I am writing to express serious concern with the semester
system of education. Based on an American
model of education (not one to emulate), the semester system has been in
Canadian high schools for many years now.
Unfortunately, it is also prevalent (though not universal) in the Coquitlam
School district, yet high schools in Vancouver seem to have resisted it. Proponents of the semester system argue that
it has its “pros and cons”, but I contend that there are profound weaknesses to
it – and that it is a central reason (speaking as a university educator) why the
skill and motivation of first-year university students appear in decline,
especially over the past two decades or so.
The semester system (taking longer classes in four-month
units instead of on a school-year basis) is detrimental in several areas of
study – particularly Mathematics, English, and other Language courses. The case
for mathematics is clear: it requires skill and practice and reasoning. It
teaches problem solving and so trains the mind to deal in terms of theory and
concepts and with precision. And it
requires a memory fresh with rigorous, regular exercise. Is it not odd that students might take math
for four months, skip it for four months and then possibly take it eight months
later, depending on the schedule of the student? A whole year might have elapsed between
courses, and students are expected to remember what they studied many months
before, as if summer happens twice a year now.
The semester system is terrible for weak math students, and
it is not fair to the minds of all students who should be required to think in mathematical
terms on a regular basis (all school-year long), for their own benefit - and
for the benefit of society (now perhaps I sound like a dinosaur). A semester of mathematics means that an important
foundational course is taught in 77-minute packages, as weary students also
face the “law of diminishing returns” on their compressed hours in class, up
from 44 minutes in Middle School. In other words the semester system ignores the
developmental stage of the students (especially grades 9 and 10), and it
ignores the fact that cognitive ability is not all innate. The mind requires habitual practice over time
to learn, and this is the case for mathematics.
Another problem is that today’s technology dupes people into thinking
that they can achieve in an instant; rather, learning requires sustained effort.
The semester system can also be bad for teaching. Quality teaching requires a relationship
between the teacher and the taught. Students often learn as much from an
inspired teacher as they do from the course material. The semester system is more content oriented,
heavier on exams (both of which encourage passiveness), and it allows less
space for the “instructors” themselves. (And God forbid if any student is
absent for an extended period of time – as they get penalized twice as much). The end result is that students can have even
more teachers with less quality contact over the rhythm of time, giving them
less opportunity to learn.
As core curriculum diminishes the number of course options
multiply, and students are presented with a smorgasbord – a pattern that is
repeated at the first-year university level, where students go about taking
classes without proper mentorship. Today’s
education is about “consuming” courses, a take-what-you-want kind of approach. The idea of the university is to offer
students opportunity for a transformational experience, but this fails to
happen (because incoming students are less and less prepared), which is linked
to the semester system in our high schools nurturing a certain degree of
inadequacy. And in order to overcome a
mathematical shortfall in our secondary system (yes, an under-consumption of sound
reasoning), my son will be privately tutored in mathematics in the off months,
even though he is already a very good in the subject. This is regardless of whether or not he goes
into the sciences at university (which is also not my area of expertise). School District 43 can anticipate the final
bill for my son’s “extracurricular” high school math, and I expect that our public
authorities will repay the sum - with interest.
[1]
This letter appeared on Wednesday March 23, 2013 in The Coquitlam NOW under the title “The semester system hurts
high school students”.
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