Imagine if in primary school children were effective learning methods taught! What consequences would that have?
In order for this to be possible and for the quality of the teaching courses to be kept high, teachers should be relieved of all tasks that have nothing to do with teaching, such as: administration, transportation, etc.. Maybe you are a parent who works all day, then takes your child to sports and then picks them up again. Then you still have to cook for your child and prepare the school bag for the next day. After all the other “little things” like doing laundry, ironing, and cleaning the house, you still have to help your child with their homework. I know this is everyday life for many parents. It is understandable that homework help is neglected. The same goes for the teachers who are responsible for transporting children from one building to another or from one classroom to another every day. It's not always the case that children obey.
The responsibility for the safety of 20 children then rests on their shoulders. Then they have to create several more reports. You have to take care of parts of the school administration. In between they are then allowed to stay on course. It is obvious that under these conditions it is difficult for the teacher to deliver a quality course. Therefore, I believe that the teacher should really only care about the education of his students. He should always have the opportunity to prepare well for his course.
The teacher should be trained in non-violent communication. There are so many situations with children in which nerves are tense and an escalation of the conflict is inevitable. I am convinced that many conflicts can be mitigated and even resolved quickly through non-violent communication. That's why non-violent communication should be used with children at school from a very young age.
I am also of the opinion that children should already use the Pomodoro Technique. The idea is for children to concentrate on a task for (ideally) 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. Learning is so much more fun. The Pomodoro Technique should be used in every cycle. Children learn to organize themselves and stay focused.
What would you think if the school administration chose a topic each week to cover in each subject? For example, if the topic was an apple, in math you could talk about the diameter of the apple and calculate it. In German class you could discuss apple trees and in French class you could discuss the difference between an apple and a potato (pomme de terre). There are also examples in history that involve an apple. This stimulates the teacher's creativity and makes school fun for everyone. As a side effect, students learn better and better.
The teacher could also talk about food in some of their courses or incorporate the topic into a specific course. Our children could be explained which foods promote concentration and what they should eat when exercising. This does not have to and should not be an extra course.
These would be the preparations in cycles 1 and 2.
In Cycle 3.1, when children are literate, teachers could begin teaching reading skills. The children are then ready to read aloud to the class. The teacher can then explain to them how to go through the text in their head without reciting the sentences word for word. This way they can learn to find the keywords.
In history and geography they can begin to use mnemonic techniques. The teacher can show the children the chaining system and perhaps also suggest other systems.
In the language course he can show you how to learn vocabulary using a memory technique.
For languages such as German and French, the method of Vera Birkenbihl be taught. This is a method of learning a foreign language without grammar and vocabulary. I think this could be interesting.
In Cycle 3.2, various memory stations can be taught using memory techniques. I'm thinking of the systems: number-form system, number-symbol system, number-rhyme system. Since the number-rhyme system requires children to associate a number with a word from their native language, it would make sense to use an interpreter in the course if the teacher does not speak the language of several students.
Skimming a text could be further improved in this cycle. The children could already be taught to read quickly.
The children have probably already had seen mind mapping in recent years. In Cycle 3.2 they were shown in more detail how to create a mind map.
In Cycle 4.1, the children should be so advanced that they can be taught further memory techniques. I think of the memory palace and travel technology. All other techniques could be further improved in this cycle.
In Cycle 4.2, I think the children would be ready to learn photo reading. This is a technique for quickly and well understanding the contents of entire books. The children can be further perfected in all other learning methods.
This is how I imagine primary school lessons in the near future. What do you think? What benefit would it be if our children were taught effective learning methods in this way at school? I would imagine that there would be almost no detentions left. The social level would be raised. Perhaps the word “anti-social” could be eliminated from our vocabulary. Children would have no stress about exams and could learn the career they really want. School would be really fun again and the children would like to go to school. Depression in teachers would be diagnosed much less often because they would also enjoy this type of teaching.
I also thought about the disadvantages of teaching our children effective learning methods in primary school. To be honest, I didn't find any! Maybe I'm focusing too much on the advantages and overlooking the disadvantages. Of course, a lot of work falls on the teachers in the beginning. They would have to attend additional training, apply the learning techniques themselves and often think differently. However, when they master the learning method and can teach them, and then see how much fun it can be, they will realize that the work was worth it. Therefore I can't see any disadvantage there.
Children with dyslexia would make significantly better progress and feel more equal to other children. Because the children enjoy coming back to school, they no longer have to take out their frustration on other children. Accordingly, there would be much less aggression in schools! Less bullying! I can imagine a much better relationship between the children and the teachers. The teacher no longer has to prove his authority because the children have the right respect for him.
You don't believe me? All of this is hard to believe when you look at the situations that we are currently seeing and experiencing in all of our schools. I don't list any situation because I want such situations to be a thing of the past. For me, what I have written in this article is a solution to all injustices, all aggression, all bullying and all depression that we see in our lives (not just at school).
If everything I propose is really implemented here in Luxembourg, everything will certainly not be as I imagine it now. I realize that there are countless obstacles on this path. These obstacles have names like superstition, selfishness, pride, laziness, complacency and many more. But they can be overcome individually. I am also aware that if I really want effective learning methods to be taught in primary school, I cannot achieve this alone. I need help. I need people with whom I can share my vision. I need committed people who are willing to walk this path with me. If you are convinced by my project and think you could help me in any way, then don't hesitate to write to me! I need you!
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