How to Move from the 19th Century Education Model

Even though free public education had been declared for all 150 years ago in Massachusetts and over the next half a century almost every other state followed suit to provide education to everyone, the quality of education that is imparted currently is not of much difference from that of 150 years ago.

Science and technology took the world by storm and helped in evolution and automation of almost every industry apart from the education industry. We still live in a world where school or college education refers to students belonging to the same age group, sitting in a classroom, and being taught by the same teacher. The teacher’s discourse is one and the same for all students irrespective of their intellectual capabilities.

The factory model of imparting education

The 19^th century model of imparting education was inspired by the factory line model, where taking in large number of students and teaching them the same things altogether at the same time resulted in greater learning rather than giving personal attention to students depending on their learning capabilities. Just like factories did not support personalization, the same applied to schools. The structure also bore resemblance to the Prussian schooling model, where the idea was to build a common bond through national identity. Large number of students studying together would melt religious differences among them making them one and the same.

How to make the much needed change?

Given today’s educational scenario, a change is imperative as we now live in more complex and diverse environments with powerful technological capabilities and a broader vision for education. It is time to change the factory-model classroom, credit requirements and age-based grade levels. Using powerful technological tools, schools can introduce software that helps each student to learn at their own pace. It is important to align the way the software works to the way the teacher extend the lessons in the classes, as one model is highly personalized while the other more standardized. With different tools made available to schools, teachers need to adapt to the new ways of teaching, so that this change can be successful.

Education should be structured around the format of what we want the students to be able to do, the resources we have at hand and the immense possibilities that lie in front of us. By employing model providers who can use these ideas to create structures to impart education would be a great idea. Model providers may or may not handle the school administrative processes as well. Their primary task will be to provide new education structures to schools and oversee their implementation and customization based on each school and its needs.

Once these models begin to develop and take effect, state agencies will be able to analyze the impact of these models on the learning of the students. Based on their observations they can reward the models that are successful and have brought in good results while decertifying the ones that didn’t.

It is time for us to use technology in this much needed sector of education and make some positive changes that have been predicted for a long time but are yet to take effect.