The 21st Century is begging for education reform. The 21st Century is capable of delivering it. The 21st Century can see the end of failure in education and usher in a new age of enlightenment.
How? Well, here are some of my spontaneous thoughts on the subject.
I just created a term for myself called "Mastery Education". I have no idea if this term exists or not, and I don't really care. I just made it up. What does it mean?
"Mastery Education" means that no student is allowed to fail in school.
What does that look like?
Well, failure happens when a student is not capable of doing a task or answering a question because they don't "YET" know how to. It is also a question of area of expertise. One student may be good at Math while another is good at Art. The Math student fails art, and the art student fails math, but that doesn't mean they cannot do both and at a mastery level. The question is a matter of teaching styles and student capabilities.
I recently had an in depth discussion with a math professor about this very topic. I maintain, that given enough time and repetition that we are capable of 100% mastery of a topic, and that allowing students to pass through with 70% level is doing them an injustice. The professor maintained that nobody can be good at everything, it is difficult enough to be 100% at one thing. So, 70% is acceptable for those who are not projected as needing to be at a 100% level in a discipline outside their area of expertise.
I'd have to agree with that. But, instead of designing courses where some people fail, some people are average, and some people are 100%ers, why not just teach the courses so that they only get 70% of the information but can master that 70% and know that there is more to be had? This division of effort would greatly enhance the effectiveness of teachers, stop wasting students time and patience, and end the parade of disenchanted educators everywhere.
Failure is only something you achieve because you aren't capable of doing something with the skills, information, and talent you have at the moment. How many geniuses failed in classes? How many didn't even go to the trouble to finish school, because it held them back because of the distractions there?
The mystery needs to be taken out of education and it needs to deal with facts. The fact is...one size does not fit all. We need to stop the failure practice in schools and start success practices. This means the end of education as we know it.
I have to go...but there is a window of opportunity we have right now to change the educational experience of people of all ages. Societies that achieve this will thrive in the future. Otherwise, build more prisons.