Hagins 1

Atamanu Hagins 11-2

Ms Gentlesk

Junior Seminar

28 April 2014

Alternative Education

Nearly every facet of one's life is shaped by their education, From the ages of 5 to

18, every child is placed in a school setting, where they must follow the directions given

to them by teachers, in the hopes that they will eventually progress to college and a

fulfilling career. Even before then, many children go to preschools, where they are given

a structure similar to that of traditional school, However, what if this is not the best

choice for children? Today's careers demand more creativity and imagination, which is

developed through play. Traditional schooling limits this development, as it is too

structured; they have no chance to create their own ideas. For this reason, In the modern

age, the best plan for education is an alternative one, where children are in charge of their

learning.

The goal for public education has always to prepare a workforce, and our

education system has mirrored that:

Our educational system—which routinely tests kids on their ability to

recall information and demonstrate mastery of a narrow set of skills—

doubles down on the view that students are material to be processed,

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programmed, and quality-tested. School administrators prepare curriculum

standards and “pacing guides” that tell teachers what to teach each day.

Legions of managers supervise everything that happens in the classroom.

(Davis)

Unfortunately, this model is proving to be outdated. According to Linda Darling-

Hammond, a professor of education at Stanford University, “In 1999 the top three skills

in demand were teamwork, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills,” skills that rely on

creativity, which studies have shown to be declining. In a 2011 article in Creativity

Research Journal, Kyung Hee Kim, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at

The College of William and Mary, showed that creative thinking has been declining

steadily since 1990, due to multiple factors (Kim 293). Many parents are afraid of letting

their children play without supervision, despite having had the opportunity for

unsupervised play, for fear of accidental injuries (Rosin). Kim also theorizes that a focus

on standardized testing may be a factor: “The increased emphasis on standardized testing

may have shifted the emphasis in schools toward drill exercises and rote learning, and

away from critical, creative thinking” (Kim 293). By focusing on preparing for a test,

children lose their innate creativity.

The best alternative to this is play, in which children explore and interact with

each other without a specific structure or rules. Studies have shown that this type of play

is an essential part of development and allows young children to develop creativity and
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interpersonal skills. In a 1973 study, young children were put into 3 groups, where some

would interact with some set objects without restrictions, some would imitate someone

using the objects, and some would just draw. The children were later asked how the

objects could be used, and the results were striking: “The kids who had played with the

objects named, on average, three times as many nonstandard, creative uses for the objects

than the youths in either of the other two groups did, suggesting that play fosters creative

thinking” (Wenner). Because they were allowed to play without restrictions, they were

able to get the most out of their experience. In a different study, rats kept separated

during the time in which they usually play with each other were less adapted to social

situations than rats not kept isolated, and are unprepared for situations with dominant rats

later in life (Wenner). Based on this, free play between young is a necessary part of

development, since it helps develop both creativity and social skills.

The only schools that allow children to play freely are alternative schools,

specifically those modeled after the Summerhill School in England. Founded by A. S.

Neill, students there are essentially free to do as they please, as long as they don't cause

anyone harm, and they end up learning because of their own interest, not the compelling

of teachers. (Neill 14). While there are lessons, attendance is not mandatory, yet students

are still compelled to attend:

No pupil is compelled to attend lessons. But if Jimmy comes to English on

Monday and does not make an appearance again until Friday of the
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following week, the others quite rightly object that he is holding back the

work, and they may throw him out for impeding progress. (Neill 20)

In this way, the students are able to direct their own learning, and end up as ready for

college as any other student, but more creative and adaptable due to their freedom.

This type of school is similar to a style of learning called “Unschooling,” where

children are again given control of their education. Unschooling uses an anarchist

philosophy (anarchist being 'without rule'), in which there is no teacher-student

hierarchy. In this way, teachers don't teach so much as help students learn (McGrath 15).

By allowing students to learn on their own, they can learn at their own pace instead of

being forced to abide by the standards of everyone around them:

As children near preschool and kindergarten age, parents may begin to feel

pressure to meet official early learning and developmental milestones. If

we respond to this pressure by attempting to coerce out young children into

accomplishing these goals, we risk passing on that pressure to our

children. (McGrath 18)

By avoiding this pressure, children also avoid anxieties that are often caused by school.

Learning on their own also allows children the opportunity to learn based on their own

interests and learning styles: “These concepts and tools exist in the real world.

Otherwise, why would we need them? Ask yourself, do you use square roots? If not, who

does, and why? What for?” (McGrath 31). They learn necessary concepts through real
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world applications, giving them a firmer grasp on how the idea actually works.

The idea of self-led education is particularly feasible in the information age .

When Sugata Mitra, a professor of educational technology gave Indian children access to

computers, they began to learn on their own, with the only supervision there to keep them

safe (Davis). After hearing about this, Sergio Juárez Correa applied the idea of student-

run learning to his classroom. The next year, exam results rose from mediocre to some of

the best in Mexico, earning their class national acclaim:

The language scores were very high. Even the lowest was well above the

national average. Then he noticed the math scores. The top score in Juárez

Correa’s class was 921. Zavala Hernandez looked over at the top score in

the state: It was 921. When he saw the next box over, the hairs on his arms

stood up. The top score in the entire country was also 921. (Davis).

Because of the students' curiosity, interest, and determination, they figured out how

different concepts work and were able to learn successfully.

There are few things in life more important than an education. However, many

aspects of traditional education prove to be detrimental to development of creativity and

teamwork, skills that are in demand for the current workforce. Because of their use of

children's natural instinct to learn, alternative education, where students are in charge of

learning, is the best choice. Options like schools modeled after the Summerhill School or

Unschooling, allow students to learn at their own pace, as well as develop creativity and
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social skills.
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Works Cited

Davis, Joshua. "How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of

Geniuses | Business | WIRED." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 13 Oct. 0013.

Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Kim, Kyung Hee. "The Creativity Crisis: The Decrease in Creative Thinking Scores on

the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking." Creativity Research Journal 23.4

(2011): 285-95. Print.

McGrath, Sara. Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning. Duvall, WA: S. McGrath, 2010.

Print.

Neill, Alexander Sutherland. Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Child Rearing. New

York: Hart Pub., 1960. Print.

Rosin, Hanna. "The Overprotected Kid." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 19 Mar.

2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.

Wenner, Melinda. "The Serious Need for Play." Scientific American. Nature America, Inc,

29 Jan. 2009. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.