#new #education #documentary 'Under pressure': Why our education system does not work

[Music] [Music] I think we ended up having this classroom  based system when we entered into mass education When there were a large number  of young people who needed to educate It was the easy easy way to organise. Put  people in smaller groups and then give one adult and one classroom for them to  work on and and that's that's how it grew Especially when compulsory education came  it was also just very convenient to be able to have all those students together with one  teacher in a classroom.

We've shifted from Individual education to classroom education  It's still understandable as something that fits when providing education to all people.  In an industry that was booming that time The same principles were used in the industry  as well in a production, in a factory that people were, people were you know producing  human products almost as they were producing bricks in a in a factory. So it was a the mental  model and thinking was exactly the same way The accusation is often that i

t is  industrial. Yes that's actually true. You simply process a lot of children in a relatively short  time in large groups. And that is the way. Yes, you can negotiate all kinds of things there  no matter the situation or the circumstances that may arise. Look, ultimately that system it  is the face the appearance of the educational institution During that period you had primary  education and you had secondary education That was what it was. So you had education  for the masses and you had ed

ucation for the elite In many parts of Europe there were Latin  schools, which were for the elite. They were also not intended for those schools so to speak  to train for a profession and you didn't have to learn anything there that you would need  later. You only had to learn something there that could show that you belonged to the elite.  And for the rest what is in between that was much more regulated by private initiatives. So  vocational education that just became yes they just went to lear

n from someone for example. Education was something that we do here right now That it was conversation, often between  the master and the student or a master and small number of of students I think if you look at history the first moment that mass education became classroom based, then we must  look back at Prussia in the early 19th century We had very ambitious educational  Innovations and one of the ideas included was that you had to give classroom teaching, so children neatly in rows all look

ing at that board which was also an innovation at  the time. All looking at the board and at that teacher who made those lessons and gave  very teacher-driven education The definition was knowledge elevates man. And what they  did then, they fragmented the knowledge chopped it into pieces. The innovators of that  era embraced and transformed it into a highly rigorous systematic education. But also in a very  systematic manner starting from small pieces and then guiding the students completely by

the hand. Subjects are often taught in isolation of each other so you have chemistry biology and such. Like you  know if you look at a timetable and you can see those words actually in the timetable.  All subjects separated as though, that's the way that are But in reality that's not the way the world works because when you walk outside, you don't see chemistry over  here and biology over here. Social subjects down here You see, you encounter the  world as it is as it presents itself to you The

n an education system was set up in  Prussia to meet the needs of the Prussian dictatorship [Music] Prussia needed obedient  soldiers workers and officials [Music] So you do indeed want people to  be loyal citizens. That was also very explicitly stated in the education  law of 1806. It is not necessarily meant to be obedient, but the side effect of  thinking about learning and development in this way, is that it makes people  very passive. That leads to obedient individuals If you just stay stil

l and don't  make any trouble in the classroom and you look like you're studying, the teacher is usually  happy. And and if you go through the school system that or everything you just know about is  okay. Now I just stay still and I do the stuff the teacher ask and everybody's happy I'm making  the teacher happy and...Try to break that system The possibilities for disruption I think are  central to to very good pedagogy, or very good teaching and learning. We need disruption whereas  it seems t

hat a lot of education that takes place in in a class. The purpose of that is to avoid  disruption. To maintain a sort of teaching and learning process that is essentially about  the teacher teaching and the learner's learning I believe I am part of the group of employees  who when there is a particularly crazy idea I have a tendency to go along with the  idea and support it enthusiastically Kids and youth just have ideas that I am no  longer able to generate. Whereas we grownups occasionally fi

nd ourselves in a rut. And  the most fascinating aspect is discovering that a completely contrasting viewpoint  from from your own, can also be remarkably effective At the same time I know that my  role as an adult at this school is not to have my ideas realized but rather that it  should be the ideas of the students that have space here The instruction is conducted in a manner that enables you to genuinely transform into a specific precise  citizen through the teaching techniques utilized thro

ughout the process of education. That is  a little bit the essence the fundamental aspect that lies at the heart of the matter. It  comes with the discipline sometimes it comes with the order trying to you know educate people  who will not disturb or challenge the current state of issues in in in the any any system or government. The word is out for sure That the system that we've been following now  for many years is not actually successful in terms of creating human beings who have  a capacit

y for flexibility, incredible kind of incisive thinking, goal setting. And  just a sort of autonomy of spirit that is going to help children to feel that they own  their own learning. That learning is something they love and they want to do over and over  again. It's not something confined to school It's not something dependent on an external  person and it's actually endless and fascinating What they become incredibly good  at is being a student. But being a student means waiting until you rece

ive an assignment  then you do that assignment. And you don't do anything more than that assignment. So you lose  all your creativity. You lose your initiative you lose your motivation because it's only about  achieving something that is asked of you at a certain moment At the beginning we always  notice that a student needs to unlearn a little That is very used to tell me what I have to  do. And we really invest a lot of time in that in the beginning to unlearn that. In that  you can really do

find out what that student really wants. Instead tell the student what to  do so that piece of uneducation is indeed an important part of that and what is also a very  nice process. Because then they realize hey I can do and have a lot as long as it fits within  the safety you know. Then there is just a lot possible. If they find out it's cool to see how  the students get started and what they come up with Well the most important thing  and that's the basis for Kunskapskolan is that we strongly

believe that all people  are different. We learn in different ways at different paces. And that the traditional  school was not catered to allow personalization. With the current  structures, the schedules, the premises They were not aligned to deliver personalized education Well, the main approach withour personalized education is to ensure that that students can progress at their own pace as much as possible. And that can be different  in different subjects of course. So that their the stude

nts individual starting point that's  where we start. And the relationship building that we're creating with the various  coaching sessions and and how the school is organized What I have observed is that your  imagination and creativity have been completely destroyed. You are constantly engrossed in  books and you consistently have to adhere to the instructions and demands of others  at school. You have an extremely minimal say in determining your wants and actions. Every  aspect of your life i

s predetermined leaving no room for autonomy. I strongly emphasize  the significance of this lack of control over one's own choices and decisions. It's an  important fact in the general human nature to be given autonomy that what you do and at  what pace. And because I think that's what motivates me as a teacher. I try to give that  feeling also for the students. I think it's a important fact to get the students to  feel that they actually have a say in the classroom Traditionally there were thr

ee groups  in society that did not have their freedom rights and these groups were slaves women and children. In the 19th century slavery was abolished In the 20th century women have gained most of their  rights. Maybe it's time in the 21th century to give kids their rights too It was approximately during the third grade that I started to move on from the lower years and it started to become a bit more challenging for me I planned a lot, specifically I want to do this from  7 to half past 7 an

d then from half past 7 to 8 It was very specific very planned. I always had all my  days completely planned. Ultimately due to requiring additional time for comprehension,  I lagged behind my predetermined timetable once more Consequently I spent that particular  year in the fourth fifth and ultimately the sixth grade. Then I even woke up at 7 a.m. on  weekends to study and I didn't stop until 10 pm without breaks. That was 7 days a  week just the whole school year And we make those new people,

the young children  believe that they have to learn a lot before they can live like us. And what we instruct them is all  cognitively charged and it is all about recalling things And that does not even have much to do with  the process of learning but only by attempting to remember things in our memory. That is so bizarre. Actually when you think about it that's so bizarre Children Age 5 till 16 in the Netherlands  must attend school. If not parents can contact the criminal judge under compulso

ry education  law. So you must send your child to school that is the protection of the child's rights.  Compulsory education. In previous times parents would keep children at home and give  them responsibilities for household chores or looking after their younger siblings. Compulsory  education law serves a good purpose But most students don't have to be afraid at  all that they have to work at the age of 8 or 9 or 10. They are just sitting in the  backseat, they are driven everywhere. And then

compulsory education becomes something that you  can only make meaningful if you really organize education very differently I need to go to school. I have mandatory education so I must be in class every day, every hour. While you may  actually be smart enough or smart enough I don't really want to call it that, but just independent. That's actually what I mean called independent Surround me with the book, just let me sit. Just  let me sit study and I'll pass that test without being simply oblig

ed to attend every class. That is skipped in education I think Skola the Greek word for leisure where compulsory  education was as it were a duty for parents to bring the child during that free time where it  could do something and practice without being held accountable. Has now been established as  compulsory education. Established as a burden of learning. They keep sitting in those school  buildings while they can do all sorts of things a long time ago Numerous schools utilize such a system.

Each hour you are assigned a distinct subject to study, ensuring a  varied and comprehensive educational experience Well that is naturally subject to variation  something that many young individuals actually find difficult to handle or deal with. And then  this and then that and then that Instruction 45 minute intervals breaks and you are not  allowed to drink anything. At that time it was probably worse at private schools. Children  were afraid to drink again in education and such matters In m

y experience  children can't concentrate from 8:30 to 4:00 p.m. It's way  too long for primary children In Finland we don't have like the same  time all over. Every school has different timetables Like for example in our school  we start 8:15 and maximum is 2:00 pm Latest. But like my students second  graders 8 year olds. The first ones go home already this time. Quarter past 11. And then the  rest of the class like half of the class quarter past 1 In secondary school they have  longer days but

even there I think it's horror if they have eight lessons per day. The  long of the day is it doesn't make it more um like effective. Cause the children they're quite  short tempered and they don't have the ability to to work like for 8 hours. So we have  like pushed it like shorter, but we try to be more effective I had that I fell asleep in class  without realizing it. In the middle of a course I fell away. I drifted off in a slumber completely  unaware of the time that has passed. And then I

woke up and I had no idea that it had even  happened. I fell asleep I was just always super tired, super irritated. My grades went down because  despite sitting so much at school it didn't work We think that children need to play.  They need to be outside, they need to have hobbies They need to do Sports. So I don't think that they  learn any better if they stayed at the desk any longer It had become overwhelming. So my  grades dropped. That was the initial focus of their attention. And then doz

ing off and  falling asleep in class. It was only at that moment that the bell started to ring a little bit. They started to realize that something had to be done How do you judge a child who has tried and  worked incredibly hard and by the formal system gets an U or a a minus. And a child who's hardly  worked at all. And by the formal system gets an A If someone said they studied for one  day before the test week, I studied for 7 days. That was the case from the beginning. It was definitely a b

it more difficult for me to keep up. But starting from the third grade I  really had to exert much more effort It tells the  child who's tried really hard not to bother. It  tells the child who doesn't really have to try very hard at all he don't have to try very hard. That's a very strange way of testing people And I do think that. That is condemning.  It condemns. It condemns effort it limits possibilities because the child who gets an A thinks they might as well just carry on as they are. Whe

reas perhaps they could do so much  more than they're doing at that moment It's outdated The majority of my lessons are  highly repressive. You're in a classroom environment. You spend a lot of time reading  from various books. Regarding the rest there isn't much to do. It's extremely monotonous  and lacks any form of mental stimulation And then you end up in a vicious cycle at  some point. The more mind-numbing activities the less creativity or imagination you  have. And the less time you have

for other things Nowadays students have  quite a lot of other things going on than just the school system. So if I for example  give that you need to have this homework done by tomorrow, some of the students have football  practices, gymnastic practices etc. So it would be impossible for them to actually do the  homework probably. So I give them quite a lot of freedom to choose when they actually have  the time to do the assignments given on the course. So quite a lot of freedom is given for the

  students but it comes with a responsibility. They are responsible for themselves to actually  learn and be interested in learning the topic If I had studied for 2 weeks and  got a 6 and someone else had studied for 2 days and got a 9. I always found it very difficult to  accept. And that motivated me to keep studying even longer I desired to please the teachers, I desired  to maintain pace with the remaining students in my class So it's a bit of a dirty circle that's  hard to get out of. I alw

ays described it as a bubble that you are in within the education  system, that you never really get out of of Some young individuals experience a deep sense of  failure when for example they don't understand a subject well or get a low grade. They also have  concentration problems struggling to concentrate or keep up. They face setbacks and the mountain  of challenges they encounter is getting higher That overwhelming feeling of failure once again  in comparison to other students: They have the

ability to do it, but I am unable to accomplish the same There is no higher or lower level it  only exists at your level So everyone is bothered by mayonnaise in their brains without exception And detoxing means detoxifying that thought process. That you do not allow yourself to be guided by that thought process In pre-university education  you're essentially just memorizing pointless things. While you do develop a certain way of  thinking the content primarily consists of factual information

. I believe that time would be  better spent learning how to obtain insurance as I have to rely on my parents for that knowledge.  Simply teach us how to take care of ourselves life skills, instead of just making us memorize  formulas without understanding their practical applications We have the same  curriculum that all other schools in Sweden, so we can't we can't do any anything  outside that. But we put extra time on life skills It can be planning. That we  we are coaching them to plan. Bec

ause that's really life skill that you need for  both when you're a grownup and you have a job and with the higher studies like in University.  And talking and respect for from each other A lot of these group sessions  that we have are not in the same class So you also learn how to cope with  different people. Even it doesn't always have to be with the ones that  you choose or that you actually like And how do you do when you have to work  or cooperate with someone that you don't know A school s

hould be much more focused  on that. A kind of a genuine and authentic school for life. That concept which  needs to be much more present in our discussions At first I managed to keep up  a bit that strict schedule I had made myself. But by the end of the third grade it  was getting worse. Especially when I did that in the fourth year too. In the fifth at the  end of the year I held on but I was already exhausted during summer break I was always irritated, extremely tired I could barely standup

when I had walked  for a total of 10 minutes. Still I wanted to keep going. Didn't want to accept I couldn't  continue because I had to and would do it myself A significant number of burnouts. Individuals who are overworked. Anxieties, panic  attacks, depressions, feeling down Experiencing a sense of despair. It merely  relies on the specific whereabouts of a child What are the reasons behind  the high prevalence of burnout among many young people. I believe this can be  attributed to the lack o

f emphasis on nurturing personality development in  both primary and secondary education systems In my publication I refer to it as child  abuse. And I stress in the written content too that I genuinely regard it as child abuse. The  development of the will, so the development of the motivation of what am I going for now what do I  stand for. That we ignore that piece in education We have health education for example in the Finish finished curriculum.  There's only one mandatory course on health

education. There could  be a discussion should we have more mandatory courses on health education  regarding for example these mental health issues At a certain point it no longer worked.  Whatever I tried to do, the material didn't go in. I couldn't study well anymore.  My grades went down significantly I was just always tired, I was less present at  school because I just couldn't do it anymore When at last the teachers and my father  rang the bell finally signaling the end of the day I was me

ntally completely exhausted, I couldn't  even think anymore. All I could do was cry and sleep If we think about our working  culture it's it's rather democratic I mean you are not forced to exercise a certain  kind of job. So how come we need to define how people should be. Or what they should do  or learn between the age of 7 to 18 or 5 to 18 You should primarily do what is said, written  in books. You should definitely not deviate from that When taking a test or writing an essay  always adhere

to a list of for instance eight points if you do not possess the aforementioned  eight points and if you carried out the task in a manner that differs from the prescribed method,  you will incur a deduction of points. In terms of languages that is striking. Then you have  to write an essay in French for example and then you have a list of points for example  200 words. And if you have additional words and you made errors in them. That is also  considered a deduction. So that means that the more

words you write, the more chances  you have to make mistakes. The more will be deducted While you may have written a very nice  story in terms of content and a much better story than someone who for example has written 200  words and has been grammatically correct But then you have a lower grade even though your  content was better than the person who wrote it grammatically correct, so technically they did well. But somewhat less substantive. And I think that's a skewed ratio. Because you're in

pre-university  education you would think it's about the content of what you write down and what you think. And  not whether it is technically good or less good Feeling somehow that there is only one  right answer. Well we all know that's pretty much never the case. There are always multiple  answers that have merit and sometimes not so much merit. And again the value in putting  forward an idea that isn't considered the only idea, is that there is discussion and  thoughtfulness and an apprecia

tion that there are many opinions, many ways of looking  at things. Which create in us tolerance That my idea isn't the only right idea that  listening to other people's ideas can change my ideas. And that understanding that that life is going to be full of challenges of ideas and of meeting together with others  who have different challenges and different ideas Because the average student now may not  have any ideas. That's in that stream that the teacher says you have to learn this and this. 

Then you are also not allowed to ask why do I have to learn this. Because people determin that  when they establish the curriculum. However this is followed by the fact that you have a system  that is somewhat more affectionate than it was 50 years ago. Because at that time you could  still be subjected to physical punishment if you didn't comply with the instructions of the  teacher. However the system remains fundamentally unchanged The essence of regular education  is actually just doing wha

t others tell you to do for 14 years. Over a span of two  decades from the age of 4 to 24 you endure a minimum of two decades behind bars. Which we refer to as an educational institution In the end I stayed home for  about a year a full school year. At the start of the fall break in my last year of  high school I quit. Initially the plan was for me to resume half of my courses  that year after the christmas break but I attempted it and within a week I  quickly realized that it was not going to b

e successful. It didn't work, so in the  end I stayed home for the entire school year [Music] And that was mainly spent on sleeping. Especially the first 4 months sleeping was the main thing and I would wake up to eat and then  go back to sleep. When I had a little more energy that sometimes became a walk around. But then I had  to recover for 2 days again. So I think the heavy recovery took a year. But the 2 years after that I  still had to recover. That is something that goes slowly [Music] Do

you know what I find incredibly miraculous? I am frequently employed by universities and colleges to offer help to those students  who are striving to enhance their learning abilities. I find that strange. I enjoy doing  it and I really like doing it and I have done it a lot. But I find it peculiar that those  educational institutions do not pick up on it themselves. How they can help their students  how they can learn faster and better. How they can make it more fun. How they can motivate  tho

se people. How they can concentrate better How they can learn fast learning techniques.  Well I find that really strange In the curricula, we are still stuck with the idea  that one has to learn things and it's not really about how to learn. How can I even distinguish  what is a valid source and what may not be And all of these things which have actually become  more significant than ever particularly with the internet. Without a doubt. So how can I filter  information to determine if it is impo

rtant to me And if it has at least the kernel of truth. Or  if it is completely made up. Or if I have no idea whatsoever We're still somehow trapped into  large scale educational systems, wanting constantly to prove to itself that it's working  and therefore putting children into situations and if I may say teachers into situations that  actually create problems within the whole system I always thought, you must achieve the  highest possible. You want to earn money You want to have a good job. W

ell then you have to  go to university that's what you want to. You want study something in science but in the end my  interests have never lied there, not my entire life I merely manipulated myself to a small degree. In  the realm of pre-university education I believe it is necessary for me to engage in this behavior.  In order to attain a more favorable position within society. Garner additional respect from  individuals and be more readily understood by others And the more you strengthen your

diplomas  by building on the reproduction of knowledge that you can retrieve from your memory. The less  suitable you actually become for the demands and expectations of society. If the school system rewards them, if they are so to good students so to speak. They could they could they  get good grades they get to the university They get a degree from the University and what's after  that? it's really unknown. They don't know if it pays off for them. And so I think that's  also one of the reason

s of this mental health issue Because the society is changing so fast But actually all those eight years of work working so hard. And just completely breaking  myself physically and mentally for nothing When I wrote my book "Beyond compulsory  education" that title was chosen very consciously Because I noticed when I was writing it that  all problems in education can be traced back to coercion. Every education system is good if  children choose and want it for their own learning I think this sch

ool is different in the  way that we have the traditional classroom but at the same time we have the open learning space.  And it's the mix of the traditional classroom and the open learning space that makes it  unique. It seems to me that our educational systems seem to treat all places as though  they were the same. You learn things that it doesn't really matter where you are. So I  guess what I'm trying to do is reverse that notion to say that each place is different. If you want to really e

njoy the healing power of the earth you can't be in a room  with a with a floor and cement underneath You have to go out there and and feel it. The core of Sudbury education is, which doesn't even have to do with the school. That we consider children  as full-fledged people and if you just treat children with respect, they will also behave very  responsibly. And parents who also give permission for their child to have these experiences. I  say trust your child to live their life If you have to d

escribe Agora to someone who  is not familiar with Agora. Then that is a way in which suitable assignments are searched  for together with the child, in order to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the subject  matter. That fit the child but also bring them in a meaningful context. I think meaningful  work is the key to tapping into intrinsic motivation In the Finish culture teachers  are highly valued. And like many.. Basically all the parents are trusting the  teacher and we have really au

tonomous system So basically the teacher can decide how  to teach, what to teach His vision was to allow children to make choices for themselves and live their own lives and not to have to just follow an academic route. I mean remember he was  my father was a Victorian he was born in 1883 So he was..He came from a very very rigid system in  Scotland. Very repressive, you got beaten [Music]