See you in class!
Matthew
Children should not start school
until age six or seven, experts warn
Children should not start formal school lessons until they are six or
seven because of the “profound damage” the current education system is causing,
a group of experts has warned.
An early focus on play should be introduced as part of a fundamental
overhaul of the system that would bring it more into line with Scandinavian
countries, according to 127 experts from academia, teaching, literature and
charities.
In a letter to the Telegraph they call for changes to a system that
they say focuses too early on formal lessons and the Three Rs from the age of
four or five when children should be allowed to play instead.
Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the former Children's Commissioner for England
and one of the letter's signatories, told the paper: "If you look at a
country like Finland, children don't start formal, full-scale education until
they are seven.
"These extra few years, in my view, provide a crucial opportunity,
when supported by well trained, well paid and highly educated staff, for
children to be children."
Other signatories of the letter include Lord Layard, director of the
Well-Being Programme at the London School of Economics, Dr David Whitebread,
senior lecturer in psychology of education at Cambridge University, and
Catherine Prisk, director of Play England.
The Telegraph said the letter was circulated by the Save Childhood
Movement, which will launch its Too Much, Too Soon campaign tomorrow.
It will reportedly call for reforms including play-based schooling for
children between three and seven.
Wendy Ellyatt, the founding director of the movement, told the
Telegraph: "Despite the fact that 90% of countries in the world prioritise
social and emotional learning and start formal schooling at six or seven, in
England we seem grimly determined to cling on to the erroneous belief that
starting sooner means better results later.
"There is nothing wrong with seeking high educational standards
and accountability, but there is surely something very wrong indeed if this
comes at the cost of natural development."
But the Department for Education described the ideas as
"misguided".
A spokesman for Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "These
people represent the powerful and badly misguided lobby who are responsible for
the devaluation of exams and the culture of low expectations in state schools.
"We need a system that aims to prepare pupils to solve hard
problems in calculus or be a poet or engineer - a system freed from the grip of
those who bleat bogus pop-psychology about 'self image', which is an excuse for
not teaching poor children how to add up."
DAVID WILCOCK
– The Independent - THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2013
Article from The Independent
Discussion Questions
With your partner, discuss the following questions.
Feel free to ask any follow-on questions you like.
1. At
what age do you think children should begin formal education? Why?
2. Do
you think the experts might be right? Does early education damage children?
3. Did
you spend a lot of time studying when you were very young? Did you have plenty
of free time to play?
4. What
games did you play when you were 5 or 6 years old?
6. Did
you enjoy school? What were the best and worst aspects of your school days?
7. What
are some of your best memories from school?
8. Are
you satisfied with the education you received?
9. Would
you like to go back to school and do it again? If you could go back, what would
you do differently?
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