Curriculum for change: Are some School Subjects Passe ?

Hell, we have internet, why not get rid of History and Geography, cause we have National Geographic on TV and Mapquest on the internet.

Christ why not just let the kids stay home and watch cartoons, that would better prepare them for a future in the fast paced exciting world in the paper hat and do you want fries with that shake industry!  

I guess there is a reason why the military as well have to put warnings on munitions, like point away from your face on their weapons.

Course if all cars come with voice command, they wont need to read either, except for stop signs, but then as long as they know red means stop and green means go, and yellow means speed up, we should be okay, mortality wise!

"Christ why not just let the kids stay home and watch cartoons . . . ."

Yes! This is essentially what many parents do nowadays! So if it's good enough for the grownups, why not the kids? LOL!

Thanks Rory. You are not far off from the truth, that and MTV where kids get their World News based on their idols and not much else.

In my opinion they should keep the school subject they have now. However, they should add subjects such as philosophy, ethics/civics, world religions, etc. Part of the honors program I am in mandated that I take philosphy (mine included ethics and civics) as a junior. It was probably the most enjoyable and beneficial class i have ever taken. I then chose to take world religions base on that experience and am enjoying it as well.

Paul Simon's Kodachrome song comes to mind when I think about teaching secondary school.  The model that we mainly follow in Canada is geared to gear the masses to become 'good' factory workers.  Mainly you learn to line up, be on time and follow directions.  In order to prepare young people for the changing world, societies must agree that education of young people is important and make funding available to provide the tools necessary for creative thought and learning.  Facts are important, but they can be looked up, either in a book or online.  It is the mental creativity and love of learning that needs to be fostered and that takes a money commitment.

Anything that teaches students to actually make stuff should be preserved: from spelling and grammar to shop. I took wood- and metal shop in middle school and high school, and the "dropouts" who were in class with me are, if they stuck with trades, recession-proof. I only wish they had basic electricians' courses in high school. I'd have been there. I'd likely have come home each day with my hair standing on end, but it'd have been worth it.

This is, and if you really want a heated debate with me - the full on flame debating style, this is the subject to do it on.

I am passionate about education - kids and education are the very foundation of society to me, and no matter how much money needs to be provided by the state education is one of those policies that should always be in the top 3.

I read yesterday that in the UK they are having a debate about bringing academies back under state control because those academies cannot secure funding from private enterprise. I think, at that point, my BP went through the roof! Why are schools trying to secure private funding? I will say here "Where are those tax pounds/dollars?" I won't go on.

Whatever your political swing - and I must admit I have met many who are, literally, the opposite side of the coin to me, where we can both walk in stride on our views on education.

There is a great program called 2+2 Vocational Technical Prep Program that was initiated in the early 1990s in California at the high school my children attended that is unique because while it focused on the non-college bound student, the two year training programs offered at our local high school were in computer studies and electronics, which both could be contined to community college and on to a four year institution, if they chose to continue.  However, the students entered the program in their junior year of high school and the program prepared them for a job in the field with a high school diploma.  And depending on the progress a student made, they could attend community college classes while still in high school, which served as a jump start into community colleges. 

Here is a full description of the program.

  2 + 2 TECH-PREP/ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAM

The 2 + 2 model is a 4-year program providing for a closely coordinated course of technical study that takes place during the last 2 years of high school and 2 years at the community college level. The program is targeted toward non-college bound students who are preparing to enter one of the increasing number of midlevel technical occupations that require some, but not baccalaureate-level, postsecondary education and training. The key structural elements of the 2 + 2 program are (1) a formal articulation agreement outlining the details of a close coordination between high school and college curricula; (2) a sequence of applied courses in the basic skills that are intentionally preparatory in nature; (3) instruction by high school teachers during the first 2 years of study, but with provision for student access to college staff and facilities when appropriate; and (4) use of a career clusters and a technical systems study approach in which students have a clearly defined view of the 4-year structure of their program of study. Thus, the key to the model is not when or in which institution the technical part of the instruction is provided, but rather that the instruction provided is coordinated to the greatest degree possible, thereby permitting the most unified and efficient course of training. Exemplary 2 + 2 projects include a program to train master technicians with broad educational backgrounds.

The relevance of school subjects has long been debated, measuring tradition against modernity with the goal of ensuring the day's students graduate with the right toolkit of skills.

In 1958, the United Nations educational organization introduced home economics to that tool kit. The goal? To prepare a student "for her future role as wife and mother."

As we can see by this antiquated goal of the U.N., educational direction and relavancy needs to change in response to the requirements of our society.  But one thing that remains constant is the value of educational enrichment through the development of a varied curriculum including mathematics, literature, science, social studies, and arts that attempts to introduce a spectrum of study that enhances the educational experience.   

Roy, I know we don't agree in many areas, but equal education requirements for boys and girls in Home Economics is definitely one. 

Hey Jazz, I am with you on that one, some of my high school teachers were in their early to mid twenties, only 5 years older than a high school grad.