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The Forum > Article Comments > Let a million flowers bloom > Comments

Let a million flowers bloom : Comments

By Frank Blunt, published 6/8/2008

By the time students have been squeezed out of the year 12 sausage machine the stuffing has been knocked out of them.

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Frank, it is all very well to rail against the present system. I have no argument with you on that score. However, it would be nice to hear from you, some ideas about which some improvements could be made. Without that, your article is completely useless.

David
Posted by VK3AUU, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 10:28:25 AM
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I'm with Veekay.

Having a whinge is a venerable and oft-employed tradition amongst those who are articulate, but terminally lazy.

Is it education policy that's to blame? If so, in what area is it falling down?

Is it the teachers failing to teach. or the educators failing to educate? Are they perhaps simply not up to the job? What should we do about it?

Are there too many/too few private schools? Should we just give every parent a voucher for their kids, and let them spend it on the school of their choice. Or if they can't be arsed, on the pokies?

Is it perhaps the pupils themselves, most of whom have iPods surgically implanted and a PSP superglued to their hands?

Inquiring minds need to be told.

But no point looking here, obviously.
Posted by Pericles, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 1:43:55 PM
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Who wants a million "blooming" flowers.

Universities prime purpose is to provide the above average student with high level skills for the work place.

Only a very select few "gifted" individuals are nurtured to be the leaders of tomorrow.

The easy inovation has already been achieved, progress today by the gifted is on the back of thousand of competent skilled workers.

Trying to make innovative thinkers out of the majority of the university population is trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
Posted by Shadow Minister, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 5:20:50 PM
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H O G W A S H

Yes, there are children stuck in classrooms demonstrating to themselves, yet again, that they are not academically inclined but they have no choice but to remain at school because factory jobs have gone to China, the Railways no longer use assistant station masters, or even station masters, bank clerks must be university graduates, Telstra no longer train apprentices, the railways no longer train apprentice boiler makers, fitters & turners, linesmen, neither do the privatesed electricity companies or Telstra, Optus.
Posted by billie, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 6:21:38 PM
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There is not much point in a million blooming flowers if governments do not support innovation.

One example that immediately springs to mind is all the money invested in photovoltaic and renewable energy research at UNSW, and then to watch while the fruits of that labour and investment move offshore to China due to lack of interest in Australia.

I agree with much of what you say about the sausage machine mentality in schools and a system that allows students to be inventive or come up with their own ideas would certainly help foster innovation and a 'think outside the square' perspective.

As the parent of two older children I believe the high schools are doing a good job of preparing students for independent learning and innovate thinking - unless I am just very lucky in my location. They fall down in other areas but that is another topic.

But the reality is that this type of thinking cannot spring up without some foundation or knowledge; which has to include the basics of maths, english and science. To be sure there is room for creative thinking in all of these areas but you cannot write an imaginative story without knowing how to construct a sentence or have read some of the greats like Yeats etal.

I disagree with you Frank about the role of universities. Universities should be the centre of research and innovation not just about churning out job-ready students. The very thing you are railing against.

Our universities have become business entities and corporatised to the extent that some are even offering remedial english classes.

The old system of schooling that allowed a place for each student according to their own needs and talents in the form of apprencticeships, TAFEs, Institutes of Technology, Advanced Colleges of Education and Universities worked well.

The real problem is that now every institution has to be a university and every student is assumed to aspire to a university degree. This is bunkum.
Posted by pelican, Thursday, 7 August 2008 10:19:48 AM
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Pelican speaks with a broadness and depth of understanding equal to the bill of his non-de-plume.

He's pretty well spot on. It is bunkum.

But .... I'd add kids today know that a fear of failure pervades all their endeavours to the point where innovation and independence of thought are stiffled.

What is needed is an active campaign by parents and teachers to overcome their own fears of failure, needs of security, safety and inadequacy in an endeavour to stop passing those attitudes onto their students and youngsters.

The attributes of courage, fearlessness and boldness need to be encouraged and returned to a venerated status within our educational systems and more importantly to parental attitudes.

ie get rid of the insipid need, we've developed and are passing on, for 'safety first' in everything.

Is that positive enough Pericles?
Posted by keith, Thursday, 7 August 2008 3:04:59 PM
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