I have an idea that if we started early, we could turn kids that only want to listen to music and party also interested in school from a young age and well into their teen years. there is already an example of this - 'the periodic table song.' if this was implemented at an early age, then the kids would be more attentive, as at younger ages they are more obedient, of course. say at the grade four level, they could learn this song and remember it for the rest f their schooling? it stands to reason that earning the numbers will reveal the amounts of electrons and protons too, which is great for grade four, yes? Then, if they were to observe that kids would always listen to older kids in the same school uniform, they could get, for extra credits or a replacement for detention, have the older kids prepare lessons for the younger ones that they would actually listen to, of course. this is because the kids with bad marks will almost always be rebels and respected by the younger kids, of course. maybe if the older kids were to sit with the younger ones, and mock the teacher, constructively, the younger ones would listen to and remember things? Then, there is my favourite, 'role playing.' if the kids were to play a game like a table top role playing game in class, it is more interesting i think than console games - definitely more fantasy. they could research things for their characters in the game, and then play the game with a bit of rules and input from their imaginations, keeping them very interested... well, i am not really sure how it will work, but it should reward hard work. i am not talking about some little mouse that runs around with questions, i am talking about a marine in a drug zone that has to solve a combination lock to get some assault rifles for grilling the dealers with rules for engagement that resemble 'game system mechanics.'
Maybe 'the actual presentation' could be worked on? if it was delivered in black and white, it would be boring - if it was delivered in colour, it would be much easier to concentrate, of course. The major drawbacks to learning at higher levels prior to college is that it is boring. if it was orated by the teacher, then it would be easy to wander off and think of other things, and, worse yet, talk. if the students were supposed to read through the lesson at the beginning of the lesson, and then answer questions, then maybe it would be easier? writing a test every monday would also serve as a way of identifying not only where the class is understanding, but also who is actually trying, yes? This would be made easier if the children and teens were to actually pay attention - this i know from school myself. there are many distractions, and, if the kids were to have to mark tests, then they would pay attention, due, to this new authority, of course. put a child in the seat, they will not listen, put a rebel into parliament, they will at least talk about what they are interested in. if it was that they had the ability to tell someone else what is good about them or not, they would love that chance, i figure, as they would now have some authority, of course. Besides the actual lessons, they could also write essays for the subject, putting a practical approach to everything during class. then, the children should be told they need to complete the task in class or do writing out, yes? this would see the kids either bring practical examples to the application of what they are learning, or, be easily found out and reported to the parents.
Don't expect changes in schools in urban wastelands like Chicago. Public schools should almost always be funded (taxed) and controlled exclusively by the local citizens. The best use of school resources would be to put the more intelligent and better students in separate classrooms and teach at a higher level with the best teachers. Average students go in their own group, and the bottom are given the least resources and more dumbed-down studies. Violent students should either be expelled or placed in separate alternative schools where then won't be able to disrupt the studies of better students and teachers.
You have some credited claims, but i am making school fun for, or, trying to, for those non violent ghetto kids.
To make school more fun, we have identified authority as a reward for the kids for hard work. maybe we could also let them attend teacher meetings, where they could discuss the syllabus if they are on point, and, then get to talk about it? that would be for excelling students though, so, how do we punish the students that slack? The best form of punishment in school is something that actually makes them learn something, yes? this means they should write a poem for the things they do not understand, something that the teacher lays out. for content subjects, this could easily be used to memorize certain things inside the content with a thorough description that rhymes or is otherwise considered to require thinking about the terms, at least, where they could memorize, for example, the organs of the body? they usually end with "ulla" or some other mumbo. To get better with the sciences, in other words science and maths, they should all be given 'foundational problems' to solve. on the net, the problems come in stages, where instead of doing ten real problems the questions are set out for five marks and they deal with the step by step foundations, explaining how it relates to real life, hopefully? With science, the main focus is with chemistry, where they study mixtures. this would mean they could put into real life problems the working of petrol bombs or sweets - things they would like to study, yes? there are many things that they could commit to with this approach.
The problem is standardization- trying to fit variously shaped pegs into square holes. The classroom setting where you read books, take notes and regurgitate facts in testing is a poor learning environment for most mindsets.
School could be more fun if the students were to be able to talk during lessons, as they will do anyway. in fact they will talk no matter what, to each other, about things outside of school, as, they are busy trying to bloom into young adults that have lives or such. so, why not bring the outside world into the classroom? If they were to observe, in chemistry, the colours of mixtures and the smells they give off, the girls would be able to make collages of colours on clothing and perfumes that you may wear in school. maybe at the end of the term, they could mix colourful paints to smear onto each other, things that would come out easily with one wash? Then, maths. if they were to observe how to make moulds for surf boards, little model men and car engines, then that would bring a practical approach into the classroom where they would learn, practically, how to make these things they are interested in. For biology, something really boring, they could be able to prepared diets for people based on what the 'organs' need. these diets could be made into food packets for less fortunate schools, where they colour code the food depending on what it does to what - fuels and functions, of course.
School shouldn't be fun. I would say that this is the very problem of modern school - everything has to be fun and everything has to be equal. If you focus on "fun", it means less focus on reading, writing and counting which in turn - of course - give sinking grades and results.
Yup. In Sweden they put higher emphasis on teaching values such as "equality", "democracy" and other cute stuff which - of course - has resulted in Swedes becoming worse and worse at reading, writing and counting. School can, however, never be interesting for everyone, but I do support the possibility for children to specialise in a field already in their first years of school.
