Originally posted in Schooling ≠ Education on October 26, 2005
On the plane ride back from Omaha after the Rethinking the High School Experience Conference I sat next to a young woman attending a University (to remain unnamed at this point). I told her about the conference and proceeded to interview her about her experience in college. Her answers confirmed and mirrored a lot of what the high school students said when they were interviewed by participants prior to arriving at the conference. Here’s the highlights:
- College is Social (with peers)
- Relationships with Professors are minimal
- Learning is not relevant
- They teach to the test
- Passion plays a role in a good Professor
The highlight and her favorite part the University experience are the social aspects – with peers. Relationships with Professors are minimal or non-existent. Classes have several hundred people in them. She said there are lots of things she would like to learn more about but there is not time nor encouragement to follow-up on any of these interests – because the days are filled with short term learning (she said she learns for the moment – which means she learns what she has to for the test). The learning is not translated into meaningful experiences that she can use in her life. Her curiosity about things are piqued but then she has no time to follow up on any of it.
When asked about what makes a great Professor her immediate response was passion. Someone that is clearly passionate about what they are teaching (but again she emphasized that the ‘teaching’ is lectures).
These responses mirrored what the high school students reported when they were interviewed. They said they wanted more hands-on experiences and learning that was relevant to them – not just abstract concepts. They said their favorite part of high school was their friends and the social elements – primarily the extra-curricular activities. High school students want more choice in what they learn and how they learn. And they said they like teachers that are excited about the subject they are teaching (but again they said they wanted to have more collaborative learning and team activities as part of their learning).
So, is the high school experience a reflection of the college experience (has it filtered down) or is the college experience a reflection of the high school experience (has the high school model filtered up)?
