"If Students Designed Their Own Schools" Video Response

              The article and video "If Students Designed Their Own Schools" opened my eyes and made me look at education in a new light. In summary, the video is a documentary about the second pilot year of a new program called "The Independent Project". Basically, this is project where students lead their own learning, and design their own projects, assignments, and schedule. This includes weekly questions, their individual endeavors, and a collective endeavor. There are mentors involved to oversee the student's progress, but the students do all the planning. In this video, there are nine students who spend one semester in this self-directed learning program. As they explain, they have enjoyed this experience and hope that other schools will take initiative to start it up as well. 

              The message of this video is that our education systems needs to move away from trying to teach everyone the same way, instead of letting the students teach themselves effectively. After all, who would know them better than they know themselves? Everyone has different learning styles, and there is no point in forcing information upon youth. We remember the facts that interest us, not what we are forced to remember. "It's crazy that in a system that is meant to teach and help the youth, there is no voice from the youth at all." This was the first quote in the video, and it captures the entire concept the video is expressing. 

               This video is related to Amy Burvall's "Digital Life" Video because they are both bringing up new ideas, against mainstream culture. To elaborate, self-directed learning is quite a new topic, while most public schools in North America are still in a traditional education system. Similarly, considering technology as a negative impact of society is a new perspective as well, because most people today see technology as a tool in making our lives easier. Both these videos spark controversy, as people for and against the topic debate the issues presented. Furthermore, these topics are both directed towards the new generation. Society reform hinders a lot of resistance, especially from the older generation. To demonstrate, in the education video, it was said that at first, many of the staff disagreed with the program. As well, in the technology video, it was a school teacher whom claimed that technology should be used with caution, and humans are becoming more and more dependent upon it. 

                In my opinion, I don't think this program would work with my learning style. Even though I am hard-working and self-motivated, I need a structured learning environment to succeed to the best of my abilities. To be honest, I don't mind tests and exams, because they test my skills and I have a clear understanding of what I need to improve. Additionally, since this program focuses on project-based learning, it would be hard to do a project on subjects such as math. On the other hand, mathematics is a topic that everyone should learn because no matter which career, math is involved. This is one of the biggest drawbacks I see within this project. Also, even though this project may be beneficial for high school students, they will not have this freedom in post-secondary education. Therefore, they will not be able to adapt to the university or college environment, because you do not work at your own pace. You do not get to choose your projects, and therefore I think that programs like The Independent Project does not prepare youth for education after high school. High school should be a place where we learn basic skills, which we can apply later on in life. Without these fundamental skills, how can students be prepared for the real world? This program would be more effective if it was available for post secondary education, where students are more mature and can handle self-study. Overall, this video was quite eye-opening, however it is not compatible with my learning style.