Old School

Due to the current state of our unstable economy, it is important now, more than ever, to consider the education and lack of educational impact that current institutes are making for students around the world. Students are the key to the future: they are tomorrow’s leaders. The students of today will soon be solving the nations crisis’ based on the information they have or have not obtained in school. Unfortunately, it seems like much of a student’s average day is wasted in school because of the lack of appropriate substance in educational systems. In order to determine what the problem is in our educational systems, it must be broken down one school at a time.

UNM is a traditional school that admits thousands of students yearly. The core courses that freshmen are required to complete are mostly large lecture-style classes. These classes generally require students to sit in a large classroom two or three times a week to listen to lectures given by their professors. The students are then given multiple tests throughout the semester to determine how well they have retained this information.

This method of teaching is incredibly outdated and overrated. Instead of actually gaining a lasting impression of the information they are supposed to retain, students cram four weeks worth of class notes into a study session the day before the test, pour it all out onto the exam, and leave it there. In my experience, the only times I remember information is when I am very interested in the subject at hand, even when I know that the other information is equally important.

Students are more likely to be actively learning in an environment where there is hands on experience. If there was a way for students to learn processes in an environment that was more like an internship where they could be involved in a professional‘s workspace and possibly do some of the work, students would not only be learning useful terminology, objectives, and processes, but they would also be filling their social needs at the same time. Learning would no longer be busy work with extra filler, but it would be a useful experience that could help professionals with their work at the same time. Knowledge would be easier gain and retain, and students would have a clearer idea of what field they would like to join once they graduate.

Currently in UNM, a select few professors in the Business and in the Communication and Journalism departments are using innovative learning structures that are more effective in helping students become more aware and more ready to become a part of the professional world. These professors break their classes up into groups and give students the opportunity learn the course content through creating mock agencies. There are also classes that are offered online, which is a big step in the right direction as well because of the obvious connection between technology and the future of humanity.

When discussing ideas of this nature, it is certain that the argument that Universities and educational institutes have limited manpower, time and space. However, there is a revolutionary charter school (http://www.sslc-nm.com) in the Albuquerque area that provides weekly community based activities where their middle school students are put in a bus and go around to various locations to apply their knowledge. This is the only charter school that has made annual yearly progress over the past few years, and this school also generally has better exam scores than most schools in the APS system. UNM and other educational institutes should examine this type of learning and apply it accordingly. Where there is a will to make things better, there is a way.

If you have any opinions on this article, whether you agree or disagree or would simply like to add ideas, please feel free to comment below. Thanks!