Billy Ockham: The Future of Education

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Andrew said...: He makes excellent points, but I disagree with his reliance on government schools to accomplish his goals.

Prior to the late 1890's, the American Model of education was celebrated as the best in the world. Our current education system was called the 'Prussian Model' when it was introduced in the 1890's in Boston. It was designed to produce obedient subjects, soldiers, and factory workers.

The American Model was designed around teaching students how to think critically and give them the basic skills of life (reading, writing, arithmetic). By the 1820's, The US had the highest literacy rate in the world. Even higher than it does today. Students learned at their own rate and progressed to the next grade based on accomplishment, not age.

Most students only had the universal education of elementary School in a formal school. After that they went on to apprenticeships, work/study, entered the workforce, or continued on with scholarship. Education in other subjects was not neglected, but was relegated to other institutions such as specialized classes, churches, and parents.

The Golden Age of American Art evaporated in the 1940's and '50's as the products of this system of education died off.; 9:43 AM