TRADITIONAL EDUCATION DOES NOT RESPECT THE INDIVIDUAL.

I would like to discuss why I make this statement. This is a pretty complex subject, therefore we need to break it up into different parts. These are: Everyone is different, traditional education, why this is a problem and how we could fix this.

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.

I don’t need to give a lot of explanation on this one. This is just how it is. Every individual has his or her own perspective of the world, his or her own life and so on. Some people will do this on a more rational basis, others will tend to do it more emotionally. How this exactly works is a different question to which the human race has not really found a definitive answer to.

A thing we know for sure is that we are a part of nature. We sometimes tend to think we stand above it but I can not see how this would be correct. When you look at nature closely, you can see an infinite array of possibilities at every scale. Even within the same species, you will never find two organisms that are exactly the same. They may look so at first sight but once you take a closer look, you will eventually find some kind of difference between the two.

This same concept applies to humans. You could even argue that the inherent complexity of a human being extends over the complexity of most other organisms. This could mean that with humans you can have even more possibilities of expression. Which then again means that you will never find two identical individuals.

TRADITIONAL EDUCATION, THE ONE FIT ‘SOLUTION’.

To understand the relation between the two, we need to take a closer look at how traditional education works. Let’s go over the core concepts.

1. The current education system works with curriculums (Fixed knowledge base put together by professionals).
2. We work with grades (organizing individuals based on age to decide what they need to learn).
3. We ask for proof of understanding (test and exams).
4. The collective learning experience (classrooms and auditoriums).

This pretty much sums up what traditional education looks like.

Get young people to sit in classrooms within their grade, teach them the curriculum and test to know if they understood. If so, they can go on, otherwise, they can double this grade or leave school.

When you think about it a little longer. You would notice that if you would describe human nature, you would at least need a book while traditional education can be described in two sentences. A very complex subject (human diversity) put in a very simple system just doesn’t work well. Unless you want to simplify the complexity of the subject at hand, which should not be the case considering the importance of well-educated people.

Traditional education is contra natural in almost every aspect. It is a one fit ‘solution’ to fill in a highly complex function. This results in the fact that you need an authoritarian approach to deal with natural resistance (young people) because you are forcing them through something they can not relate with internally.

Current education results in a couple of negative consequences:

• You force people from a young age in a submissive attitude to authority.
• The people who do not agree are seen as a problem while actually they have done nothing wrong.
• You demotivate personal expression.
• You take away thought diversity.
• Demotivates the acquirement of knowledge once they are done with school.

The brain will relate learning with a negative experience compared to a good one depending if you experienced school as negative/positive. (most of us just did it but can’t really call it the most pleasant thing either.)

You could say I’m exaggerating, but keep in mind this does not happen in a day. These are subconscious processes which are hard to notice for yourself. Especially when you consider that you first met this system when you were only around 6 years old.

The problem with curriculums is that it is fixed. Same concept as before, you can not expect different people to be a right fit. For most people there will only be a small part within the curriculum that really suits them, the rest is just obligatory which they would forget in no time.

The problem with grades (age-based). You can not expect people to learn at the same pace. Some people learn fast and therefore will feel held back, some learn slow and feel stressed depending on what they are learning.

Problem with proof of understanding. Some people will learn by heart easily and get good grades, others will tend to learn from experience.

Problem with classrooms. Some people function well this way, others not really. This is why some people give their kids Ritalin just to get them to fit in a system not made for who they are.

THE KEY FOR FUTURE EDUCATION.

Like I have told you before we are trying to push a huge array of different shapes through the same mold. Some shapes will fit, some more or less and others just can’t go through. But not a single shape fits it perfectly.

I believe every person has some kind of talent, may it be in arts or mathematics. Maybe not everyone can be the best at something, but everyone can at least be good/great at anything. This is what we would need to discover and motivate.

The individual should be the mold and the system should be malleable enough to fit it!

How can this be developed?

The only way to do this is to build the system as flexible as possible. Make it borderless in options and don’t make assumptions. You should not cut corners doing so. Base the system on trust instead of distrust. Remove the old system and put up a totally new one.

These are a few suggestions on how it could be done.

Build an open knowledge structure and let young people explore themself in it. This way they can find their talents and amplify them. Give them a mentor for all kinds of support and follow up. Put people with the same interest together in open classrooms so that they can help each other.

Remember that every person has a good intention (especially for themselves). Just make it clear at a young age that they have to put in work to fulfill their dreams and that they will be supported doing so.

Originally published at https://foundersblog.unilight.co on November 13, 2020.