Criticism of schooling

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Anti-schooling activism, or radical education reform, describes positions that are critical of school as a learning institution and/or compulsory schooling laws; or multiple attempts and approaches to fundamentally change the school system. People of this movement usually advocate alternatives to the traditional school system, education independent from school, the absence of the concept of schooling as a whole, or the right that people can choose how, where and with whom they are educated.

Contents

These attitudes criticize the learning atmosphere and environment of school and oppose the educational monopoly of school and the conventional standard and practice of schooling for reasons such as:

Another very persistent argument of anti-schooling activists is that school does not prepare children for life outside of school, [5] and that many teachers do not have a neutral view of the world because they have only attended academic institutions a large part of their life.

Others criticize the forced contact in school and are of the opinion that school makes children spend a large part of their most important development phase in a building, in seclusion from society, exclusively with children in their own age group, seated and entrusted with the task of obeying the orders of one authority figure for several hours each day, while almost everything they do is assessed, which would be a dehumanizing experience. [6]

Some may also feel a deep aversion to school based on their personal experiences or question the efficiency and sustainability of school learning and are of the opinion that compulsory schooling represents an impermissible interference with the rights and freedoms of parents and children; and believe that schools as a vehicle for knowledge transfer are no longer necessary and increasingly becoming obsolete in times of rapid information procurement, e.g. via the internet, and therefore generally consider compulsory education with evidence-based learning-oriented online schools or autodidactism to be more sensible than the traditional cohort-based physical schools. [7]

Arguments

Teaching as political/government control

A non-curriculum, non-instructional method of teaching was advocated by Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner in their book Teaching as a Subversive Activity. In inquiry education students are encouraged to ask questions which are meaningful to them, and which do not necessarily have easy answers; teachers are encouraged to avoid giving answers. [8]

Murray N. Rothbard argues that the history of the drive for compulsory schooling is not guided by altruism, but by a desire to coerce the population into a mold desired by dominant forces in society. [9]

John Caldwell Holt asserts that youths should have the right to control and direct their own learning, and that the current compulsory schooling system violates a basic fundamental right of humans: the right to decide what enters our minds. He thinks that freedom of learning is part of freedom of thought, even more fundamental a human right than freedom of speech. He especially states that forced schooling, regardless of whether the student is learning anything whatsoever, or if the student could more effectively learn elsewhere in different ways, is a gross violation of civil liberties. [10]

Nathaniel Branden adduces government should not be permitted to remove children forcibly from their homes, with or without the parents' consent, and subject the children to educational training and procedures of which the parents may or may not approve. He also claims that citizens should not have their wealth expropriated to support an educational system which they may or may not sanction, and to pay for the education of children who are not their own. He claims this must be true for anyone who understands and is consistently committed to the principle of individual rights. He asserts that the disgracefully low level of education in America today is the predictable result of a state-controlled school system, and that the solution is to bring the field of education into the marketplace. [11]

The corruption of children – Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote in his book Emile: or, On Education (first published in 1762) that all children are perfectly designed organisms, ready to learn from their surroundings so as to grow into virtuous adults, but due to the malign influence of corrupt society, they often fail to do so. Rousseau advocated an educational method which consisted of removing the child from society—for example, to a country home—and alternately conditioning them through changes to environment and setting traps and puzzles for them to solve or overcome. [12]

Rousseau was unusual in that he recognized and addressed the potential of a problem of legitimation for teaching. He advocated that adults always be truthful with children, and in particular that adults should declare the basis for their authority in teaching being one of physical coercion: "I'm bigger than you." Once children reached the age of reason, at about 12, they would be engaged as free individuals in the ongoing process of their own. [13]

Grading – Illich

In Deschooling Society , Ivan Illich calls for the disestablishment of schools. He claims that schooling confuses teaching with learning, grades with education, diplomas with competence, attendance with attainment, and, especially, process with substance. He writes that schools do not reward real achievement, only processes. Schools inhibit a person's will and ability to self-learn, ultimately resulting in psychological impotence. He claims that forced schooling perverts the victims' natural inclination to grow and learn and replaces it with the demand for instruction. Further, the current model of schooling, replete with credentials, betrays the value of a self-taught individual. Moreover, institutionalized schooling seeks to quantify the unquantifiable – human growth.

Effects on local culture and economics

In some cases schooling has been used as a tool for assimilation and a both deliberate and inadvertent tool to change local culture and economics into another form. Opponents of this effect argue it is a human right for a culture to be maintained, and education can violate this human right. [14] Forced schooling has been used to forcibly assimilate Native Americans in the United States and Canada, which some have said is cultural genocide. [15] [16] Many psychologists believe the forced assimilation of native cultures has contributed to their high suicide rates and poverty. [17] Western education encourages Western modes of survival and economic systems, which can be worse and poorer than the existing modes of survival and economic systems of an existing culture. [17] [18] [19]

There are many factors that can cause schooling to be source of stress and depression in a person's life, which can have long-term health effects [20] [21] and mental disorders. [22] School bullying can lead to depression and long term emotional damage. [23] Societal and familial academic pressure and rigorous schooling can also lead to stress, depressions, and suicide. [24] [25] Academic pressure and rigorous schooling has been pointed to as a cause of the high rate of suicide among South Korean adolescents. [26] [27] [28] [29] General boredom from school can also cause stress, [30] and low academic performance can lead to low self esteem. [31] A student's family can suffer from academic-related stress as well. [32]

Ineffective or counter to its purpose

Some of the proposed purposes of western style compulsory education are to prepare students to join the adult workforce and be financially successful, have students learn useful skills and knowledge, and prepare students to make positive economic or scientific contributions to society. [33] [34] Critics of schooling say it is ineffective at achieving these purposes and goals. In many countries, schools do not keep up with the skills demanded by the workplace, or never have taught relevant skills. [35] [36] [37] [38] Students often feel unprepared for college as well. [39] More schooling does not necessarily correlate with greater economic growth. [40] Alternate forms of schooling, such as the Sudbury model, have been shown to be sufficient for college acceptance and other western cultural goals. [41]

Instead of being a way out of poverty and a way to stay away from crime, for many, school has the opposite effect. Schooling often perpetuates poverty and class divisions. [31] [42] [43] At many schools, students are introduced to gangs, drugs and crime. [44] The school-to-prison pipeline also converts children into criminals through overly harsh punishments. [45] Punishments from truancy and other school-related laws also adversely effect students and parents. [46] [47] [48]

Learning methods

In the eyes of many critics, memorization and pure reproduction of formulas, facts, knowledge, etc., as is usually required by many schools, is no longer up to date in times of rapid information procurement via the Internet. [49] It neither demonstrates intelligence nor is it a useful skill that will take people far in today's world. Not least due to a lack of interest on the part of students and time pressure, it results in bulimic learning, [50] [51] making school learning an end in itself for many students. The skill of independently recognizing problems and developing solutions for them as well as an in-depth understanding of issues are prevented because the focus is too much on reproducing only the facts necessary for an exam, without the need of understanding the underlying concepts.

See also

Related Research Articles

Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, the motivations for reform have not reflected the current needs of society. A consistent theme of reform includes the idea that large systematic changes to educational standards will produce social returns in citizens' health, wealth, and well-being.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homeschooling</span> Education of children outside of a school

Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or online teacher, many homeschool families use less formal, more personalized and individualized methods of learning that are not always found in schools. The actual practice of homeschooling varies considerably. The spectrum ranges from highly structured forms based on traditional school lessons to more open, free forms such as unschooling, which is a lesson- and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Some families who initially attended a school go through a deschool phase to break away from school habits and prepare for homeschooling. While "homeschooling" is the term commonly used in North America, "home education" is primarily used in Europe and many Commonwealth countries. Homeschooling should not be confused with distance education, which generally refers to the arrangement where the student is educated by and conforms to the requirements of an online school, rather than being educated independently and unrestrictedly by their parents or by themselves.

The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It also examines the concepts and presuppositions of education theories. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws inspiration from various disciplines both within and outside philosophy, like ethics, political philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Many of its theories focus specifically on education in schools but it also encompasses other forms of education. Its theories are often divided into descriptive theories, which provide a value-neutral description of what education is, and normative theories, which investigate how education should be practiced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">School</span> Institution for the education of students by teachers

A school is both the educational institution and building designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools that can be built and operated by both government and private organization. The names for these schools vary by country but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught is commonly called a university college or university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unschooling</span> Educational method and philosophy; form of homeschooling

Unschooling is a belief of self-driven informal learning characterized by a lesson-free and curriculum-free implementation of homeschooling. Unschooling encourages exploration of activities initiated by the children themselves, under the belief that the more personal learning is, the more meaningful, well-understood, and therefore useful it is to the child.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Holt (educator)</span> American writer and educator (1923–1985)

John Caldwell Holt was an American author and educator, a proponent of homeschooling, and a pioneer in youth rights theory.

Autodidacticism or self-education is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homework</span> Educational practice

Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed at home. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, mathematical exercises to be completed, information to be reviewed before a test, or other skills to be practiced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Finland</span>

The educational system in Finland consists of daycare programmes, a one-year "preschool", and an 11-year compulsory basic comprehensive school. As of 2024, secondary general academic and vocational education, higher education and adult education are compulsory.

Alternative education encompasses educational philosophy differing from mainstream pedagogy and evidence-based education. Such alternative learning environments may be found within state, charter, and independent schools as well as home-based learning environments. Many educational alternatives emphasize small class sizes, close relationships between students and teachers and a sense of community.

Deschooling is a term invented by Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich. Today, the word is mainly used by homeschoolers, especially unschoolers, to refer to the transition process that children and parents go through when they leave the school system in order to start homeschooling. The process is a crucial basis for homeschooling to work. It involves children gradually transitioning away from their schoolday routine and institutional mentality, redeveloping the ability to learn via self-determination, and discovering what they want to learn in their first homeschool days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfie Kohn</span> American author and lecturer (born 1957)

Alfie Kohn is an American author and lecturer in the areas of education, parenting, and human behavior. He is a proponent of progressive education and has offered critiques of many traditional aspects of parenting, managing, and American society more generally, drawing in each case from social science research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic education</span> Schooling run as direct democracies

Democratic education is a type of formal education that is organized democratically, so that students can manage their own learning and participate in the governance of their educational environment. Democratic education is often specifically emancipatory, with the students' voices being equal to the teachers'.

Social learning is learning that takes place at a wider scale than individual or group learning, up to a societal scale, through social interaction between peers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Guatemala</span>

Education in Guatemala is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education which oversees formulating, implementing and supervising the national educational policy. According to the Constitution of Guatemala, education is compulsory and free in public schools for the initial, primary and secondary levels. There is a five-tier system of education starting with primary school, followed by secondary school and tertiary education, depending on the level of technical training.

Student-directed teaching is a teaching technology that aims to give the student greater control, ownership, and accountability over his or her own education. Developed to counter institutionalized, mass, schooling, student-directed teaching allows students to make their own choices while they learn in order to make education much more meaningful, relevant, and effective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refugee children</span> Displaced children at risk of persecution

Nearly half of all refugees are children, and almost one in three children living outside their country of birth is a refugee. These numbers encompass children whose refugee status has been formally confirmed, as well as children in refugee-like situations.

Inclusive Classroom is a term used within American pedagogy to describe a classroom in which all students, irrespective of their abilities or skills, are welcomed holistically. It is built on the notion that being in a non-segregated classroom will better prepare special-needs students for later life. In the United States, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guaranteed civil rights to disabled people, though inclusion of disabled students progressed slowly until the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, after which almost half of US students with disabilities were soon in general classrooms.

There was a resurgence of homeschooling during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students return to school. Innovative parents sought to create solutions to their individual dilemmas by organizing local groups. These variations of homeschooling include micro schools and educational family co-ops. The first usually involves hired professionals to teach a small group of kids. The second is a parent-organized co-operative where families take turns educating and minding their kids during the week. Both are largely available only to the well-off, as costs in time and money are high. 'Pandemic pod' is the fashionable term used to describe one of these arrangements where all group members agree to participate under well-defined and strictly enforced health rules.

The Double Reduction Policy Chinese education policy intended to reduce homework and after-school tutoring pressure on primary and secondary school students, reduce families' spending on tutoring, and improve compulsory education.

References

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  2. ↑ "'Schools are killing curiosity': why we need to stop telling children to shut up and learn". The Guardian. 2020-01-28. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  3. ↑ Robinson, Sir Ken (27 June 2006), Do schools kill creativity?, archived from the original on 15 September 2013, retrieved 2021-08-04
  4. ↑ "It's time for all parties to take politics out of running schools". The Guardian. 2010-03-30. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  5. ↑ "Schools don't prepare children for life. Here's the education they really need | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett". The Guardian. 2017-06-12. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  6. ↑ Rybak, Jeff (2008-04-14). "School is dehumanizing (No, really!)". Maclean's . Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  7. ↑ SOLOMON, JOAN (2003), "Theories of learning and the range of autodidactism", The Passion to Learn, pp. 15–34, doi:10.4324/9780203329108-9, ISBN   9780203329108 , retrieved 2022-07-24
  8. ↑ Postman, Neil, and Weingartner, Charles (1969), Teaching as a Subversive Activity, Dell, New York, NY.
  9. ↑ Rothbard, Murray N. (1999). Education, free & compulsory. Auburn, Ala: Ludwig von Mises Institute. ISBN   978-0-945466-22-2.
  10. ↑ Holt ; Holt, John Caldwell (1975). Escape from Childhood . Ballantine Books. ISBN   978-0-345-24434-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Branden, N. (1963). Public Education, Should Education be Compulsory and Tax Supported, as it is Today? Chapter 5, Common Fallacies About Capitalism, Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, p. 89.
  12. ↑ "Jean-Jacques Rousseau on Emile's Education - New Learning Online". newlearningonline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
  13. ↑ "Citoyen De Genève : Jean-Jacques Rousseau", Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Continuum, retrieved 2023-05-24
  14. ↑ Noam, Schimmel (2007-01-01). "Indigenous education and human rights". eprints.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  15. ↑ Austen, Ian (2015-06-02). "Canada's Forced Schooling of Aboriginal Children Was 'Cultural Genocide,' Report Finds". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  16. ↑ Jones, Jennifer; Bosworth, Dee Ann; Lonetree, Amy (2011). "American Indian Boarding Schools: An Exploration of Global Ethnic & Cultural Cleansing" (PDF). Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways.
  17. 1 2 "A struggle for hope". apa.org. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  18. ↑ "Philosophy of Education -- From: Chapter 5: Schooling in Capitalist America". faculty.webster.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  19. ↑ "neolithic hunter-gatherers: Marshall Sahlins- The Original Affluent Society". www.eco-action.org. Archived from the original on 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  20. ↑ Schneiderman, Neil; Ironson, Gail; Siegel, Scott D. (2004-11-01). "Stress and Health: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants". Annual Review of Clinical Psychology. 1 (1): 607–628. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144141. ISSN   1548-5943. PMC   2568977 . PMID   17716101.
  21. ↑ Abeles, Vicki (2016-01-02). "Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  22. ↑ Gray, Peter (2010-01-26). "The Decline of Play and Rise in Children's Mental Disorders" . Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  23. ↑ "The Long Term Effects of Bullying". www.mentalhelp.net. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  24. ↑ Lythcott-Haims, Julie (2015-07-05). "Kids of Helicopter Parents Are Sputtering Out". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  25. ↑ "School Stress Takes A Toll On Health, Teens And Parents Say". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  26. ↑ "South Korean education success has its costs in unhappiness and suicide rates". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  27. ↑ "Why We Should Not Copy Education in South Korea". Diane Ravitch's blog. 2014-08-03. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  28. ↑ "Suicide is leading cause of death among South Korean teens, says report". UPI. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  29. ↑ "The All-Work, No-Play Culture Of South Korean Education". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  30. ↑ ""I'm Bored!" – Research on Attention Sheds Light on the Unengaged Mind". Association for Psychological Science. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  31. 1 2 Thomsen, Michael (2013-05-01). "The Case Against Grades". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  32. ↑ Pressman, Robert M.; Sugarman, David B.; Nemon, Melissa L.; Desjarlais, Jennifer; Owens, Judith A.; Schettini-Evans, Allison (2015). "Homework and Family Stress: With Consideration of Parents' Self Confidence, Educational Level, and Cultural Background". The American Journal of Family Therapy. 43 (4): 297–313. doi:10.1080/01926187.2015.1061407. S2CID   145433515.
  33. ↑ ASCD. "Education Update:Quality Feedback:What Is the Purpose of Education?". www.ascd.org. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  34. ↑ "What is the purpose of education?". www.sec-ed.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  35. ↑ "Schools 'failing to prepare young people for work', say business leaders". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  36. ↑ "Schools are 'too focused on exam results and don't prepare students for the workplace', survey finds". The Independent. 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  37. ↑ "'Education inflation' hurts Swedes' job prospects". 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  38. ↑ Reich, Robert (2014-09-03). "Robert Reich: College is a ludicrous waste of money". Salon. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  39. ↑ "Survey: Most high school students feel unprepared for college, careers". EdSource. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  40. ↑ "Education and Economic Growth - Education Next". Education Next. 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  41. ↑ "Sudbury Valley School • Online Library. Alumni". www.sudval.org. Archived from the original on 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  42. ↑ Soling, Cevin (2016-05-15). "How Public Schools Demand Failure and Perpetuate Poverty". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  43. ↑ Hochschild, Jennifer L. (2016-11-19). "Social Class in Public Schools". Journal of Social Issues. 59 (4).
  44. ↑ Howell, James; Lynch, James (2000). "Youth Gangs in School" (PDF). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; Juvenile Justice Bulletin.
  45. ↑ "School-to-Prison Pipeline". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  46. ↑ "Compulsory Education's Unforeseen Consequences: Nebraska Case Studies". COMMON CORE. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  47. ↑ Goldstein, Dana (2015-03-06). "Inexcusable Absences". New Republic. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  48. ↑ "Jail for Missed Days at School? The Madness of Truancy Laws". Reason.com. 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  49. ↑ O'Keeffe, Alice (2020-03-02). "Instead of rote learning useless facts, children should be taught wellbeing". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  50. ↑ Unterberg, Swantje (2023-04-18). "Meinung: Wider das Bulimie-Lernen: Was Praktiker und Forscherinnen fordern". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN   2195-1349 . Retrieved 2024-11-27.
  51. ↑ Winterbauer, Jörg. "Funktioniert Schule auch ohne Noten?". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-11-27.
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