What is an educaton?

In an earlier blog I posed the question “What do we want from our schools?”
 
This is an attempt to answer that question.
 
Let’s start by looking at the end product. What do we want our 16 year old school leaver to look like? Once we know the goal, then we can start to figure out how to get there.
 
This individual should be healthy and fit and have a respect for their bodies. They should know how to maintain themselves in terms of basic modern survival skills. By this I mean the ability to groom, feed and clothe themselves. Maybe even live by themselves if the need arose.
 
Be able to budget and manage their finances which in turn means having a good understanding of numbers and basic arithmetic. Mathematics based on real world problems.
 
The ability to hold a conversation with anyone of any age. This brings in a whole range of personal skills including thinking, listening, and presenting your own ideas in a coherent fashion.
 
Our school-leaver should have an understanding of themselves, their surroundings and the wider world. This means having the ability to both read, comprehend and think about what you have read.
 
This leads on to thinking in general.
 
The ability to seek out information and consider its veracity. So much of the modern world seems to involve people peddling dubious opinions and shallow thinking. They are only able to get away with this because most people do not know how to spot duff thinking.
 
Note that I haven’t even begun to consider any subject specific knowledge. Most of what we need from individuals are skill sets rather than knowledge.
 
Creativity is another area where we would like to see our school leaver shine. The ability to create and appreciate art in whatever form they wish and preferably as wide as possible. And why stop at art? The ability to make can be stretched so much wider.
 
The ability to think creatively and collectively. Ploughing your own furrow was an enviable trait in previous centuries but now we all work as teams. Collaboration is the key to boosting creativity these days.
 
A willingness to make mistakes. Not deliberately, but lacking the fear of making a mistake or admitting to it. The best way to learn and stretch yourself is by trying, and trying will always bring mistakes if you are entering new areas. Anyone know a baby who stood and walked at their first attempt? No, we try, we fall over, and we try again until we get it right.
 
The other part of the equation is admitting mistakes, which in my book also includes admitting that you don’t yet know the answer to whatever you are being asked. Admitting temporary ignorance until you are able to rectify that situation.
 
As a team player, our school leaver will have a sense of community and a willingness to help others. The ability to see the wider picture rather than just the parochial. I hesitate to use the term “Christian values” because any fully human being should hold such values regardless of religious affiliation or not.
 
This widens out into a respect for both themselves and for everyone they have contact with. Respect doesn’t mean obedience or blind acceptance. Just a willingness to consider the other persons position as well as your own thoughts and needs.
 
I’ve still not drilled down to knowledge and everything so far isn’t even age specific. Most of it can apply equally at the primary or secondary level, tweaked of course to the age appropriate circumstance.
 
How about having a positive attitude? A can do approach, or at least a willingness to try approach? One of the best youngsters who ever worked for me came with no higher education but with just such an approach. Did they succeed? Oh yes.
 
A love of learning.
 
Much to every school leavers disgust, exams to not stop at sixteen; they just take different forms. Lifelong learning is with us for the foreseeable future so get used to it. Mind you, if you have a love for new information, then learning is something that you will do for fun anyway.
 
Adaptability is already a major asset to anyone's arsenal these days. 

The world is changing so fast that we can’t even imagine the skills that will be useful in twenty years time. Fletcher, cooper, blacksmith, printer. All good and essential trades until the world moved on. Learn from history; death and taxes are no the only certainties these days. Change is up there too.
 
Self motivation has got to be on the list somewhere. For most of us the world does not come on a plate and we will only realise our dreams by our own efforts.
 
The ability to dream. A willingness to aim high. Not being satisfied with following the family business be it mining or doctoring. This also means having had the chance to know what’s out there or at least being given the skills so that you can go and look for yourselves.

I guess that by now I should be looking at specific subjects which actually exist in the school curriculum.
 
Geography. A knowledge of the world which is not US centric. Sadly, most people can name more US states than European capitals. I’d rather our school leaver knew where most countries in the world were and have some idea of their current situation if even at the most basic level. An understanding of climate and the effects of mankind on the environment would be useful and hopefully might promote a better awareness of modern needs and more especially Island needs regarding conservation and environmental controls.
 
History. An understanding of Island history, then European history and then world history. Again, it is better to have a broad brush understanding rather than a detailed knowledge of only one small aspect in the world.
 
Language. An appreciation of language and an ability to use it in both the written and spoken format. Start close to home and then work outwards. Let them experience the best of British, European and then world literature, in translation of course.
 
This broadens out into the performing arts where the individuals get the chance to express themselves creatively.
 
Art appreciation. An understanding of the major visual art movements in history. 
 
Religion. An understanding of all of the world religions and of their critics. Comparative religion rather than indoctrination.
 
The idea in everything is to get a world framework. With that created, the individual can then decide which areas to pursue into greater depth.
 
One of the big problems with these ideas is that a lot of it can’t be tested. How do you test if a person is becoming a team player or more positive and self confident? Without testing, how do you know if a teacher or a school is performing well? How do you reward? How do you maintain standards?
 
The answer is of course to spend time in the schools and to talk to the pupils. Two or three weeks in a school, observing lessons and playtimes should give an insight into the schools success and talking to pupils will soon establish what sort of individuals they are turning into.
 
The end product of this system might not know so many facts but will be a better individual with a wider knowledge of the world. 
They will be assets to our Island and to the wider world.
 
Will such a system ever be put in place?
 
I doubt it.