schoolyard subversion

2001-03-02 [< * >]

The following is excerpted from a letter I wrote to our school's scheduling committee.

Many students I have spoken with have expressed their preference for a different style of education. Rather than continuing to chop up student's time into nonsensically labeled pieces which are then squeezed together in a confusing hodge-podge called a schedule, we should instead encourage students to see the connections between classes and allow them to maintain their focus throughout the day.

Two options present themselves: the first is to continue with a system of "classes", but extend the length of a class beyond a single fifty minute period to something longer. To prevent student burnout, these "long-form classes" would have to be loosely scheduled, spreading the day out between active instruction, practice (like homework), discussion (between the entire class as well as one-on-one with teachers or students) and simple relaxation (an important ingredient in any activity!).

On top of this loose schedule, students would have time to have other activities -- see presentations, take PE, participate in the theater or work on projects of their own. Meanwhile, they would have ample time to make sure they knew the material as well as many opportunities to learn in a one-on-one environment.

This type of class can be presented in many different ways. First, a class can be extended to take up an entire day, with a rotating schedule of classes. This also allows students a week or more to complete their homework. In addition, it does add some variety to a students week. For a more focused student, they should be able to split up the entire year into a number of classes and have the ability to work on each class intensely for months before finally finishing it and moving on to the next. I believe this would be extremely valuable and lead increased retention of information by the students.

Ultimately, however, it is important for the school to realize the fallacy of separate subjects and how this leads to the continue specialization, competition and destruction in our society. It is time for school to realize that all subjects are equally valuable and become an "information marketplace" where each teacher at the school -- as well as those not at the school and not teachers, but able to share their knowledge online, over the telephone, or by mail -- can offer an exciting opportunity for growth to the students.

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