Unfortunately, problems of US academia are not limited to the US. The problem isn’t just that professors focus on their research interests. If there research would be about useful things like “strategies for effective engagement of ADHD and ASD students in your classroom” there wouldn’t be a problem. It’s rather that they focus on critical theory instead of focusing on actually effective studies.
Instead of asking how a teacher can effectively project his authority in a classroom so that the children follow his teachings, they rather want to deconstruct authority. This is in turn is different from changing the school system to something like what happens in Sudbury Valley, so it ends up as a quite useless activity.
Changing this is not a question of money but of political will to change structures.
I do expect that projects like the one you describe are an improvement.
Hmm, I had to look up what “critical theory” is, but I do remember complaints like in early 80s about one college in particular. A friend of sister went through it and called it the “Society for the Protection of the Unborn Thought” (Society for Protection for Unborn Child was a prominant anti-abortion organisation here). Needless to say, it didnt make an impression on her, and think that particular problem vanished in reforms of the 90s.
My daughter went through the conventional college route to teaching but the complaint were more lecturers hobby horses on continuous teaching practise evaluation, learning styles etc. - ie theoretically useful but not the most important things for beginner teachers. Lots of what an ideal learner and classroom should be like but not a lot on how to get there.
Unfortunately, problems of US academia are not limited to the US. The problem isn’t just that professors focus on their research interests. If there research would be about useful things like “strategies for effective engagement of ADHD and ASD students in your classroom” there wouldn’t be a problem. It’s rather that they focus on critical theory instead of focusing on actually effective studies.
Instead of asking how a teacher can effectively project his authority in a classroom so that the children follow his teachings, they rather want to deconstruct authority. This is in turn is different from changing the school system to something like what happens in Sudbury Valley, so it ends up as a quite useless activity.
Changing this is not a question of money but of political will to change structures.
I do expect that projects like the one you describe are an improvement.
Hmm, I had to look up what “critical theory” is, but I do remember complaints like in early 80s about one college in particular. A friend of sister went through it and called it the “Society for the Protection of the Unborn Thought” (Society for Protection for Unborn Child was a prominant anti-abortion organisation here). Needless to say, it didnt make an impression on her, and think that particular problem vanished in reforms of the 90s.
My daughter went through the conventional college route to teaching but the complaint were more lecturers hobby horses on continuous teaching practise evaluation, learning styles etc. - ie theoretically useful but not the most important things for beginner teachers. Lots of what an ideal learner and classroom should be like but not a lot on how to get there.