I’m not sure that would be ideal. During class time pupils (should) interact with each other, and not just the teacher. Pupils can (in a suitable mutually-supportive classroom) understand, often better than the teacher, what it is that other pupils misunderstand or misconstrue. Pupils working in small groups can be very effective learning situations. Learning from video is OK for some things, but being able to query the teacher or other pupils is invaluable.
Let’s face it our education system is an underfunded mess just like our police and health services.
Without wanting to be rude, I think you have a quite unrealistic expectation of what “home” is like for many pupils. I think quite a few would struggle to learn anything from video in the home context, even assuming the viewing equipment continuing availability and broadband connection could be assured.
In the mostly middle class primary school two of my grandchildren go to in London, they asked the kids to come dressed up as a book character for World Book Day and one child had difficulty choosing because, it turned out, the only book of any sort they had at home was the Argos catalogue.
Best
David
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One thing that has stayed with me since graduating in 1984 is a powerful remark made by a senior lecturer to a few of us at an end of year social. ‘What you possibly don’t realise is that teaching you lot is the quid pro quo of us [staff] getting our research grants. It’s what we are here for, knowledge. And when you all on holidays, that’s when we get our research done’
I’ve often wondered if he would say the same today.
At the end of the month an envelope arrived that let me know my student loan was up by another £200+.
Was sickening.
Only after a family windfall, was this stopped - and with that a bonus given out from percentage tax discrepancies. Lucky me.
Still. Definitely believe some of today’s universities are more a money making machine out for themselves, rather than contributing good well meaning souls out into the community.
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I don’t think you are far wrong. Kids think they must automatically head to University and it seems to be all about the student experience rather than the quality of teaching - the same with the mickey mouse courses that saddle the poor students with a pile of debt and not a lot else. Get back to proper apprenticeships and vocational training. Higher education can come later if needed to progress further.
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There in lies the problem.
Most decent apprenticeships are seldom come. If open for 2 or 3 where uni has 20 to 30.
My life would be most certainly different if I HAD got that apprenticeship at the wood joinery I so wanted, but some other fella got it and I took a different path.
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Not sure that’s right - is it underfunded or inefficient? With the advent of artificial intelligence and the obvious connection youngsters have with computer games, surely some advantage can be realised.
Youngsters interact through social media and when playing computer games, so could we not exploit this within education. Perhaps, it’s because my own school days were not great and I was happy to leave as soon as I could, that I had always hoped a better solution to education than going to school would emerge.
It probably isn’t a one size fits all solution but perhaps it could be tried in some areas to see if it works. We seem to be agreeing the present education system isn’t working so we need to try something different .
I really don’t think we have discussed the present school education system much at all here and I for one don’t agree that the present system doesn’t work. Just because some people don’t enjoy their time at school is no reason to try to foist a new technology approach on everyone.
No foisting intended - glad to hear the present system does work as that means we do not need to put even more money in to it. I still think a new technology trial could be beneficial for at least some pupils, but I’ve no axe to grind. If nobody wants to give it try then that’s fine.
If you look at the funding other developed countries spend on further education and training you will see how poorly the UK system is funded.
I would not dispute that - companies should definitely promote training - perhaps a 10% cut in executive salaries could fund it: (possible? I don’t know). The idea I heard on the news was about schools, which @davidhendon implies are absolutely fine as is.
I am not saying all schools are perfect for all pupils. I said the school educational system is not broken. And technology can always help individual children with a special need of one sort or another.
What I am saying is that suggesting changing the model to make them watch videos at home is absurd. It might work for well-motivated middle class children but it won’t work for many more.
Anyway I’m going to leave this thread now. I’m getting too irritated by the direction it’s heading.
I think there must be something wrong with the educational system not only in the UK but also across Europe, although it may not be entirely broken
Let me tell you a true story - My nephew, a 19-year-old French, who just passed the baccalauréat, so a few weeks ago, I half-jokingly asked him if he ever wanted to go to École Polytechnique or Sorbonne University or École Normale Supérieure de Lyon. I was dumbed struck when he said he had never heard any of those universities! My next test question to him - Who is the chancellor of Germany now? Hitler, came back the answer!
So please tell me - Am I having a nightmare? Or am I dreaming?
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Gosh! That is really shocking!
My home is in The Netherlands and the education is good here. Any university or high school you study on will ensure that you reach a sufficient level.
My personal story is that I started a BSc in IT and did not finish it. I could get a well payed and challenging job at an american company without a degree - and also - I did not fit the school well.
Late twenties I kind of regretted not finishing my study so I did something ‘stupid’. I contacted the Royal Conservatory and asked if I could take an entry exam for BMus Church Music / Organ. A few weeks later I had to tell my wife that I passed the exam and started to study again.
Looking back, what a wonderful period. Private lessons or small classes - seldomly more than 6 people in a room - a prima vista singing palestrina et cetera. Highly international education. Over 50% of the students was non-Dutch and teachers came from any place on this planet (especiall regarding old music).
Regarding education in the UK - and in Europe in general - I believe that the difference between the best universities and the ‘normal’ universities is quite large. I happen to know a few people who studied at Oxford / Cambridge / Kings@London and their level of ‘bildung’ (as the Germans nicely call it) is extremely high. Enjoyable people to chat with about everything. What I understood from them is that for their studies the class size was also quite small and the professor was considered an authority. Such level of education is present in my country regarding Design / Physics / Biology / Agriculture / Mathematics - but not on many other subjects.
More to say, but I must feed the kids now …
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Hilarious!
" If it were not for the government, we should have nothing to laugh at in France." – Sébastien-Roch Nicolas De Chamfort
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Exactly right. The assessment of competence has moved locations. A friend of ours who is a very senior partner in a large law firm has discussed this with us. Basically, a candidate’s degree and grades simply get you into the process. Above a minimum threshold, the university grades are considered to be completely uncorrelated with potential performance. Extra-curricular achievements are weighted much more heavily, as a measure of what people can do when they are motivated. Things like doing marathons, climbing mountains, “non-staged” charity work, entrepreneurship (successful or failed - doesn’t matter), learning musical instruments, languages, art etc. all count much more than any grade-based differentiation in their process.