If you could change the education system

[Autumnlicious]

Your suggestions fail to take into account pet ideologies, religious wackeries and the issue of letting turnips without even the slightest iota of pedagogy decide what pedagogical techniques should be used.

In essence, would you let someone who has never driven a car before pick the car that their child will be driven in for the rest of their life?

[Darth]

Australia:
More critical thinking, more english, and easier to understand marking systems. It doesn't need to be a,b,c,d,f but it has gotten to the point that at TAFE (adult education) you don't get a % mark on any assessment, you're either 'competent' or 'not yet competent', and they won't tell you how well you did beyond that (you have just got to hope that the lecturer took the time to write a whole paragraph detailing how well [or not] you did). With most lecturers you can't tell the difference between a 51% and a 100% mark, same goes for the difference between a 20% and a 49%.

The same goes for primary and secondary school marks here. All the parents (and teachers) complain of incomprehensible marking systems that do nothing to tell the parent and student how well they are doing.

EDIT: forgot about the SRE and chaplaincy rubbish currently in PUBLIC schools. It, and all politicians and government workers who are responsible for its creation, funding and continuation, need to fuck off.

Edit 2: congrats on your 1000th post justtristo! WOO!!!

[Justtristo]

I would propose the following changes to the educational system if I were in charge. I am making these proposals for the educational system in Australia

1. Compulsory objective education in religion (similar to what Daniel Dennett is proposing) starting at the primary (or elementary) school level in all school settings, wether public, private and home.

Dennett's proposal for religious education in schools.
http://www.stoa.org.uk/topics/education/...20Well.pdf

2. Banning from the public schools those visiting scripture teachers who are actually evangelists.

3. Early and comprehensive education in critical thinking and the scientific method to form, which would form the core of studies in science. Along with forcing private and home schools to teach that along with evolution as a fact.

4. Restructure basic high school mathematics so it starts with Algebra and finishes with Statistics. This would much the same as Richard Carrier proposes.

I seriously believe if these measures were put into effect, religion in our societies would become extremely marginalized in say a century or so. Also the vast majority of the population would become rationalists as well.

5. Reintroduction of rote learning in English and Mathematics, which would go away in improving the literacy and numeracy skills of future generations.

[passionatefool]

One of the greatest thing I want to see changed at my school is to put more emphasis on education, academic. Give students more motivation, vision. Sports needed to be...equalized ...if that is a word at all. Here they put way too much emphasis on football, we end up having idiots walking around school as if they own the place and worshiped by everybody.

Educators somehow need to be more respected, I see too many educator harassed by students. It is ridiculous, how are we going to take education important if educators are harassed.

Lastly more critical and rational thinking, too many ignorant and delusional people.

[Epimethean]

Unfortunately, football brings in money and attention that big box schools can't pass up.

[KillYourself]

Alright, I would add a class called life and the world, it would teach about life, the world, priorities, how to plan for the future, life skills, etc. These classes will help the student transition from a teenager into a logical adult and it will allow the students to better understand each other, life, and the world.

Also, I would place a plan which would give money to students who get good grades, $40 for every A or something, I mean they will pay hundreds of thousand in taxes through out their lifetime. This would make many teenagers push for that A and overall would bring the focus of school back to education.

[KichigaiNeko]

Alright, I would add a class called life and the world, it would teach about life, the world, priorities, how to plan for the future, life skills, etc. These classes will help the student transition from a teenager into a logical adult and it will allow the students to better understand each other, life, and the world.

Also, I would place a plan which would give money to students who get good grades, $40 for every A or something, I mean they will pay hundreds of thousand in taxes through out their lifetime. This would make many teenagers push for that A and overall would bring the focus of school back to education.

Got something like that here in Australia mate...jury is still out on the success rate

[Epimethean]

And, um, life skills classes here have been generally reckoned a failure, something the "slower" students may need along with home economics and wood shop. If they can't get the gist of "the world" from econ, math, science, history and lit, chances are they are there will be problems no matter what. Not sure I like paying them for A's, but I would be interested in two things there: One, the increase in the frequency of A's; two, increase in performance on high level exams such as AP.

[The Grand Nudger]

Hmn, what would I change.......well, they're broke. So probably that. We're getting exactly what we paid for, and exactly what we wanted (funding and curricula are both part of a representative process). Unless maybe this isn't what we wanted. In which case they just might need more money.

[Mal Kiever]

I would focus more on useful everyday skills and knowledge, and cut out subjects which don't end up being used. I'd give a lot more choice over what to learn.