successful learner that enjoy, progress and achieve in education.

-are confident, and can live safe and healthy lives.

-are responsible, and can make a positive contribution to society.

- In my ideal system, outdoor play would be a major part of the curriculum.

- Playing outdoors is a form of exercise, that promotes well being and wholesome physical development.

- Children enjoy being outdoors, it will allow them to develop muscle strength, co-ordination, and gain self confidence.

- It teaches children about nature.

-Outdoor play would be inclusive for all children

Making relationships

Environment

Teachers will encourage children to make friends during the early stages of school, and will give all children, various opportunities to work and play with different children every day.

Teachers in my ideal system will also plan support for children who struggle to make friends and socialise.

-Colourful classrooms

-Spacious for children to explore

-Homely environment

-Welcoming

-Classes will be mixed ability

- All classes will be inclusive

FINLAND

My education system..

Why is it so successful?

- School will have a Pre-school attached to it, which is FREE, allows every child the best start in life.

- Kind, respectful, caring, motivated teachers to fit into my ideal system

- No head teacher, like in Steiner schools, teachers teach equality, so therefore no one in the school will have more authority than anybody else.

- No OFSTED, teachers should be left to teach

- Every child will wear uniform, likewise the teachers will too, creates a sense of self belonging, and everybody is part of the same community.

- Every child will be provided with a free, healthy, school meal at lunch time.

LIFE SKILLS

- Finish children start school at aged 7 – more time to play/ be a child

- Rarely have homework, and the system is not obsessed with exams

- Only 1 mandatory standardized test a student takes, aged 16

- All children, clever or not, are taught together; everybody is the same

- 30% of children receive extra help in first 9 years of education

- School is 100% state funded

- All teachers MUST have a masters degree

- National curriculum is only broad guidelines, is not heavily used like in the UK

- Teachers in Finland are given same status as doctors and lawyers

I Believe...

What age should children start school?

- Problem Solving

-Handling emergencies

-Running a household

-Cooking skills

-IT Skills

-Communication

-Money & Time management

EXAMS

In my system, students will be given a choice when it comes to exams, between coursework and tests. This is because many studies show that boys are generally better at exams than girls, and girls best at coursework.

-Anybody who enters education has the potential to be successful

-Education should be student centred – students should be accountable for their own learning

-Education should be a mixture of independent work and team work learning

-Teachers should treat every child as an individual and not as a whole, as everybody is different

-Education should be relevant and interesting for all

Children would start education at 7, BBC news reported that early schooling was causing 'profound damage' to children, and that there should be more of an emphasis on learning through play - which I would apply in my education system.

DISAGREE with Micheal Gove who is proposing to introduce longer school days, and cut summer holidays!

Montessori Schools

Philosophical approaches in my ideal education system

I would take parts of the essentialist and progressivism approaches and use them within my education system.

Traditional approach

- Don't compare children

- Learn through 'doing'

- Learn practical skills

- Lessons about responsibility

- They are given freedom and choice

- There is an environment of calm concentration

Essentialist

Curriculum

Traditional

academic

discipline

Basic Knowledge

on all subjects

Back to Basics

Philosophers on Education

Individuality

Aristotle

Consider individuals

experiences

Progressivism

- All core subjects, important that children have a basic understanding

- Curriculum should include teaching children another language, right through out school

- Lessons on life skills, i.e cooking

- Lessons of choice for children, .i.e computing, athletics, dance, photography, singing, learning an instrument

- Fewer tests

Lessons interesting that provoke curiosity

Abilities and

interests

- Stressed important of play!

- Repetition large part of learning

- Balance between theory and practical

- Aim of creating good, virtuous citizens

Skinner

- Positive and negative reinforcement

- Teaches discipline