Contrary to popular belief, small class sizes, increased standards and an influx of capital do not always maximize the quality of education. These widely accepted solutions are often not the way to get rid of the problems in school and of learning, according to an education researcher and Australia's University of Melbourne professor, John Hattie.
After an intense research and scrutiny, Hattie concluded five major ideas in the improvement of education, which surprisingly were not very effective despite being appreciated by the masses. Contrary to what is popularly believed, Hattie rejected the idea that these factors play a part in enhancing child's creativity and educational performance.
Achievement standards were the first complaint of the renowned educationist, Hattie, who explained that even though setting minimum goals and targets apparently help students but in reality, it has the exact opposite effect. Schools that simply admit exceptional students were viewed as successful while the ones taking in struggling kids were looked down upon, without the consideration of the amount of hard work each school puts into helping the children.
Standardized tests were also criticized as schools with students who perform relatively better than others do not give many achievement tests. According to NPR Ed, schools should target those types of test that allow instant feedback for teachers in order to enhance their skills.
Even though private schools are believed to produce more knowledgeable and skilled individuals, News OK argues that a child's performance is more dependent on his teacher rather than the institute. Furthermore, small classes do not necessarily help students improve their performance. This is only possible if coupled with individualized teacher attention.
Hattie also explained that statistics prove that not all countries spending immensely on their students yield the best test scores and academic results. As no distinct relation could be deduced between the expenditure per student and academic performance, the notion was shunned that more money leads to better results.
Do you agree with John Hattie's conclusion on the major ideas in education that don't work? Share your thoughts below.
