Will Children Teach Themselves?

November 20, 2015

• University and Higher Education

Whether children could teach themselves is a topic of contention. Javier Espinoza’s recent article for the Telegraph examines what could be the future of education; a decrease in traditional “teaching” and a rise in flexible learning, boarding schools and pupils finding knowledge for themselves (with teachers acting as helpers).

The prospect of self-taught students is an exciting but also potentially problematic one. With unlimited information on offer at every student’s fingertips, and every child unique, the teacher/”helper” faces the mammoth task of assisting each child individually with the information that they have collected. Of course, this is not so much of an issue in schools that have smaller class sizes, but it does pose a system that could prove to be rather difficult to manage and track.

Another factor to consider is that of motivation. Can children teach themselves? Yes, absolutely, and especially with the right assistance and guidance in place. Would children teach themselves? The latter is a decidedly more difficult question to answer. Some children would undoubtedly revel in the freedom and empowerment of self-teaching and take full advantage of the academic exploration. But, as mentioned many times, all children learn differently and for some the idea of (relatively) free academic reign could be daunting, overwhelming and a source of constant uncertainty. Furthermore, the task of implementing your own education would require an enormous level of self-motivation (and this is not true only for young people). Motivation on this level, and the self-belief required in order to forge your own path through the masses of available information, is a big ask for anyone and even more so for those who may already struggle academically.

On the other hand, to imagine a school system wherein rigorous curricula are relaxed in favour of independent learning techniques and one-on-one assistance with the knowledge you acquire is incredibly exciting. Furthermore, perhaps it is naive to remain attached to traditional learning techniques where what is gained is not so transferable to post-school life. Also, self-learning encourages a plethora of positive skills: accountability; independent-thinking and critical thinking; enthusiasm for topics; creativity; problem-solving; self-motivation; excellent retainment; and also acts as good practice for University study and for later life when your progress and success is your own responsibility.

Finally, to consider the issue of a teacher handling a class of independent learners in a more positive way, there is the opportunity for each student to handle the process of education at their own pace without worrying that asking a question will hold back their peers, for example. Time, patience and self-tailored learning techniques would enable a struggling student to flourish.

Espinoza suggests in his article that the schools best suited to adapt to future changes such as these are boarding schools, and believes that boarding schools will be increasingly in demand. Eton Headmaster Tony Little stresses the usefulness in of boarding schools in adapting to these forms of educational shifts. Little states that “boarding schools are very well geared to provide down time, students are in the same place the whole time, you don’t have to organise things in a segmented way” and therefore the issue of decreased social interaction with peers is easier to combat. What is key, if these changes do arise, is to maintain a balance between explorational independent learning and a continuation of school community and to encourage students to fully utilise their own capabilities.

What are your thoughts surrounding this? Let us know at Kings Tutors.

Websites Consulted

The Telegraph (Article and image)

A wonderful article on the benefits of self-learning