Traditional education, is also known as back-to-basics, conventional education
or customary education, refers to long-established customs found in
schools that society traditionally used. Some forms of education reform promote
the adoption of progressive education practices, a more holistic approach
which focuses on individual students' needs and self-expression. In the eyes
of reformers, traditional teacher-centered methods focused on rote
learning and memorization must be abandoned in favor of student-centered
and task-based approaches to learning. However, many parents and conservative
citizens are concerned with the maintenance of objective educational
standards based on testing, which favors a more traditional approach.
Depending on the context, the opposite of traditional education may be
progressive education, modern education, or alternative education.
Definition The definition of traditional education
varies greatly with geography and by historical period.
The chief business of traditional education is to transmit to a next
generation those skills, facts, and standards of moral and social conduct
that adults consider to be necessary for the next generation's material and
social success. As beneficiaries of this scheme, which educational progressivist
John Dewey described as being "imposed from above and from outside", the
students are expected to docilely and obediently receive and believe these
fixed answers. Teachers are the instruments by which this knowledge is
communicated and these standards of behavior are enforced.
Historically, the primary educational technique of traditional education was
simple oral recitation: In a typical approach, students sat quietly at their
places and listened to one student after another recite his or her lesson, until
each had been called upon. The teacher's primary activity was assigning and
listening to these recitations; students studied and memorized the assignments at
home. A test or oral examination might be given at the end of a unit, and the
process, which was called "assignment-study-recitation-test", was
repeated. In addition to its overemphasis on verbal answers, reliance
on rote memorization, and disconnected, unrelated assignments, it was also an
extremely inefficient use of students' and teachers' time. This traditional
approach also insisted that all students be taught the same materials at the same
point; students that did not learn quickly enough failed, rather than being
allowed to succeed at their natural speeds. This approach, which had been
imported from Europe, dominated American education until the end of the 19th
century, when the education reform movement imported progressive education
techniques from Europe. Traditional education is associated with
much stronger elements of coercion than seems acceptable now in most cultures.
It has sometimes included: the use of corporal punishment to maintain
classroom discipline or punish errors; inculcating the dominant religion and
language; separating students according to gender, race, and social class , as
well as 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 its
possessions and former colonies tends to follow the English Public School style
of strictly enforced uniforms and a militaristic style of discipline. This
can be contrasted with South African, USA and Australian schools, which can
have a much higher tolerance for spontaneous student-to-teacher
communication. the school was instruction centre|-
Main Objective High test scores, grades, graduation
Learning, retention, accumulation of valuable knowledge & skills
-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
classroomTraditional education emphasises. Direct instruction and
lectures Seatwork : Students learn through listening and observation.
Progressive education emphasizes, hands-on activities
Student-led discovery Group activities
Materials : Instruction based on textbooks, lectures, and individual
written assignments Project-based instruction using any available resource
including Internet, library and outside experts
Subjects : Individual, independent subjects.
Little connection between topics Integrated, interdisciplinary subjects
or theme-based units, such as reading a story about cooking a meal and
calculating the cost of the food. Content ; Memorization of facts,
objective information; Correct knowledge is paramount
Understanding the facts, Application of facts, Analysis, Evaluation, Innovation;
Critical thinking is paramount Focus on independent learning.
Socializing largely discouraged except for extracurricular activities and
teamwork-based projects. Significant attention to social
development, including teamwork, interpersonal relationships, and
self-awareness. Multiple track: 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.
students choose 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.
Equity : Present and test methods favor students who have prior exposure to the
material or exposure in multiple contexts. Requirements to study or
memorize outside school inadvertently tests homes not students. Students from
homes where tested subjects are used in common conversation, or homes where
students are routinely given individual help to gain context beyond
memorization, score on tests at significantly higher levels.
Context learning integrates personal knowledge within the school environment.
Individualized expectations simplifies individual supports and keeps focus
student based.Community study settings include multiple cultures and expose all
students to diversity. Student and teacher relationship;
Students often address teachers formally by their last names. The teacher is
considered 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 school]s, students may be allowed to
call teachers by their first names. Students and teachers may work together
as collaborators. Traditional approach
Communicating with parents A few numbers, letters, or words are used to
summarize overall achievement in each class. Marks may be assigned according
to objective Criterion-referenced test|individual performance or compared
to other students. 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, a government agency may require all students to pass a test; students
who fail to perform adequately on the test may not be promoted.
Expectations Students will graduate with different grades. Some students
will fail due to poor performance based on a lack of understanding or incomplete
assignments. 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 hard to
standardize in alternative grading schemes. Comparison of students in
different classes may be difficult or impossible.
Subject areas See also
Classical education movement, which emphasizes Western Civilization
List of abandoned education methods Notes
^ a b c Beck, Robert H.. The Three R's Plus: What Today's Schools are Trying to
Do and Why. U of Minnesota Press. pp. 3–6. ISBN 978-0-8166-6017-9.
^ a b Dewey, John. Experience and education. Kappa Delta Pi. pp. 1–5. ISBN
978-0-912099-35-4. ^ E.g., see Investigations series