Rethinking Education Chapter 4 Reflection

                 Chapter 4 focused on the development of schooling over the past years. The enthusiasts think that technology is “becoming central to all of life” which I definitely agree with. They also say that “school will become less and less important as a venue for education.” I am confused as to what the authors were trying to get across. If they are trying to say that we should find other ways to educate children, I want to hear more of those options. I think that there will always be some form of schools available for education. I am not a supporter of schools online because so much valuable interaction is lost. Educators would not be able to take students outside for a lesson or let them physically experiment with chemicals and witness reactions, to name a few things. The students would lose out on vital social interaction unless they meet people on their own time when not “attending school.”

                The chapter addresses steps taken in the evolution process of a school system. There are certain pieces of the system that I think should stay put such as; compulsory attendance, graded schools, Carnegie units, and comprehensive high schools. Tests and textbooks do not have to be included into a classroom to make it a learning environment. Students can be evaluated in many other ways other than a paper and pencil tests, which in my experiences, causes students unnecessarily high amounts of stress and anxiety prior to the test. After tests students wipe their memories clean and forget any information that is not relevant to their lives as they see it. Textbooks are not always the best resources for information when teaching a classroom. I think that presently teachers are not following the books as much as they have in the past, and are using more hands on activities to help students learn.

                The authors included one quote that bothered me a bit. “The pervasiveness of television and other new media helped produce a youth culture that is increasingly complex and sophisticated – what might be called the ‘adultification’ of youth.” Is this really a positive thing? I want my students to get outdoors and not be sitting inside playing video games or watching television. There are so many benefits to spending more time outdoors, not to mention the obesity issue that technology has contributed to along with other factors. I am all for students using technology to help them learn, but I do think it is important to have time when technology is turned off. It’s hard to keep them in check, but it is possible.

                The educational system is constantly changing in some way or another. I think we should pressing for positive changes that benefit students, but by doing so in a gradual fashion. The changes will be more acceptable for everyone if they are not all thrown in at once.