de Bono article

http://www.smh.com.au/national/schools-must-teach-thinking-20100313-q53b.html

Read the article about de Bono in SMH. Some was really relevant to my thoughts at this time.
No idea how to attach the article to my blog which is a shame casue it really is interesting.
He discusses how the 'education revolution' at it is being touted, is really just the same old thing. I love the part where he says that in England they teach their children all about the Battle of Hastings and the War of the Roses but not about how to get a mortgage or go to the corner shop.

Am so in agreement with him. I am really concerned about NAPLAN and the effect it is going to have on education. Parents are competitive enough nowadays without having to add in formal nationwide testing from a really young age. Do parents really thing that scoring high in Year 3 or 5 is going to set their child up for life? How many times have you heard of the school dux who has gone on to have an 'ordinary' job? Was at a party recently when this was being discussed. One lady there was telling me about a family she knew that had a bright daughter, and her parents decided quite early on that she was going to be a lawyer. Sure enough she went on and did her law degree, and excelled at her studies. On the day of her graduation, after the family celebration, she handed her degree to her parents apparently saying "Here's the law degree you wanted. Now I'm off to do what I want". She went back to uni and studied nursing. She has now finished that and is loving her career as a nurse.

My point is that there is going to be even more pressure on children from such an early age. Education will essentially become about teaching to the test (as it already is in many schools). How is this going to benefit childrenin the long run? Teaching life skills, problem solving etc is what needs to be taught, but is really neglected. These skills can't be tested in Year 3 and as such are not valued by parents.

As a parent I don't care how my two precious little people go in formal testing. I am with de Bono on developing life skills. This is what will ultimately make them a happy and successful person. NB by successful I mean that doing well in their chosen career, whatever that mighe be.

As a future TL I am afraid that the role will become redundant because it is already not valued by principals and will become even less so. TLs will end up teaching library skills in an information age that is more reliant on technology than books.