“Why Can’t Schools Let Students Choose What They Want to Learn Before They Reach College?

Don’t you ever wonder why we go to school for all these years and then when we reach higher education, some of what we learned is useless when we now begin to focus on our careers? Then there are many students when they reach college or even still in high school that doesn’t know what they want to do for their future and end up stressed and confused. Just imagine if we were to get started at least in high school learning on our majors, will the percentage of college graduates increase? Will students be more interested in school knowing what they’re learning is what they want to do in life? These concerns contribute to my research question which is “Why can’t schools let students choose what they want to learn before they reach college?”, I am interested in this topic because this is really something that should go into action since we basically waste all the years of learning before we get older and start pursuing a career that will set us for life. If you ask me something that is forever should take some more preparation than just 2-4 years, not because it’s hard to learn but because it would give us more experience and will make us set for higher education. In my case, I could’ve learned some knowledge about my major in marketing if I had classes for it before reaching college. I expect to find in my research some words from other students who feel they’re being held up on progressing themselves for the life that awaits them. I also expect words from teachers who would feel this way as well upon this topic, and as well as drop-out students who feel they could’ve finished school because they were sure of what they wanted to do beforehand and at the same time would’ve enjoyed it. I expect to find these things because if the education system makes it happen and give us major courses earlier, it’s no doubt school would be more helpful and play a bigger role in our lives. If I was to come across information that goes completely against what I expected I would still point it out and still state my point on how it should be changed. The genres I think would give me good Information are articles, narratives, and poetry expressing the feelings that will awake minds to make a change in the education system.

Tara García Mathewson, The Hechinger Report, “When students choose, they learn better. How can schools deliver?” January 2019 from The Christian Science Monitor

Going throughout the article it gives the idea of students being able to choose what they learn and how this way is beneficial for their education. This method for students is easier to handle and explains how it increases student engagement, and offer students a better education. Students will be more in favor of what they are learning if they get to make the decisions. The reflection on this is being for the opportunity for students to change the education system and have more schools allow them to choose what they want to learn. Which in my opinion is a great idea because not everybody has the same knowledge in things as well as the same preferences, to balance this is to choose based on what interests them the most and what they feel will open new opportunities for them. Yeah, you will still learn about all required subjects, just make sure students are getting a bigger portion of what they excelled at the most or what they enjoy.  I can analyze in the article the author’s use of expository writing which she is just giving nothing else but information, no signs of what the author sides whatsoever. According to the source it states “Reed Marshall believes that is a grave missed opportunity. Giving students a say in each of these three areas is critical, she says. With the autonomy to make choices, students are more engaged, and when that’s the case, they learn better”. This piece of evidence says that Mathewson uses no opinion of hers and gives well information being highly expository in her writing. The author’s purpose of writing is to inform people about the thought of letting students choosing how they want to learn followed by different people’s points of view about personalized learning whether it was good or bad. The author chose this genre which is a nonfiction document to better inform the audience on personalized learning to get a better understanding of how people really feel about it as she states in her article. Being that you can read about real people’s reviews, it will make research on this topic more thought out on how to feel about it yourself. The genre she used was a good choice for the audience because it was best to use real evidence for something that is arguably a great chance for students and their education, and for it to be deeply informed based on words from students and teachers makes it more clear to give ideas on how other people should pick a side on how to feel about it. This source is very helpful in giving information for the opportunity to allow students to choose what they want to learn before reaching higher education.

Video: Atlassian Foundation – MEPS meets Atlassian, The Conversation, November 30th, 2015

Located in Western Sydney Australia, students are engaging in new innovative technology beginning learning experience in some computer science education. These are students who are yet to reach high school studying computer science which can shape careers for their future. Maryland’s East school is a step ahead in getting its students exposed to the work world and even getting them into the job interview experience. This video is very productive for my research especially if pre-teens are getting the opportunity to learn such things ahead of time before reaching higher education, these young minds are ready for the work world thanks to the Atlassian program. It is inspiring for them because they know how life will get as they get older with being on your own and making a living for yourself, I wish more schools would engage in this because we should get all the preparation we need before the real world comes at us. Words from Atlassian’s CIO Peter Georgiou state “So we need to show all their kids as possible to design and create amazing things using computer science, but to do this we need to have it be a core part of their learning right from their early years”. These are wise words and I agree with the idea of teaching students career-like learning in their early years. “Some students already have access to valuable experiences like industry mentoring and entrepreneurship programs at school, but this isn’t the case for all students”. I can take from this that it is crazy how not every student is involved in these programs, it basically makes it unbiased for some students to have more opportunities in learning when anybody should have the same opportunities in education and they should learn real-life things that will be beneficial in the long run. I believe this video was published by the author because of wanting to show school programs that are really doing this and how much it is helping students develop at a young age, and preparing them ahead of time instead of waiting years until college to start focusing on what they want to do. This choice of genre was a good one because a video showing the advantages of early career learning is a great way to get the audience into this topic. Sources such as this should be a big reason why schools should allow younger students to enter career readiness programs and courses and make it effective immediately.

Book: “Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn. The Key to Student Motivation and Achievement” by Mike Anderson, April 2016

This book covers the ideas of letting students choosing what to learn and ways of building student to teacher relationships to make learning even better. The book is divided into three main sections, the first section covers what it looks like when the student’s choices are used effectively and will the choice(s) boost the student’s learning. The second section includes how we can make students make good choices especially towards what they’re learning, how to help students develop more ownership of their learning, and how to help students better understand themselves as learners. And the third section puts a focus on implementing and facilitating the choices learning much concrete, empirical examples, and strategies of using choice for learning. Credits to this book for helping my research on why students should have more freedom in making their own learning decisions that will improve knowledge and motivation to learn. I truly believe in having an open-minded curriculum that not just involves teachers but students as well because they are apart of the learning environment and some have creative topics that can be covered to spread knowledge. Chapter 1: The Key Benefits of Choice, page 17 it states “Choice may be one of the best vehicles for getting there, for it allows teachers and students to share in the responsibility of teaching and learning. Teachers can create viable options that students will find compelling and appropriately challenging, and then students take responsibility for choosing options that will best help them learn”. This piece from the book proves what teachers can do to go forward in getting their students to take responsibility for their learning making choices that will shift their teaching strategies. Anderson’s style in his book is very spot-on and makes it amusing for readers to enter this topic and learn more about it especially if you’re new to such a theory. The author’s purpose in this book is highly informative and persuasive explaining his reasons to make choice making for students in the classroom to go into full effect, sources like this are why it should be recommended for education to make this reform for all schools. I believe the author chose this genre to make his message informal as possible writing a whole book to share with us. This genre was a good choice most definitely because like I said this is something that should be in full effect and giving out more intel on it will forward its chances to make student’s choices in class the advanced way of learning.

Argument: “Should high school kids be able to choose their own classes?” – Debate.Org

This source I found is based on the question if high school students should be able to choose their own classes, which is left to random people to decide which side they’re on upon this. What’s interesting about it is the different answers and reasons whether people are for or against it because it shares new ideas and perspectives to forward my own belief. Out of all of the people who replied to the question only 12% of them were against students choosing their own courses, that doesn’t mean their arguments won’t be still be reasonable at the end. A reflection that includes my opinion is definitely the other 88% who are for expanding freedom in the classroom for students which is very essential for learning and growing minds drastically. They will be in higher interest and demand, and to learn things they always wanted to and what is most curious to them, which will make school more motivating to focus on. One of the comments that are for students choosing what to learn state “Yes because they are responsible enough to choose subjects that pertain to their passions and interests. Also, their grades will improve tremendously because they will have more interest in what they’re learning and will work harder. I’m not saying they should have complete control over what they will learn just open more subjects to optional classes….”. The main thing I can take from this piece of evidence when it states just open more subjects to optional classes, letting students choose what to learn would definitely not take away some required courses, just at least have a good portion that includes what students want to get involved in their future. One of the comments from someone who is against it basically just said that students would choose the easy classes to get through and not really put the focus on their learning, this is definitely true however it should be broken down to majors that will be taught in college or after school to get the students into. The purpose of the author’s question is to inform the audience on why this topic is important and which side they will be on reading from others, I like this style of people coming together engaging in this topic sharing their thoughts. I believe the author who made this question chose the argument genre to start a debate to see which side is more reasonable and would stand out to students learning what they want, while still gaining reasoning on both sides.

In closing, it is explained briefly why our schools should let students choose what they want to learn before reaching higher education where that’s the time they do. Throughout my research to exceed my knowledge, I found that there are things like programs in Australia that are allowing children to enter fields like computer science, and a whole book on letting students be free on choosing what they want in the classroom, and to hearing different reviews from people getting more intel on how they feel about it which most people are for it. I was surprised mostly by the Atlassian program getting young kids into college-related majors, those students are ahead of their time and will be ready for the higher position of learning years to come. Honestly the more research I found the more deepened I was into the question because this needs to take action all over schools, this is the modern way of education as well as a way students can be more motivated to learn. What I learned about is very important because this topic is very big in today’s world as it is affecting education itself. Students like me were and those who still are much younger going to school are learning the repetitive curriculum it just gets more advanced year by year, then when it’s that time right before reaching college where people are confused about what to do with their lives. Not only that but it will also be important for students to enjoy what they learn and for them to be motivated for school or they’ll start to find it boring which will then lead to worst things. Expanding freedom in the learning environment aside from only teacher’s will make learners feel more involved and will make them a big part of their learning, what is also a great factor is that teachers can learn as well from their student’s curiosity. I think the education system nationwide needs to find out about this mostly, they are the ones that approve what we learn and how to learn it so to get the word out to the officials will be an effective way to make this reform. It will then be forwarded to the worldwide education systems to open opportunities for every student to get into choosing what they want to learn, the school will be less boring and stressful if we can make it more about the ones who are learning. With the help of many speakers spreading the word, we can change many mindsets as well as education for the better and make it more worthwhile.