Alternative Education Videos
Videos
I have compiled a few videos that I found helpful when I first began searching for alternative educational choices. Some of the videos have been around for a while, but the messages are as pertinent today as they were back then.
I really resonated with the way the Finnish school systems work. Firstly they do not give homework, secondly they do not believe in standardized testing. The point they brought out is that American schools “teach to the test”. This is something that I have heard many times over in my career. One Finnish student studied abroad in the United States and when Michael Moore asked the student what he felt relieved about after going back to Finland, he responded “no more multiple choice exams.” When Michael Moore asked the Finnish students how they answer questions if there are no multiple choice answers, they responded “you just have to know it.” Isn’t that a novel idea, you just have to know it?
Working in special education classrooms throughout my career made me realize how unfair standardized testing was, especially when all students were required to take the test regardless of their abilities. For example, a child may have been in the sixth grade but cognitively been at a second grade level, but they were still expected to take a sixth grade standardized test. What point does this make? How is this helpful for anyone?