Independent Study

There are those that say, independent study requires more self-control and dedication than the widely excepted norm of teacher-student learning. Mostly they are right.

If it was possible to go through the twelve year syllabus without teachers and a monotonous schedule (that always has double maths for some reason), we all would have done it in a heartbeat.
Have you ever tried telling a six year old to do his/her homework? It should take only thirty minutes, but it takes wise as long to us get them seated. Kids don’t want to do predetermined work that somebody somewhere decided they need to know, in order to pass their grade.

What they want to do is explore their interest of the week/month and discuss it. We have Google and You Tube, which has the most simplistic animations and documentaries for the most complex concepts, at our disposal. Tell them to pick any topic they like and do a research project. Talk to the rest of the class about it, discuss the project that you are doing and get their feedback. The students will not just memorise the work and forget everything at the end of a test.  It is well known fact that we learn faster in subjects that we find interesting.

We do not need specific standards in order to complete our education. Yes there are basics that the students need to know, reading and writing, but the job market is to diverse we are not capable of learning the fundamentals of everything.

Teachers will still be needed to guide the learners with the projects. Scientific methods, lab equipment, spelling and subject dialect are just a few things them we could assist them with. We will not be forgotten or excluded if we give them free reins to devise their own curriculum.

The one big problem with this idea is the lack of technology in our schools. This is a problem in general all over South-Africa. We cannot expect a computer for each learner when there aren’t even handbooks in the schools. We can still implement an independent study program through the use of libraries. Second hand handbooks from universities and colleges can be bought or donated and distributed to rural schools. A lot of students keep their handbooks, summaries and class notes even though they are not going to use these again.

With the independent program we would make the idea of school less daunting and school itself more educational.