51 "Education will betruly effective only when it is specifically designed to meet the individual needsand interests of each student."
Is that "to design education specifically to meet the individualneeds and interests of each student" a way and the only way of makingeducation to be truly effective? I concede with the speaker's broad assertionat the point that individually designed education can raise effectiveness. Yetthe speaker begs the question when defining the meaning of "trulyeffective". Moreover, he is too extreme by claiming the word"only".
To begin with, education in modern society serves to inform our nextgeneration with academic theories and practical experiences, whileeffectiveness assists to accelerate this process. Thus, student-centerededucation is a good way of minimizing human and material resources during thisknowledge pursuing course. After all, interest plays an important role in encouragingspontaneous study- one can concentrate on tedious lectures without a wink ofsleep; one can focus on text books for hours without a study break; one can stayup late at night without the help of caffeine. All of these above prevent teachersfrom repeatedly explaining their lessons, marking students' homework or usingschool facilities, which can save them a lot of time and energy.
However, this student-centered system pales in effectiveness whenfacing certain kinds of education, which the speaker fails to explain oncase-by-case basis. Take fundamental courses such as mathematics or physics asan example. Students generally don't like mathematics as well as other crucialbut boring subjects, into which they will not devote voluntarily. Without theenchantment of interest, teachers have to waste lots of time talking about thesame and simple things to individuals, while they do not even want to hear atall. Thereby, in this case, individual designed education is not only timewasting, but also far less effective than teacher-centered education.
In the mean time, student-centered education is not the only way that canembrace a high efficiency - cooperation, group discussion or practical lessonsare also appropriate. Students tend to feel more confident and enthusiastic whenworking with others; they are more willing to share and improve their learning achievementswhen doing group work. Besides, practices also stimulate study interests, withthe help of which students are more likely to focus.
In the final analysis, since interest plays a critical role in learning,education is admittedly effective when it is specifically designed to meet theindividual needs and interests of each student. However, not all fields aresuited for this system, and not only in this way can we achieve the goal ofeffectiveness – it should also be concerned in a case-by-case and comprehensivecontext.
To begin with, education in modern society serves to inform our nextgeneration with academic theories and practical experiences, whileeffectiveness assists to accelerate this process. Thus, student-centerededucation is a good way of minimizing human and material resources during thisknowledge pursuing course. After all, interest plays an important role in encouragingspontaneous study - one can concentrate on tedious lectures without a wink ofsleep; one can focus on text books for hours without a study break; one can stayup late at night without the help of caffeine. All of these above prevent teachersfrom repeatedly explaining their lessons, marking students' homework or usingschool facilities, which can save them a lot of time and energy. In contrast, general-designed education cannot meetindividual’s interest in certain cases. For instance, Tomas Edison performedquite badly during school – not because he wasn’t talented, but he wasn’tinterested in school courses. Tomas Edison attributed his great success to hermother as well as the mom-designed and Edison-oriented home education. In sum,a student-oriented education can indeed burgeon the effectiveness of learningprocess.