In addressing low birthrates, some remote elementary schools are racking their brains over how to distinguish themselves, with those in the mountains turning toward an outdoors-focused education that teaches children how to scale rock walls or climb trees and those near the coast teaching children how to snorkel or paddle canoes, allowing kids to familiarize themselves with the ocean.
Not only have these schools not been consolidated, they have instead drawn the attention of parents who want to eschew the standard, stifling education system. It is not yet known whether these schools have hit their desired teaching targets, but all sorts of schools billing bilingual, internationalized, artistic molding and acculturation and ecological exploration curricula are popping up everywhere.
Experimental education emphasizes choice beyond a cookie-cutter curriculum. In theory, it is good to praise open-minded and self-paced study. Problems might arise if advocates set up their own experimental schools and look at their accomplishments with rose-tinted glasses. If it is a “reverse takeover” of an existing public school, it would doubtless be taking away resources from public schools and denying the pains and efforts made by instructors.
Siang-Lan Elementary School in Taitung County has only 34 students, and indigenous pupils make up half of that number. The school is not at risk of shutting down and consolidating, but the county government has demanded that it morph into an experimental school. Not only were teachers blindsided by the move, parents were also surprised, with some expressing doubts. The students are doing just fine with their schooling and their studies, which follows the national curriculum. Why would they need to be turned into “experimental education” guinea pigs?
Some people hold contempt for systematized education, believing it to be too watered down and not innovative enough. They favor advanced European or US pedagogy, thus incorporating those ideas in the name of establishing experimental schools. Many city and county governments fear being mocked for not following these trends, and are requiring elementary and junior-high schools to transition toward the experimental model. Last year, there were 281 experimental schools and learning institutions nationwide.
However, several experimental curricula, with courses including indigenous studies; democratic civics and ethics cultivation; and exploratory and international perspectives have long been integrated into general education. Slapping on the word “experimental” is only done to make it appear that it is not the same as a conventional curriculum. After schools with dwindling student numbers have made the transition to experimental schools, due to the consolidation of resources being siphoned into one institution, experimental schools draw students from neighboring school districts, essentially stealing from Peter to pay Paul.
Education is a vital, long-lasting undertaking. It should be focused on long-term goals and strive for stable implementation, relying not on varied learning materials and methodologies, but on instructors’ passion for teaching, which could inspire students’ interest and motivation for learning. The traditional essence of teaching, embodied by the (Confucian) concepts of “education without discrimination toward rank or social status” and “teaching based on abilities and materials available” should produce students who “excel in subjects both moral and academic,” rather than those being taught through “experimental education.”
With this in mind, what need is there to transform schools?
Shiao Fu-song is a lecturer at National Taitung University.
Translated by Tim Smith
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