What if students designed their own school? – Response

Sitting in a classroom with 30 other students, taking notes off the whiteboard, writing an exam for a higher mark, what do all these actions remind you of? This is what most pupils do during the education stage of their lives. However, can we imagine a class that does not have as many students, a class that does not have any notes to copy down, and a class without exams? Can we imagine a class conducted by students, making their own policies, and gaining knowledge in a way full of freedom? From my perspective, more freedom during learning processes would be more effective and productive for one’s own education.

As Benjamin Franklin said "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." As a student, copying notes and listening to teachers is not really useful for our education development. Nevertheless, pupils researching new questions by themselves, and exploring new answers on their own, would be a better method of grasping information for most students. Applying and advancing in knowledge using a personally benefiting way to figure out all the struggles they have, alongside inquiries, is a more convincing way than just sitting in a classroom and depending on the teacher. For instance, the video ‘if students designed their own schools...' introduced to us The Independent Project, a new style of studying. Nine students designed their own policies on how to learn and what to learn in one semester. They discussed all the problems they had, and at the end of the week the nine students presented their results of their particular question. In this independent project, teachers and counselors are playing the roles of mentors and coaches rather than instructors. Therefore, students can be self-sufficient and more independent regarding what they want to study and how to understand various ideas. In my opinion, this strategy is significant for a student who wants post-secondary education.

Regarding the above, The Independent Project can result in a new era of education. It is a new concept that traditional learning can't compete with. In this case, I wish that someday, on our course selection forms, there will be a new course called The Independent Project.