Educational Alternatives: Schools Alone Can’t Turn Things Around For All Kids

Educational Alternatives: Schools Alone Can’t Turn Things Around For All Kids
Summary: eLearning and educational alternatives are burning topics among educators. Let’s delve deeper to know why schools alone are not enough for all kids. What else can substitute schools and how to know if your kid needs another educational approach?

Why It’s The Time To Find Educational Alternatives 

Good and proper education plays a great role in the life of everyone all through the life. In the 21st century, education is more about developing policies and programs that inherently affects each and every learner. It is more about teaching skills than stuffing useless information into the learner’s brain. Although schools and educators have tried their level best to acknowledge their pupils needs and tried to meet these with a variety of strategies. Many learners still infer that schools alone are not enough to meet the requirement of a wide range of learners. So, why it's time to find educational alternatives?

The UK Government launched an initiative called "Every Child Matters" in 2003. After a decade of sea change in the children and children's services, it seems like there is no end to the debate, when we come to know that kids who are attending schools are not actually learning.

Why does that happen? Why isn't school enough to meet all the requirement of a learner?

UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) has been working to improve children's lives ever since 1947. UNICEF has proposed that there are many pathways of learning. And all children deserve the opportunity to learn in ways that make the most of their strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses.

Why Learners Need Educational Alternatives

Schools are the place where a learner's achievement is bounded by the opportunities for learning that are presented. Even when kids attend schools regularly they don't seem to learn much. This problem calls for deep reforms in the schooling system to improve quality of learning.

Every child has some special needs. Some kids need personalized attention, which is possible only when classes are smaller in size or student-teacher ratio is permissible to do not spoil the learning experience.

How To Know If Your Kid Needs Educational Alternatives?

There are many signs that explicitly state that your kid needs more than a conventional school. One of these signs include inability to communicate with a broader group of people. Some kids find it difficult to associate with others socially. Classroom teaching become inappropriate in such circumstances. Although practicing eye contact, encouraging attention would help a lot. But if even than problem remain unresolved, then online learning tools and online education can help your child for instance.

Secondly, schools should be fun, if your kid returns from school tired and weary daily, then these might be signs of potential danger. He/she might complain about the unfair situation, conflicts, in order to grab your attention to his/her need for another educational approach. Another reason for your kid feeling frustrated at school may be your child isn't challenged enough at school.

Sometimes consulting schools nurses might help you diagnose disease like ADHD in your kid. Anyhow, when your child refuses to go to school, you'll have to find educational alternatives.

Well intentioned parents not only feel compelled to the need of technology and Learning Management System and tools for their kids, but also to avoid forcing them to do what they adamantly do not want to do.

What Educational Alternatives Are There If My Kid Needs Another Approach To Learning

Many public schools themselves came up with a variety of alternative programs within their systems. For example: public choice programs, public at- risk programs. But if you decided your kid to be at home and learn at his own pace in a self-directed way then the internet is your helping aid indeed. Homeschooling is proven to be successful.

Online schooling is another popular alternative. Your kid will have to go to the school premise only to take the examination.

Holistic education is another approach that has a goal to make every learner to find his identity in humanitarian values. Alternative schools for this educational approach are Camphill school, Krishnamurti school, Montessori school and Waldorf school.

Finding alternative does not mean un-schooling or de-schooling, it is about changing the modus operandi that is not well fitted for your kid. The school today is threatening and stressful due to the force-feeding. Let’s kids be at their own pace in the process of learning, let them get adequate time for processing the information and grasping the knowledge.

Your intervention and support can work magic for your kid. His/her groans and eye-rolls will transform into beautiful giggles and positive results. In the process of learning skills and getting knowledge, you might take different pathways. Induced desire to learn and response to what is learned, is the ultimate goal.

Education is beautification of the inner world and the outer world.