Issue 51

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51. Education will be truly effective only when it is specifically designed to meet the individual needs and interests of each student.
The proper aim of education is to promote significant learning. Significant learning entails development. Development means successively asking broader and deeper questions of the relationship between oneself and the world. I fundamentally agree with the statement that education will be truly effective when it is designed to meet the individual needs and interests of each student.
Traditional education is designed for common groups and has been widely applied for such a long time. Till now, students study in classes and get educated in the same way, and it is quite common to see that in a classroom of a university, a professor teaches hundreds of students at the same time. Some extremists praise this mode of education which guarantees people’s equality. However, they neglect the fact that the outcome under such kind of education is unsatisfactory. Today many students are fed up with study and the dropout rate increases by annual. More and more students complain that schools are strangling their interests and talents.
On the contrary, if education will be specifically designed to meet individual needs and interests, the effect would be appreciable because each student could get educated effectively. Interest play such an important role in education that without accounting for it schools will not cultivate students properly. Common sense tells us that students’ interests varies, therefore forcing them to get the same education is harmful to their development. Moreover, many people will choose their careers which give them stages to show their talents—which might be only their interests in their childhoods. Thus, students’ interests are essential for their future which cannot be neglected. Once students’ interests are considered, parents and schools should give them more help and chances to develop their talents. Correspondingly, students are likely to involve them more actively in study if they are offered a unique education designed according to their interests and needs.
However, it is not the proper time for the government to apply this policy—provide educations according to individual needs and interests-- since educational resources are not abound. The number of students is so large that it is impossible adjusting education to each of their needs. On the other hand, the number of teachers is comparatively small and their knowledge is limited, it is unrealistic for them to find out and cultivate each student’s talent. Thus, the government should take some measures to enhance educational level. For example, the government should gives schools more financial support, provide more fundamental facilities to schools and improve the quality of teachers through assessments. Schools should achieve specific education step by step. They can provide more chances for students to show their talents while they needn’t change traditional education hastily. The transformation of education cannot be achieved in a short time. Since we have discerned its importance, I believe an ideal education will finally come out.
To sum up, education will be more effective once it takes individual needs and interests of each student into consideration. However, it cannot be achieved right now and calls for gradual improvement.