Why Innovative teaching is needed - NOW

The following post is an excerpt from my upcoming ebook “Why Do for Parents” – a short and concise guide, which breaks down the thought processes of young people and helps adults – parents in particular – understand why their children act a particular way and provide them with possible solutions.

I won't hold back with a background story, I'm going to say it as it is.
The educational system needs to become more innovative, more exciting and dynamic. Teachers should be able to express themselves freely within the boundaries of a fully fledged educational system.

Young people respond to energy and unfortunately, lessons are not like the adverts for teachers on tv, they are morbid, depressing political speeches that automatically trigger “get-out clauses” and “emergency shut down” procedures in young people.

[caption id="attachment_328" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Boredom "capturing" the minds of young people in education?"][/caption]

On a typical school/college/university day, on twitter you will find many students tweeting about how boring this teacher is, how unexciting their methods are.

It is not a case of changing the entire system, it is a case of injecting impetus, acknowledging that young people are progressing faster than before.

Why do you as a parent need to know this?

You need to know because as a child, school should be exciting, curiosity inciting and in a sense, profound. Is it not normal that a child comes home with an excited look on their face, chomping at the bit to tell their parents what they learned at school?

This is not so common nowadays, a lot of young people are swiftly losing interest in their education for the 'finer things' in life, such as money, a car and all that implies. Young people want to learn how to LIVE, how to survive in the outside world, and school/college/university does not teach them that.

The educational system has yet to acknowledge this.

There is much confusion about what the educational system is designed to achieve, perhaps too much is rested on the shoulders of schools, perhaps the schools are not adapting to the times.

However, as I said in a speech in the House of Lords, the educational system is not designed to develop “talent”, the educational system is designed to ensure society keep producing generations that will sustain society in years to come.
But somewhere along the line there has been a breakdown in the production process. It almost seems like an all-out revolt. A loss of control in the classroom followed by stiff health and safety laws fuelled by repetitive cases of child abuse in educational institutions. According to the Daily Mail there are cases of teachers being harassed by pupils as young as six.

[caption id="attachment_327" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Click to read article"][/caption]

Teachers are only as good as the curriculum they are provided with, but whether there is a desire to really explore how far they can go regards to their teaching methods is anyone's guess, I saw some truly spectacular teachers in the schools I worked in, but I also saw some who did not have much drive.

The difference between the two was in stark contrast, those who were energetic and innovative had more control of their classrooms than those who were less innovative.

Capturing the minds of young people involves incorporating what they already know, for example, music, films, celebrities and making it relevant to the lesson.

I was taught life lessons by watching films, and listening to lyrics of songs I liked and encouraged to explain why I liked this song using words I was being taught, This mixed and matched what I knew and what I didn't know and made me see how it was relevant to my life.

The fact is as a parent you need to understand that teachers, although they have your child most of the day, no longer can do it all by themselves.

Teaching children confidence and to understand their emotions is not an academic priority. A certificate from university does not teach your child how to control their emotions, look after themselves or build confidence in themselves. It tells them they are now qualified to become a part of the system in their chosen fields.

I asked students 'how can a teacher make a class interesting for you' and these are a few responses I received:

“Do some fun activities instead of just writing and get to know the students well, instead of judging them.” - Student, 15

“Making sure it is different and exciting instead of the old and boring blackboard teaching :)” - Student, 19

“Play lots of videos, my psychology teacher plays bout 8 videos minimum a lesson A) it keeps everyone interested an B) it kills some time so instead of 2 hours talking its bout 1.15 talking 45 videos.” - Student, 21

The clear message here is that young people want variety, they want to see energy. They respond to energy and innovation as they should, with curiosity and fervour.

Nowadays, young people are growing up in a world that is all about “seemingly” quick results, and this gives them the impression that they need to get everything done quickly, ergo, they no longer see the importance of an education and they try to grow up too fast.

The imaginations of young people are not being captured by the educational system, a child's mind is naturally curious about the world it resides in.

Let's explore a concept.

A baby spends nine months in a secluded, yet comfortable space where the only thing the baby hears is the heart beat and voice of its mother. It is then introduced to a world it is not accustomed to, from that moment the child will always be trying to navigate the world it lives in.

Everyday young people are exposed to something new, something different, if the schools are the only thing that stays the same, which is the child going to develop more interest in?