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(source: I have current experience with understanding and navigating special educational needs in the UK) Our current model of teaching, loosely based on compu

(source: I have current experience with understanding and navigating special educational needs in the UK) Our current model of teaching, loosely based on compulsory education defined in the Victorian era, does not scale. It may work for the interquartile range, but hopelessly fails the upper and lower quartiles. Kids that could achieve more academically get 'held back'. Kids that need help 'fall behind'. The median kids get along fine and hopefully cruise through school. There are no easy solutions because, as a society, we do not want to (or cannot) pay for smaller classes and restructured teaching at a scale that works. We cannot imagine alternatives, such as not bundling kids the same age together (kids at the same age do not have the same academic capability across all subjects). We insist, for our own children, that they get a good degree so that they can get a proper job. We cannot accept, as parents, employers, or buyers of services, that there are alternative paths. So, we put all kids in the same sausage machine until the machine is worn out and the sausages are all the same. There is nothing fixable with education because the current model can't be fixed. With the exception of the privileged who can afford it. It is luck as to whether a particular child lands up with the right school, the right teacher, the right peers, at the right stage of their academic progression. There is a high probability that they will do okay, and we seem happy with that. There should be a revolution with learning. Most people of HN have self-taught a lot of what they know, even just by trying to keep up. Many people are able to work and learn remotely. Our ability to interact and learn at our own pace is common post-grad, and should trickle down to college and secondary school. The platforms and tools need to get better, and society needs to view it as acceptable. The only scalable solution to 'inclusion', at both ends of the distribution, is more home learning.

gravescale 2y ago
My school had streams for several subjects which is perhaps unfashionably pragmatic, but at least it allows the top, bottom and inner quartiles to go at their own paces with more tailored tuition. The lower streams also took the lower exam tiers. Which limited their maximum grades, but a C (or whatever the number grade is these days) from a decent showing in Foundation Maths is better than an fail from a disastrous attempt at the Higher tier. It won't help when children are multiple entire years behind their peers, though. Short of actually repeating years with extra tuition and major parental involvement until they can catch up, I don't know what you're supposed to do at that point. Obviously just chucking them into the next year and marking it down as a "pass" might make look good for the paperwork, but it's just compounding the misery for the poor kid who might as well be being taught quantum chemistry in Ancient Sumerian for all the good it will do them.
theshrike79 2y ago
> It is luck as to whether a particular child lands up with the right school, the right teacher, the right peers, at the right stage of their academic progression. We happened to get our offspring to a good school. Now we're "stuck" living in a rather expensive area until they graduate, if we move we'll most likely have to switch schools and it's a complete crapshoot.

gravescale 2y ago

My school had streams for several subjects which is perhaps unfashionably pragmatic, but at least it allows the top, bottom and inner quartiles to go at their own paces with more tailored tuition. The lower streams also took the lower exam tiers. Which limited their maximum grades, but a C (or whatever the number grade is these days) from a decent showing in Foundation Maths is better than an fail from a disastrous attempt at the Higher tier. It won't help when children are multiple entire years behind their peers, though. Short of actually repeating years with extra tuition and major parental involvement until they can catch up, I don't know what you're supposed to do at that point. Obviously just chucking them into the next year and marking it down as a "pass" might make look good for the paperwork, but it's just compounding the misery for the poor kid who might as well be being taught quantum chemistry in Ancient Sumerian for all the good it will do them.

theshrike79 2y ago

> It is luck as to whether a particular child lands up with the right school, the right teacher, the right peers, at the right stage of their academic progression. We happened to get our offspring to a good school. Now we're "stuck" living in a rather expensive area until they graduate, if we move we'll most likely have to switch schools and it's a complete crapshoot.