Education - Learning & Teaching

I had a fairly conventional education for a woman of my generation. Primary school, Grammar school (fortunately), Teacher Training College (luckily degree equivalent). Then a professional career in Primary Education. I think I was lucky because I was only moderately bright. I was driven & hard working though. Nothing came easily.

But I really don't think that pathway "educated" me. I had a few inspirational teachers, but I also had some truly dreadful ones. I can't really say that I enjoyed my education - it was a means to an end - a good, professional job & a way out of working class "getting by".

Looking back I think the majority of my learning has been through people other than teachers & because of my own motivation to know about something I was interested in. Learning doesn't & shouldn't stop once you have reached a certian age or get a piece of paper. If you don't continue with "lifelong learning" you don't adapt to a changing world & doors are closed to you.

I imagine I must have taught my pupils some skills & bits of information. But I don't think we think enough about what the role of a teacher is & what any teacher can be expected to achieve given the huge spectrum of intelligence, application, interest, creativity & home background each child brings to school. If you really think about it it seems an almost impossible task to meet the needs of every child. One size does not fit all - but in the main, that's what we give them.

We need to refine what it is important that we do try to teach - at what point in a childs development. We need to decide what social, creative & physical skills we want to encourage. Finally we need a plan for how we do that to meet the needs of all children from the "special needs" to the "gifted" child.

Children really need to learn how to learn for themselves. In this technological age virtually all knowledge is available to them. They just have to know how to access it. Self motivated learning has a  lifelong influence. Force feeding "education" is quickly forgotten. Good teachers are facilitators not indoctrinators.

http://collectivelyconscious.net/articles/teaching-children-how-to-think-instead-of-what-to-think/