Homework is history, head tells pupils

The Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 21/01/2005 | John Clare

[WildTurkey]

"I want to give pupils responsibility for, and ownership of, their own learning. I want parents, many of whom are disengaged, to become pro-active partners in the process."

Doesn't sound socialist to me. Sounds like something Newt Gingrich would say.

[TontoKowalski]

The methodology that is being discussed is the basis for much of the homeschooling that is sweeping the nation; and is the very core of the homescholing method called "unschooling".

While homeschoolers support the rights of parents to direct their children's educations, "unschooling" in it's purest form is controversial even among many homeschoolers.

The more common scenario is that homeschoolers have some more directed studies (math, science, history, etc...) and the child explores other areas in an "unschooling" way... reading for instance. My kid has some required reading, but is free to read anything he'd like, and that is a wide range of material. He likes sci-fi books, and reads them to his heart's content with our blessing.

I don't know any homeschoolers (personally) who are fully onboard with "unschooling" for every discipline.

[FreedomCalls]

But they aren't just eliminating homework, the point of the article is that they are also eliminating the mandatory national curriculum and instead teaching "competences for learning, citizenship, relating to people, managing situations and managing information". In other words, no more hard facts, just touch-feely "how to relate" type classes.

[FreedomCalls]

Doesn't sound socialist to me. Sounds like something Newt Gingrich would say.

You missed the part about scrapping the national curriculum (a set of facts all students should know) and eliminating tests in favor of teaching "relating to people" (PC talk for learning all about minorities). If you let the students "manage their own learning" they will end up not knowing at all who Oliver Cromwell is but very thoroughly acquainted with Laura Croft.

[FreedomCalls]

I don't know any homeschoolers (personally) who are fully onboard with "unschooling" for every discipline.

Which is the whole point of the national curriculum. Here is a set of facts and data that every school child should be familiar with and problems that every shcool child should be able to solve before graduation.

[dasboot]

The successful, unstressed college student is capable of storing vast amounts of information, and accessing that information stored, without extraordinary effort. That talent can be honed by rote learning, and a required testing regimen that requires the student to recall it.

Certainly not the only thing I stressed with my kids, but I didn't neglect it. With some creativity, it can be made 'fun'. Some of the crap I made them learn by rote was, in and of itself, not important [succession of the British kings, eg.]; but the ability to utilize memory was enhanced. They've been served well by that particular skill.

Memory can, and should, be trained. (my philosophy fwiiw)