Student number: 189065573 (Lydia Heaton)
Flexi-learning
The current secondary education system has a rigid structure, which supports the perceived importance of high grades in exam results. This alternative will allow students to be driven by a desire to learn and develop their understanding of their own interests. Therefore, in this alternative to the current system the themes of individuality, independence and experiential learning are emphasised throughout.
Flexi learning takes the two extremes of attending a formal school setting full time and home education creating an ideal medium. This model of Flexi learning is a combination of home education alongside attending a formal school setting on a couple of occasions each week.
Home education is an increasingly popular form of education in England with around 48,000 students taking part in the UK in 2017 (BBC News, 2018). Parents choose this option for many reasons including disagreement with the school system, inadequate SEND policies and freedom for their children to learn what interests them. Home schooling is individual to each family, as there are no rules on what the students must learn or the way in which they must learn supplied by the government. A major benefit of this is it allows the student to learn in the way, time and speed that is right for them (The Scottish Government, 2017). The way the home schooling in this model works is just one form out of the many options that home school families can do.
How will it work?
The home education section of this flexi learning model is completely tailored to the students interests and preferences of learning. Therefore, it will be up to the students to create their own schedule with the subjects they are most interested in, alongside core subjects of maths, English and science. Within the student’s flexible schedule, they can decide what time of day they will study, and when each of their subjects will fit into it. Therefore, students will not have to work in the time constraints of a typical school day which is controlled by a bell. This is especially beneficial for students who do not thrive with the school timings, where they are required to wake up early. Studies show teenagers who are night owls have poorer attention, increased sleepiness and slower reactions during the hours of 8am and 8pm (BBC News, 2019). Therefore, students will have the flexibility to complete their work at whatever time of day they find they are most productive.
The student is able to research and learn about their subjects in whatever way they find suitable, this could include from online sources, books or even the outdoors. This allows them to work independently as the information isn’t given to them, they have to learn for themselves. Independence is also part of the home education environment, not just limited to when they are studying, for example parents may not be around during the day due to work commitments. This teaches responsibility which can be developed in simple ways such keeping on schedule or making their own lunch. The only downside to increased independence may be that some students are not mature enough to work independently.
On the days that students attend a formal school setting, which is about twice a week, they will study differently to when they are at home. Students will attend lessons which involve content that is difficult to learn about at home, mainly experiential learning. Science would be one example of this as school can provide a safe and controlled environment to carry out practical experiments in while under the watch of a knowledgeable professional. These experiences are much more engaging and memorable for students compared to reading about an experiment from a textbook (Pells, 2017). Teachers are also there to help if students are struggling with any of their at home work which is a major advantage. Other lessons taught include employability skill workshops. These will teach important skills that will help students become the ideal candidate employers are looking to hire. Students will also engage in mock interviews to gain experience and increase confidence when they apply for jobs, that will also help them get hired.
To address one of the main concerns that people have with purely home schooling, students are mixed with other students in their age group. This means they are not missing out on the social aspect of others, which is important for students to experience as it can help with confidence and teamwork skills, that are hard to develop when working as an individual at home (Calvert Education, 2020). The school environment will also provide some sort of typical routine so that when they go into careers in the future, they will be acclimated to having a set routine, working with others and respecting the authority of those in a superior role to them.
In terms of assessment it would be very difficult to have students take part in formal testing like GCSEs. This is because all students are studying their individual interests, not a set specification for each subject. Therefore, it would be impossible to either make an individual test for each student or ask every student the same questions, it would not produce true results. Instead students will write essays for each of their topics, so not only will they learn about the subject, they will also improve their writing skills including the spelling and the proper use of grammar and punctuation. These essays would then be marked by a teacher who will give feedback. While this may be an effective way for students to show what they have learnt, it could be difficult for teachers to mark due to a lack of time in their day. When compared to grading an exam it would most likely take much longer. If teachers are having to mark many essays teachers may have little time to support their students with their studies.
Ivan Illich’s work could be seen to be in favour of this flexi schooling alternative being effective, especially the home education side. He argues that the education system schools people into confusion between teaching and learning as well as grade advancement with education (Woods, 1999), therefore we must disestablish schools. He also brings up another point that school rests on the illusion that most learning is the result of teaching. Instead people acquire a lot of their knowledge from a wide range of sources that are unrelated to school, with an argument “more learning should be done at home” (Smith, 2019). This is exactly what this alternative offers as students are self – led with their learning.
Some of the ideas linking to this flexi learning model date back to eighteenth century progressive thinkers, who declared the importance of freedom, democracy and self determination (Fromm, 1960). The freedom and independence a student is given replaces the need to use force while teaching. Therefore, they can learn from the world around them supported by natural curiosity. A.S. Neill built on this idea creating the Summerhill school, which is based on the idea of freedom. In his school model all lessons are optional, and students are responsible for decisions regarding daily life. Therefore, for the older students they will already be independent and responsible before the time they leave school. This can also be seen as a form of experiential learning (Summerhill School, No date). A.S. Neils school’s success could be seen to support the flexi learning due to it offering some of the same key ideas.
While this schooling method could be effective in terms of learning, it would be difficult to carry out in practice which may decrease the effectiveness. This method would be difficult for students with special educational needs and difficulties (SEND), unless a parent is able and wanting to educate their child partly at home as they may not be able to complete their studies at home without support. In addition to this some students may find it difficult to self-motivate, if they are used to having somebody to push them with their studies. Finally, dependent on what method the student uses to study at home, it may be a large investment which some parents cannot afford. The various resources that may be needed can range from textbooks to laptops, which can be pricey. Therefore, it may not be possible for children from working class households to participate.
References
BBC News, 2018. Homeschooling in the UK increases 40% over three years. [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42624220 [Accessed 20 May 2020].
BBC News, 2019. Brain function of night owls and larks differ, study suggests. [Online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47238070 [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Calvert Education, 2020. Homeschooling pros and cons. [Online] Available at: https://www.calverteducation.com/should-i-homeschool/homeschooling-pros-and-cons [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Fromm, E., 1960. Erich Fromm’s Forward to A. S. Neill’s Summerhill. [Online] Available at: http://www.nospank.net/fromm.htm [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Pells, R., 2017. Schools told to ditch textbooks and let pupils experiment in science lessons. [Online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/science-experiments-gcse-schools-textbook-learning-british-association-katherine-mathieson-a7737306.html [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Scottish government, 2017. Home education guide. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2008/01/home-education-guidance/documents/0055026-pdf/0055026-pdf/govscot%3Adocument/0055026.pdf [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Smith, M., 2019. Ivan Illich: deschooling, conviviality and lifelong learning. [Online] Available at: https://infed.org/mobi/ivan-illich-deschooling-conviviality-and-lifelong-learning/ [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Summerhill School, No Date. A.S Neill’s Summerhill School. [Online] Available at: http://www.summerhillschool.co.uk [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Woods, M., 1971. Deschooling society. [Online] Available at: http://www.natural-learning.net/000154.html [Accessed 20 May 2020].