The articles, videos, and discussions of this theme have left me thinking about what schools should look like in the United States. The one thing that is clear to myself is that I do not think the traditional approach of education that we use with intense graduation requirements truly create college and career readiness. I do believe that students need a well rounded education, but I still find myself asking why students would need classes like Physics, Algebra II, Anatomy, etc if said student was not going into that career field. Especially when students are missing out on opportunities that involve technology, finance, etc that is almost guaranteed to be in their future at some point. It is also important to realize that information is more available to people than in the past with the internet at their fingertips. So what would be the best change for schools? I am still not sure of the answer to this. However, I would think that there would be some balance between a thematic/career focused classroom and instruction in basic skills. I wonder if it would be possible, without completely overhauling the US Education system to do this. For example, what if for half of the day skills taught in math (which could include finance instead of Trig or Algebra II), ELA, Government, etc could be taught. That way, if a student was poor in a subject such as math and knew they were not going to be tracked in a career that involved a lot of math could take slower, more in depth classes to ensure that students had their skills mastered up to a certain realistic point such as Algebra I or Geometry. While also ensuring that students get classes in public discourse and other basic necessities that are necessary for a successful life. On the other half of the day students could work on projects that are more career/project focused. Allowing students to work more in depth in skills that they are passionate about. The part of the day that is devoted to their passion could include more direct instruction at higher level classes as well as in depth projects. Students would learn soft skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. By no means is this idea perfect, but just a thought at how we could create opportunities for students to have a more specialized, interesting time in school.
Side Note: I use math examples all the time because I am the most comfortable and knowledgeable with the math curriculum.
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