Hagins 1

Atamanu Hagins 11-2

Ms Gentlesk
Junior Seminar
28 April 2014
Alternative Education
earl! ever! "acet o" one#s li"e is s$aped %! t$eir education& 'rom t$e ages o" ( to
18& ever! c$ild is placed in a sc$ool setting& )$ere t$e! must "ollo) t$e directions given
to t$em %! teac$ers& in t$e $opes t$at t$e! )ill eventuall! progress to college and a
"ul"illing career* Even %e"ore t$en& man! c$ildren go to presc$ools& )$ere t$e! are given
a structure similar to t$at o" traditional sc$ool& Ho)ever& )$at i" t$is is not t$e %est
c$oice "or c$ildren+ ,oda!#s careers demand more creativit! and imagination& )$ic$ is
developed t$roug$ pla!* ,raditional sc$ooling limits t$is development& as it is too
structured- t$e! $ave no c$ance to create t$eir o)n ideas* 'or t$is reason& .n t$e modern
age& t$e %est plan "or education is an alternative one& )$ere c$ildren are in c$arge o" t$eir
learning*
,$e goal "or pu%lic education $as al)a!s to prepare a )ork"orce& and our
education s!stem $as mirrored t$at/
0ur educational s!stem1)$ic$ routinel! tests kids on t$eir a%ilit! to
recall in"ormation and demonstrate master! o" a narro) set o" skills1
dou%les do)n on t$e vie) t$at students are material to %e processed&
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programmed& and 2ualit!-tested* Sc$ool administrators prepare curriculum
standards and 3pacing guides4 t$at tell teac$ers )$at to teac$ eac$ da!*
5egions o" managers supervise ever!t$ing t$at $appens in t$e classroom*
67avis8
9n"ortunatel!& t$is model is proving to %e outdated* According to 5inda 7arling-
Hammond& a pro"essor o" education at Stan"ord 9niversit!& 3.n 1::: t$e top t$ree skills
in demand )ere team)ork& pro%lem-solving& and interpersonal skills&4 skills t$at rel! on
creativit!& )$ic$ studies $ave s$o)n to %e declining* .n a 2011 article in Creativity
Research Journal& ;!ung Hee ;im& Associate <ro"essor o" Educational <s!c$olog! at
,$e =ollege o" >illiam and Mar!& s$o)ed t$at creative t$inking $as %een declining
steadil! since 1::0& due to multiple "actors 6;im 2:?8* Man! parents are a"raid o" letting
t$eir c$ildren pla! )it$out supervision& despite $aving $ad t$e opportunit! "or
unsupervised pla!& "or "ear o" accidental in@uries 6Aosin8* ;im also t$eoriBes t$at a "ocus
on standardiBed testing ma! %e a "actor/ 3,$e increased emp$asis on standardiBed testing
ma! $ave s$i"ted t$e emp$asis in sc$ools to)ard drill eCercises and rote learning& and
a)a! "rom critical& creative t$inking4 6;im 2:?8* D! "ocusing on preparing "or a test&
c$ildren lose t$eir innate creativit!*
,$e %est alternative to t$is is pla!& in )$ic$ c$ildren eCplore and interact )it$
eac$ ot$er )it$out a speci"ic structure or rules* Studies $ave s$o)n t$at t$is t!pe o" pla!
is an essential part o" development and allo)s !oung c$ildren to develop creativit! and
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interpersonal skills* .n a 1:E? stud!& !oung c$ildren )ere put into ? groups& )$ere some
)ould interact )it$ some set o%@ects )it$out restrictions& some )ould imitate someone
using t$e o%@ects& and some )ould @ust dra)* ,$e c$ildren )ere later asked $o) t$e
o%@ects could %e used& and t$e results )ere striking/ 3,$e kids )$o $ad pla!ed )it$ t$e
o%@ects named& on average& t$ree times as man! nonstandard& creative uses "or t$e o%@ects
t$an t$e !out$s in eit$er o" t$e ot$er t)o groups did& suggesting t$at pla! "osters creative
t$inking4 6>enner8* Decause t$e! )ere allo)ed to pla! )it$out restrictions& t$e! )ere
a%le to get t$e most out o" t$eir eCperience* .n a di""erent stud!& rats kept separated
during t$e time in )$ic$ t$e! usuall! pla! )it$ eac$ ot$er )ere less adapted to social
situations t$an rats not kept isolated& and are unprepared "or situations )it$ dominant rats
later in li"e 6>enner8* Dased on t$is& "ree pla! %et)een !oung is a necessar! part o"
development& since it $elps develop %ot$ creativit! and social skills*
,$e onl! sc$ools t$at allo) c$ildren to pla! "reel! are alternative sc$ools&
speci"icall! t$ose modeled a"ter t$e Summer$ill Sc$ool in England* 'ounded %! A* S*
eill& students t$ere are essentiall! "ree to do as t$e! please& as long as t$e! don#t cause
an!one $arm& and t$e! end up learning %ecause o" t$eir o)n interest& not t$e compelling
o" teac$ers* 6eill 148* >$ile t$ere are lessons& attendance is not mandator!& !et students
are still compelled to attend/
o pupil is compelled to attend lessons* Dut i" Jimm! comes to Englis$ on
Monda! and does not make an appearance again until 'rida! o" t$e
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"ollo)ing )eek& t$e ot$ers 2uite rig$tl! o%@ect t$at $e is $olding %ack t$e
)ork& and t$e! ma! t$ro) $im out "or impeding progress* 6eill 208
.n t$is )a!& t$e students are a%le to direct t$eir o)n learning& and end up as read! "or
college as an! ot$er student& %ut more creative and adapta%le due to t$eir "reedom*
,$is t!pe o" sc$ool is similar to a st!le o" learning called 39nsc$ooling&4 )$ere
c$ildren are again given control o" t$eir education* 9nsc$ooling uses an anarc$ist
p$ilosop$! 6anarc$ist %eing #)it$out rule#8& in )$ic$ t$ere is no teac$er-student
$ierarc$!* .n t$is )a!& teac$ers don#t teac$ so muc$ as $elp students learn 6McGrat$ 1(8*
D! allo)ing students to learn on t$eir o)n& t$e! can learn at t$eir o)n pace instead o"
%eing "orced to a%ide %! t$e standards o" ever!one around t$em/
As c$ildren near presc$ool and kindergarten age& parents ma! %egin to "eel
pressure to meet o""icial earl! learning and developmental milestones* ."
)e respond to t$is pressure %! attempting to coerce out !oung c$ildren into
accomplis$ing t$ese goals& )e risk passing on t$at pressure to our
c$ildren* 6McGrat$ 188
D! avoiding t$is pressure& c$ildren also avoid anCieties t$at are o"ten caused %! sc$ool*
5earning on t$eir o)n also allo)s c$ildren t$e opportunit! to learn %ased on t$eir o)n
interests and learning st!les/ 3,$ese concepts and tools eCist in t$e real )orld*
0t$er)ise& )$! )ould )e need t$em+ Ask !oursel"& do !ou use s2uare roots+ ." not& )$o
does& and )$!+ >$at "or+4 6McGrat$ ?18* ,$e! learn necessar! concepts t$roug$ real
Hagins (
)orld applications& giving t$em a "irmer grasp on $o) t$e idea actuall! )orks*
,$e idea o" sel"-led education is particularl! "easi%le in t$e in"ormation age*
>$en Sugata Mitra& a pro"essor o" educational tec$nolog! gave .ndian c$ildren access to
computers& t$e! %egan to learn on t$eir o)n& )it$ t$e onl! supervision t$ere to keep t$em
sa"e 67avis8* A"ter $earing a%out t$is& Sergio JuFreB =orrea applied t$e idea o" student-
run learning to $is classroom* ,$e neCt !ear& eCam results rose "rom mediocre to some o"
t$e %est in MeCico& earning t$eir class national acclaim/
,$e language scores )ere ver! $ig$* Even t$e lo)est )as )ell a%ove t$e
national average* ,$en $e noticed t$e mat$ scores* ,$e top score in JuFreB
=orreaGs class )as :21* Havala HernandeB looked over at t$e top score in
t$e state/ .t )as :21* >$en $e sa) t$e neCt %oC over& t$e $airs on $is arms
stood up* ,$e top score in t$e entire countr! )as also :21* 67avis8*
Decause o" t$e students# curiosit!& interest& and determination& t$e! "igured out $o)
di""erent concepts )ork and )ere a%le to learn success"ull!*
,$ere are "e) t$ings in li"e more important t$an an education* Ho)ever& man!
aspects o" traditional education prove to %e detrimental to development o" creativit! and
team)ork& skills t$at are in demand "or t$e current )ork"orce* Decause o" t$eir use o"
c$ildren#s natural instinct to learn& alternative education& )$ere students are in c$arge o"
learning& is t$e %est c$oice* 0ptions like sc$ools modeled a"ter t$e Summer$ill Sc$ool or
9nsc$ooling& allo) students to learn at t$eir o)n pace& as )ell as develop creativit! and
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social skills*
Hagins E
>orks =ited
7avis& Jos$ua* JHo) a Aadical e) ,eac$ing Met$od =ould 9nleas$ a Generation o"
Geniuses K Dusiness K >.AE7*J Wired.com* =onde ast 7igital& 1? 0ct* 001?*
>e%* 28 Apr* 2014*
;im& ;!ung Hee* J,$e =reativit! =risis/ ,$e 7ecrease in =reative ,$inking Scores on
t$e ,orrance ,ests o" =reative ,$inking*J Creativity Research Journal 2?*4
620118/ 28(-:(* <rint*
McGrat$& Sara* Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning* 7uvall& >A/ S* McGrat$& 2010*
<rint*
eill& AleCander Sut$erland* Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing* e)
Lork/ Hart <u%*& 1:I0* <rint*
Aosin& Hanna* J,$e 0verprotected ;id*J The Atlantic* Atlantic Media =ompan!& 1: Mar*
2014* >e%* 28 Apr* 2014*
>enner& Melinda* J,$e Serious eed "or <la!*J Scientific American* ature America& .nc&
2: Jan* 200:* >e%* 28 Apr* 2014*