Traditional education

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Traditional education is a long-established and generally accepted custom that is found in schools that society deems appropriate. Advocates of education reform want to promote the adoption of progressive education practices. In the eyes of reformers, traditional methods must be transformed to a high-performance system. However, many parents and conservative citizens prefer retaining time-tested methodology. In order to define reformed methods, it is first necessary to define what is traditional.

Traditional Education has varied enormously in history and geographically. In the past it has had much stronger elements of coercion than seem acceptable now in most cultures. It usually included:- Whipping a student who forgets an answer; Inculcating the dominant religion and language; Separating students according to gender, race, and class; and; Teaching different subjects to girls and boys. In terms of curriculum there was and still is a high level of attention paid to time honoured academic knowledge In the present it varies enormously from culture to culture, but still tends to be characterised by a much higher level of coercion than alternative education. Traditional schooling in Britain and it's possessions and former colonies tends to follow the English Public School style of strictly enforced uniforms and a militaristic style of discipline. USA and Australian schools have a much higher tolerance for student to teacher communication which is quite a culture shock for Asian students on exchange.

Here is a list of some of the areas of traditional education, and how they compare with some popular reform movements.

1 Instruction Centre
2 Marking
3 Subject Areas
4 See also

[edit] Instruction Centre

Topic	Traditional approach	Alternate approaches
Person	Teacher-centred instruction: Educational essentialism Educational perennialism	Student-centred instruction: Educational progressivism
Classroom	Students matched by age, and possibly also by ability. All students in a classroom are taught the same material.	Students dynamically grouped by interest or ability for each project or subject, with the possibility of different groups each hour of the day. Multi-age classrooms or open classrooms.[1]
Teaching methods	Traditional education emphasizes: Direct instruction and lectures Seatwork Students learn through listening and observation[2]	Progressive education emphasizes: Hands-on activities Student-led discovery Group activities
Materials	Instruction based on textbooks, lectures, and individual written assignments: What is the name and size of the nation's capitol/parliament building?	Project-based instruction: Work in a small group to build a model of the nation's capitol/parliament building out of 100 toothpicks.
Subjects	Individual, independent subjects. Little connection between topics[3]	Integrated, interdisciplinary subjects or theme-based units, such as reading a story about cooking a meal and calculating the cost of the food.
Social aspects	Little or no attention to social development.[4] Students attend class to learn, not to develop social skills. Extracurricular activities provide outlets for social development.	Significant attention to social development, including teamwork, interpersonal relationships, and self-awareness.
Multiple tracks	Students choose (or are steered towards) different kinds of classes according to their perceived abilities or career plans. Decisions made early in education may preclude changes later, as a student on a vo-tech track may not have completed necessary prerequisite classes to switch to a university-preparation program.	A single, unified curriculum for all students, regardless of ability or interest. Diverse class offerings without tracking, so that students receive a custom-tailored education. With School to work, academically weak students must take some advanced classes, while the college bound may have to spend half-days job shadowing at local businesses.
Student and teacher relationship	Students address teachers formally by their last names. The teacher is a respected role model in the community. Students should obey the teacher. Proper behavior for the university or professional work community is emphasized.	In alternative schools, students may be allowed to call teachers by their first names. Students and teachers may work together as collaborators.

[edit] Marking

Topic	Traditional approach	Alternate approaches
Communicating with parents	A single number, letter, or word summarizes overall achievement in each class. Marks may be assigned according to objective individual performance (usually the number of correct answers) or compared to other students (best students get the best grades, worst students get poor grades). A passing grade may or may not signify mastery: a failing student may know the material but not complete homework assignments, and a passing student may turn in all homework but still not understand the material.	Many possible forms of communicating achievements: Teachers may be required to write personalized narrative evaluations about student achievement and abilities. Under standards-based education, a government agency may require all students are required to pass a test; students who fail to perform adequately on the test may not be promoted.
Expectations	Students will graduate with different grades. Schools believe that some students are essentially incapable of learning the necessary skills and information; those students will fail.	All students need to achieve a basic level of education, even if this means spending extra years in school.
Grade inflation/deflation	Achievement based on performance compared to a reasonably stable, probably informal standard which is highly similar to what previous students experienced.	The value of any given mark is often poorly standardized in alternative grading schemes. Comparison of students in different classes may be difficult or impossible.

[edit] Subject Areas

Topic	Traditional approach	Alternate approaches
Mathematics	Traditional mathematics: Emphasis on memorization of basic facts. Getting the correct answer is not sufficient: problems must be solved exactly the way the textbook uses in today's lesson. Students will always be told what method to use.	Emphasis on practical applications and hands-on illustrations. Broad curriculum covers more than basic facts. Appropriate mathematical reasoning ("showing your work") is graded instead of an exclusive focus on the final answer. For example, in high mathematics, students may be told the final answer to an equation, and asked to prove the answer correct.
Science	Fact-based science: Science class is an opportunity to transmit concrete knowledge and specific vocabulary from the teacher (or textbook) to the students. Students are expected to believe whatever they are told.	With Inquiry-based Science a student might be asked to devise an experiment to demonstrate that the earth orbits the sun. The emphasis changes from memorizing information which was learned through a scientific method to actually using the scientific method of discovery.
Language learning	Phonics: The focus is on the mechanics of decoding individual words. Students may spend more time doing worksheets about subskills such as consonant blends than they spend actually reading.	With Whole language the child is exposed to rich, relevant language such as "recycling is beneficial to the environment", rather than the mechanics of phonics or spelling.

[edit] See also

Classical education movement, which emphasizes Western Civilization

v • d • e Standards-based education reform

Theorists	John Dewey • William Spady • Jean Piaget • Benjamin Bloom • Marc Tucker • Maria Montessori

Theories	Outcome-based education • Cognitive load • Standards-based education reform • Outcomes-based education • Developmentally Appropriate Practice • Holism • Constructivism (learning theory) • Block scheduling • Holistic grading • Active learning • Problem-based learning • Discovery learning • Inquiry-based science • Inventive spelling • Open-space school • Small schools movement • Inclusion

Values	Excellence and equity • Meaningful high school diploma • Achievement gap

Learning standards	National Science Education Standards • National Reading Panel • Standards-based mathematics • No Child Left Behind Act • Adequate Yearly Progress • Goals 2000 • School-to-work transition • Principles and Standards for School Mathematics • National Skill Standards Board

Standards-based assessment	Authentic assessment • Criterion-referenced test • Norm-referenced test • Standards-based assessment • High school graduation examination

Standardized tests	List of standardized tests in the United States • Standardized testing and public policy

Standardized curriculum	Decodable text • Guided reading • Phonics • Whole language • Traditional education • Traditional mathematics • Direct instruction • Rote learning • Grades • Lecture • Tracking (education) • Standard algorithms