Page 152 - Rižnar, Igor, and Klemen Kavčič (ed.). 2017. Connecting Higher Education Institutions with Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 152
Igor Rižnar
other reforms and experimenting with school curriculums has so far
done more harm than good. Perhaps we need student-loan accountabil-
ity to stay afloat in higher education. And what about students? They
certainly need long-term value, they need critical skills if they want to
thrive in this dynamic and global world, they need skills for the rapidly
changing economy (not skills in order to pass the exams), and, last
but not least, they sometimes only need more homework. Appropriate
amount of study time and homework are far from banal. Education ex-
perts have long realized that learning is in no small measure a function
of time. In addition, both teachers and education policy makers should
be aware that poor literacy and poor numeracy are expensive and educa-
tion systems, private or public, which are unable to facilitate learning,
are much too dear to be economically viable.
Something has to be changed, we all agree. But it is difficult to mend
something that has been in dire straits for decades albeit a number of re-
forms education institutions in Slovenia at all levels have experienced.
What can teachers do? We should keep doing what we believe is good
for our students: give them specific and clear feedback focused on possi-
ble paths for achieving improvement in order to reach certain learning
goals. Convince them that an active brain is a better brain, that they are
not stuck with the brain they were born with, that they should repeat
and review what they have learnt. If our students don’t hand in an as-
signment, we should notice, if they are not prepared for the lesson, we
should care, if they do not grasp a concept, we should help. Often both
teachers and students have to rethink and unlearn the old rules im-
posed on them by their teachers. Then, we have to learn new ones, which
requires questioning old assumptions, challenging old paradigms, and
relearning what is relevant for our jobs, careers and our life. Many of
us do not possess any special talents, but we nevertheless have to try
hard to be curious. I believe that having a hungry mind is a good thing,
which is too often lost in the process of formal education, so teachers
need to do their best to retain student’s inquisitive and open minds. As
a matter of fact what teachers should do is inform, inspire, surprise and
delight their students, because what students also need is a fulfilling ex-
perience during the process of learning.
Even if you are not enthusiastic about the dual-process theories of
cognition, you should return to Kahneman once again to say that under-
graduate level education should perhaps focus more on teaching disci-
plined thinking, decision-making skills, principles of probability, choice
150
other reforms and experimenting with school curriculums has so far
done more harm than good. Perhaps we need student-loan accountabil-
ity to stay afloat in higher education. And what about students? They
certainly need long-term value, they need critical skills if they want to
thrive in this dynamic and global world, they need skills for the rapidly
changing economy (not skills in order to pass the exams), and, last
but not least, they sometimes only need more homework. Appropriate
amount of study time and homework are far from banal. Education ex-
perts have long realized that learning is in no small measure a function
of time. In addition, both teachers and education policy makers should
be aware that poor literacy and poor numeracy are expensive and educa-
tion systems, private or public, which are unable to facilitate learning,
are much too dear to be economically viable.
Something has to be changed, we all agree. But it is difficult to mend
something that has been in dire straits for decades albeit a number of re-
forms education institutions in Slovenia at all levels have experienced.
What can teachers do? We should keep doing what we believe is good
for our students: give them specific and clear feedback focused on possi-
ble paths for achieving improvement in order to reach certain learning
goals. Convince them that an active brain is a better brain, that they are
not stuck with the brain they were born with, that they should repeat
and review what they have learnt. If our students don’t hand in an as-
signment, we should notice, if they are not prepared for the lesson, we
should care, if they do not grasp a concept, we should help. Often both
teachers and students have to rethink and unlearn the old rules im-
posed on them by their teachers. Then, we have to learn new ones, which
requires questioning old assumptions, challenging old paradigms, and
relearning what is relevant for our jobs, careers and our life. Many of
us do not possess any special talents, but we nevertheless have to try
hard to be curious. I believe that having a hungry mind is a good thing,
which is too often lost in the process of formal education, so teachers
need to do their best to retain student’s inquisitive and open minds. As
a matter of fact what teachers should do is inform, inspire, surprise and
delight their students, because what students also need is a fulfilling ex-
perience during the process of learning.
Even if you are not enthusiastic about the dual-process theories of
cognition, you should return to Kahneman once again to say that under-
graduate level education should perhaps focus more on teaching disci-
plined thinking, decision-making skills, principles of probability, choice
150
