No one thinks for a moment that schools deliberately want to decrease chances for learning but it happens anyway because of the antiquated school structure and past practices that are difficult to abandon. John D. McNeil, professor emeritus in the graduate school of education at the University of California, lists five practices that should be abandoned.
Placing Students Together Based on Age
Students are placed in grades by their ages. The age of 5 opens the door to Kindergarten. Preschool doors open at 3 and 4. Students are 18 or 19 when they graduate from high school. McNeil says to put on the brakes for this thinking.
Yes, schools have been historically structured in this manner but John D. McNeil strongly states that this format must be abandoned. "The false assumption that there is a common age for various developmental stages, and thus there should be common expectations for achievement within a grade, has negative consequences for both the slow and the fast learner," says McNeil.
Students in a typical elementary classroom may vary 3-5 years or more in abilities. Studies show that the strongest students lose motivation when under-challenged as much as less skilled students lose motivation because they are over-challenged.
Limiting Peer and Teacher Assistance
Constructive feedback is crucial to understanding. In Europe students are allowed to work together more and discuss how the work could improve. They often take tests together. The United States emphasizes "doing your own work" leaving less skilled students unable to get good feedback. When students ask for assistance, they are sometimes told, "We discussed this in class. Go back to your seat and figure it out." This practice dooms this student to failure and frustration. Isolating students from feedback breeds discouragement.
"Harm is done when school policies and practices expose novices to competitive practices – ranking, letter grades (on the curve), unclear criteria for defining and judging learning tasks and student work. Competitive practices are best considered as options after students have acquired an acceptable level of performance and are able to work independently," says McNeil.
Forming Homogeneous Groups With Competition
The third way to kill learning is to place bright children with other bright children and base lessons on competition. Cooperative learning, where all share ideas, provides a better learning environment. Forcing competitive conditions is not effective.
Limiting Teachers in Selection of Content and Delivery System
The fourth way to kill learning is to restrict teachers, who know their students, from deciding how to deliver content. Intellectual authority is often taken away from teachers by forcing universal textbooks, mandating state standards, and forcing teachers to teach in areas where they are not confident. Teachers need flexibility to teach in ways that make the information meaningful to the students. If the information is not meaningful, students will disconnect.
Stifling High-Level Thinking
Students challenge and debate each other outside of class time on a continuous basis. But, in the classroom, challenges and debates are discouraged. Imagination is squelched and interest in the topic wanes. Students often discuss topics like
- fashion
- sports
- media
- politics
using higher-level thinking. The typical classroom would consider challenges and debate as disorderly conduct. Teachers are looking for "one" answer (the correct answer from the book) and not creative options and multiple answers. This discourages invention and new solutions to today's problems.
"Learning is suppressed, because there are few opportunities to pursue problems that invite multiple solutions, or to engage in the kind of discourse that enhances their understanding. Exploring an academic subject’s uncertain answers to important questions in their own lives might make these learners want to continue its study. But that chance is lost in most directed classrooms," says McNeil.
Lifelong Learning
PISA, the Program for International Student Assessment, has studied traditional schools and its effects on lifelong learning. The result is very disappointing. PISA has found that even the highest-performing learners have minimal motivation for further learning in prestigious subject fields. The present school structure has successfully squelched desire for learning.
Source: John D. McNeil, Education Week, "Five Ways Schools Can Kill Learning", October 28, 2008.
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