I think education should be tied to developmental stages rather
than ages or even academic progress.
3rd grade is my favorite example; that's approximately the age
where "being social" starts to be *everything*; kids become
chatterboxes, and all of the boys vs girls, teasing (the "you're
gay / don't be such a girl" stuff starts there) - bullying, all
of it seems to "stick" in a memorable way. Macklemore's first
line, "In the 3rd grade, I thought I was gay..." and South Park
starting its stuff (exaggerated as it is) in 3rd (then 4th)
grade, is surprisingly accurate - not to its extreme that it
goes, but socially not so far off)
yet, where's the recognition of that in school setting? "Sit
still, face forward and listen" is hard at any age; complaints
of "school sucks" is something we assume is "just a part of how
it is" but I honestly believe it doesn't have to be.
Yes, I think there needs to be basics; but I think there are
better conduits for learning.
Example: Kids get obsessed with things. Pokemon, Minecraft, or
in our day, maybe Baseball cards, or Science shows (yeah I liked
Science shows ) - so, why not use the obsession as a conduit for
learning the subject matter?
I mentioned it in another message but I'll repeat 'cause I like
hearing myself type: Imagine a student having trouble with
standard curriculum or is complaining or seems frustrated in
some way. Now imagine that student being taken aside privately
and a teacher finds out what they're obsessed with.
Then, the teacher works with the student to help them design a
curriculum containing *all* of the necessary subject matter BUT
from the perspective of their obsession? And then, they help
teach it.
Then they can learn all of the math/science/english/etc THROUGH
the Lens they ALREADY enjoy seeing the world through; and by
teaching it to fellow students, they accomplish several goals
simultaneously.
For, what is the difference is Times Tables is learned through
an Excel Chart, or via counting up power levels in Pokemon?
None. The same skills are used; but the context is user-friendly
and engaging.
