Education models are the systems in place that guide how students are taught and how the teachers teach. There are different models across the globe, as each country aims to achieve different results when educating its students. Whether the emphasis is on making the students more competitive with each other or more focused on building relationships, the main aim is to come up with a structure that works to impact knowledge. The benefits of having a system based on encouraging competitiveness may include students who turn into adults interested in visiting a site like ICE Casino to try their luck at punting.
The different models all have pros and cons, and various matters inform a government’s choice of one system over the other. This government control over the learning systems is usually fully applied in public schools. However, private schools and home-schooled pupils may vary their programs according to what best suits them. This means the parent, guardian, or private institution will influence the type of learning program.
Types of Alternative Education Systems
There are many options for those who want to try something different from the classical education system. Let`s explore the most popular of them.
Homeschooling
As the name suggests, this is an education system carried out within a home setting. There is no strict definition of what this home setting is. There are those that have a dedicated room within their homes to carry out the learning, while others are nomadic families that perhaps live in a mobile home and still manage to set aside space to educate their children. It also varies on who would conduct the learning; it might be a parent or other relative or even a hired tutor who would teach the students. The curriculum is also based on what the educator chooses to teach and is, therefore, more flexible. Those who choose this form of system usually do not want to take their offspring to the traditional public schools and hence opt for an alternative they can control.
Montessori Learning
This learning system emphasizes the need for the child to take the lead role in how the teaching occurs. It gives the students an opportunity to explore and find out for themselves rather than the teacher drilling information into them. It has gained popularity around the world, and some institutions apply its principles strictly while others adjust them to fit their needs. It still gives the parent greater control over what their child learns.
Democratic education
This model allows for a way of learning that gives freedom to the students. There are various systems of democratic learning that all emphasize the need for autonomy and control among the learners. This has brought systems such as the Summerhill School of the UK, where learners and teachers are equal, with the former even voting on which trainers to be hired and retained. The United States has also embraced this type of learning, with the Sudbury Valley school portrays the learners’ independence as they determine their curriculum and learn independently without the regular classes.
Free Schooling
This concept has been referred to as unschooling, a process of education where the learners are left to their own devices. There is no curriculum and no teacher. The learners explore the world and learn through their experiences. A child may learn through play, or however they want to spend their time. This may be challenging to parents, and the system generally works better in a community set-up where there are many children and adults with diverse life experiences to be emulated by the learners.
Green School
This is a popular school in Bali, Indonesia, where students are taught to be more aware and sensitive to the environment. The aim is to raise socially sound individuals who are keen on protecting and nurturing the environment. The school itself has beautiful architecture featuring bamboo trees and other sustainable materials.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Alternative Education Models
Every alternative education system has its own pros and cons. But also it is possible to highlight some of them that are common for most of them.
Advantages:
- Freedom of choice for parents on what their children learn
- Learning can occur anywhere around the globe
- Learners are exposed more to culture and real-life experiences
- The children’s personal strengths are developed from an early age
- Children’s autonomy is supported and encouraged
Disadvantages:
- Pupils may miss basic items such as spelling and writing
- Too much autonomy at a young age may have a negative impact on the kids as they grow up.
Generally, the notion of alternative education is supported by the fact that humans are evolving and experiencing different realities. The system in public schools is mostly dated and focuses on materials that may not be very relevant in today’s technological spaces. Parents are also keen to educate their children in ways that would bring them up as being diverse individuals suitable for the current world problems. However, it is important to still ensure that learners get the basic education, such as reading and writing to enable them to explore more of the world around them.
