No matter how hard you try, you just can’t squish a square peg down into a round hole. It’s true both literally and metaphorically, and the raft of education-related stories in this week’s paper illustrates the latter.
Big changes are taking place at St. Mary School, we’re told, and it’s part of a division-wide and soon to be province-wide change that will put more focus on individual students’ particular skills rather than trying to force everyone to do things the same way.
There is fierce opposition in some quarter to these kinds of changes — known as exploratory learning, 21st century learning or any number of other labels depending who you ask.
But it’s undeniable that something will have to change if our education system is to keep up the technological advances that keep coming at us faster and faster. After all, it’s not enough to teach our children to live in the world we wish for, we must do our best to teach them to live in the world that will be.
The changes are coming at Pembina Hills, as well, with that division working with Alberta Education on a curriculum overhaul that will see more focus on finding the methods that work best for individual students.
And to a point, it really makes sense. Clearly, there are students who excel in very specific areas.
Siddhant Gautam can build you a hydroelectric generator, but maybe he would have less success building a picnic table. Joe Borris and Cole Huppertz are undoubtedly accomplished carpenters, but they might not be able to or even interested in winning the science fair — and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Every student has some unique skills, and rather than emphasize the areas where they’re weaker, we should be celebrating the areas where they excel. In that sense, taking another look at the education curriculum can be a big step in the right direction.
Whatever the changes that end up taking place, though, it will be crucial to not let some of the basics fall through the cracks.
Being able to synthesize knowledge by reading will serve you well no matter your career path. So will writing and communicating clearly. And the basics of math, including the dreaded multiplication tables, are fundamental building blocks for all forms of applied knowledge — whether it’s carpentry or magnetism.
