False Dichotomy: The Value Of Coursework In Education

Ideally the modern American school would construct the foundation for children’s futures. School currently outfits them with the basic thinking skills and general knowledge necessary later in life from an early age; however by and large, U.S. schools are falling short of this admirable goal. With current coursework trends favoring quantity over quality, “When am I ever going to need to know this,” has become a common remark in classrooms nationwide. This misplaced emphasis on bigger workloads creates an environment in which coursework is morphed from a valuable means of learning into dreaded busywork. At its worst it’s been known to lead to neglect of coursework, failed classes, and even failure to graduate.
I’m not stating that the content …show more content…
But I assert that this creates a false dichotomy in which education can only focus on the general information or instruction of its practical application, with a mix of the two being out of the question. Even if it’s not within a teacher’s duty to teach practical skills, it would still be very beneficial to explicitly communicate to students the ways in which their studies could be applied outside of school. By its very nature a more fleshed out contextualization of content would provide a genuine response to the very natural question of “Why are we learning this?”
I see flaws in the way we are being taught, and I know I’m not alone. I reassert that there needs to be more communication between students and educators, and a good place to start would be discussing what’s working and not working with the current educational curriculum -- with redundant coursework on the front burners. Decreasing amounts of busywork would leave more room for genuinely meaningful learning , and explicitly tying that learning to real world application should result in less student frustration, greater motivation, and ultimately more academic success for students across the