Should certain practical skills be taught at schools?
46 replies, posted
Practical being things like woodwork, metalwork, cooking and textiles.
Should they be taught at schools? I see them as being necessary life skills, and although they can be taught at home, there's no guarantee of that (as well as the fact some families might have difficulty acquiring woods and metals for such education purposes).
So yes, I believe they should be taught at schools. Learning how to use a hammer or a saw or file properly isn't as easy as some would make it out to be, and it would also teach how to safely use those tools. Of course, skills in cooking are definitely useful, and sewing to an extent. Anyways, what do you think?
They are at my school up untill the age of 14. They are in the UK as apart of secondary education nation wide as far as I know.
[QUOTE=Hizan;33015001]They are at my school up untill the age of 14.[/QUOTE]
This, everyone needs to know some basic knowledge of cooking and other practical skills.
I think not. Should be optional. We had woodwork and it was fucking stupid and useless.
It was done in my school I'll mention, in Year 7 and 8 (mandatory of course).
I agree that they should be there, but should be optional. They were not available in elementary schools here. However, those classes are available in secondary schools, and are all optional. Most students end up taking at least one type of practical skill course anyways.
All those were optional when I was in college, with the exception of metalwork/woodwork (luckily my dad has a wood shop in the garage, so learned that way.)
Personally it would be best as an optional class.
my school doesnt have any of these and i dont really know why
Well, I wouldn't see why metallurgy or woodwork would be a necessary skill. Cooking however, yes.
I agree that they should be in schools unless inherently pointless (Like cake decoration or hair styling or something).
Much more practical, and with applications than useless classes like religious education or bioethics or media studies whose only purpose is to waste time.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;33016132]I agree that they should be in schools unless inherently pointless (Like cake decoration or hair styling or something).
Much more practical, and with applications than useless classes like religious education or bioethics or media studies whose only purpose is to waste time.[/QUOTE]
It would be much more efficient if we just gave everyone gruel loaded with their vitamins and nutrients for the day. Why waste time with cooking?
[QUOTE=Rubs10;33016503]It would be much more efficient if we just gave everyone gruel loaded with their vitamins and nutrients for the day. Why waste time with cooking?[/QUOTE]
Need to know how to cook in order to make food. Unless it were microwavable.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;33016604]Need to know how to cook in order to make food. Unless it were microwavable.[/QUOTE]
You could turn it into a just add water recipe. No need for a microwave or refrigerator.
My school offers a ton of this, from woodworking to automotive tech, it's all pretty practical stuff that could save you quite a bit of time or money down the road. Not knowing how to use a saw or change your oil is a bit silly in my book. :v:
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;33016132]I agree that they should be in schools unless inherently pointless (Like cake decoration or hair styling or something).
Much more practical, and with applications than useless classes like religious education or bioethics or media studies whose only purpose is to waste time.[/QUOTE]
I believe they should be OPTIONAL courses but existent courses. Furthermore hair styling can get you a career in hair styling so why not?
One point I will raise: In AP English we read a selection from a book by a farmer, in which she advocated mandatory agriculture classes for schools. Her reason for doing so was that we know so [I]little-[/I] example, kids thinking spaghetti is a root plant.
Before we consider the question of, {Should certain practical skills be taught in school?}, it is important to define what we consider practical and must decide if teaching this {Practical} skill maximizes the individual's potential or is a burden; perhaps time teaching this {Practical} skill would be better spent on academic and social skills? At what point do we sacrifice limited education time for the purpose of practicality where the application of such skills are largely dependent on the culture and society? Proponents of {Practical} skills being taught must prove such skills would benefit students of greater value than using the resources, time and effort to expand on academic studies. Moreover, the practicality of a skill is largely arbitrary, however for the sake of convenience, lets simply go with Mr. Antdawg's example of
[QUOTE] woodwork, metalwork, cooking and textiles. [/QUOTE]
Do we, as a society deem the teaching of said skills beneficial that is greater than that of academic or social knowledge? At what point are teaching these skills considered practical in a society that concedes itself on the basis of removing the need for that practicality and easing the burden of life?
[QUOTE=Rhinovirus;33017147]Before we consider the question of, {Should certain practical skills be taught in school?}, it is important to define what we consider practical and must decide if teaching this {Practical} skill maximizes the individual's potential or is a burden; perhaps time teaching this {Practical} skill would be better spent on academic and social skills? At what point do we sacrifice limited education time for the purpose of practicality where the application of such skills are largely dependent on the culture and society? Proponents of {Practical} skills being taught must prove such skills would benefit students of greater value than using the resources, time and effort to expand on academic studies. Moreover, the practicality of a skill is largely arbitrary, however for the sake of convenience, lets simply go with Mr. Antdawg's example of
Do we, as a society deem the teaching of said skills beneficial that is greater than that of academic or social knowledge? At what point are teaching these skills considered practical in a society that concedes itself on the basis of removing the need for that practicality and easing the burden of life?[/QUOTE]
One could make the argument that replacing those hours with academic studies would overburden the children and that removing those hours would be a waste altogether.
If you ask me, I would much rather see a cognitive development class than a practical class. A class where you partake in exercises designed to enhance the mind. Logic exercises ,arithmetic exercises, creative exercises.
It would be fun and it would make kids sharper.
I would say [I]some[/I] practical classes should [I]always[/I] be taught: cooking, parenting, etc. Things that are so commonplace in society that everyone should know.
[QUOTE=MountainWatcher;33017310]One could make the argument that replacing those hours with academic studies would overburden the children and that removing those hours would be a waste altogether.
If you ask me, I would much rather see a cognitive development class than a practical class. A class where you partake in exercises designed to enhance the mind. Logic exercises ,arithmetic exercises, creative exercises.
It would be fun and it would make kids sharper.[/QUOTE]
As well as cognitive development classes, allowing students to begin to think for themselves rather than just retain and regurgitate information when needed.
[QUOTE=MountainWatcher;33017310]One could make the argument that replacing those hours with academic studies would overburden the children and that removing those hours would be a waste altogether.
If you ask me, I would much rather see a cognitive development class than a practical class. A class where you partake in exercises designed to enhance the mind. Logic exercises ,arithmetic exercises, creative exercises.
It would be fun and it would make kids sharper.[/QUOTE]
What about a compulsory philosophy class?
Rather than teaching "practical" skills, teaching kids how to solve problems effectively (and how to budget money, maybe) would probably help them more. Also, if you include cooking, sewing, woodworking, metallurgy, etc., then it tends to automatically be gender-stereotyped. I'm a girl, and I know I would hate sewing and probably want to do woodwork. The problem with social skills classes is that it just tries to teach you how to be normal. We have one of those at my school, and it's just a course in how to act normal and hopefully not creep people out (which is useless; the weird people are the only ones worth knowing).
I wish my school had these kinds of classes. We just have a class that teaches us how to use microsoft word.
An entire class on [I]one[/I] program? Seriously, Word isn't that hard.
There should be one class simply called "Life Skills" It needs to cover so much stuff you are just expected to know in later life yet is not easy to work out for yourself. Things like propper cooking, morgages and managing your finances.
At 16 (End of "mandatory" education in UK) you are ill prepared for the real world, I ended up taking some night school classes to plug in the gaps. Could easily just have been in the ciriculem instead of some bullshit subject like "citizenship"
[QUOTE=Antdawg;33014948]Practical being things like woodwork, metalwork, cooking and textiles.
[/QUOTE]
With the exception of metalwork, these were mandatory at my school. After experiencing both shop and home ec, we had to pick one and then it was mandatory for one more year.
In high school all four became optional classes.
You don't really need to be "taught" how to cook. As long as you can read, understand time and measurement, and can read the intructions you should be able to cook.
[QUOTE=Painties Hose;33019963]You don't really need to be "taught" how to cook. As long as you can read, understand time and measurement, and can read the intructions you should be able to cook.[/QUOTE]
Problem... I don't recall steaks or sausages or things like that coming with instructions (this is if it isn't in a box, of course. If you buy boxed meat you're a fuckwit). Many things still aren't packaged today, and cooking skills are needed to judge how long you need to cook something, how you cut something and things like that.
Not only that, but half my cooking class was about creativity! Many things we did involved coming up with ideas of how to do something, and we needed the knowledge of how to prepare everything so we could actually make it.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;33020283]Problem... I don't recall steaks or sausages or things like that coming with instructions (this is if it isn't in a box, of course. If you buy boxed meat you're a fuckwit). Many things still aren't packaged today, and cooking skills are needed to judge how long you need to cook something, how you cut something and things like that.
Not only that, but half my cooking class was about creativity! Many things we did involved coming up with ideas of how to do something, and we needed the knowledge of how to prepare everything so we could actually make it.[/QUOTE]
My cooking teacher couldent spend 10 seconds without yelling at someone
Still learned alot though
We also have to learn music here though, which is probably the most useless thing ever
I doubt I will EVER need to play guitar
[QUOTE=Antdawg;33020283]Problem... I don't recall steaks or sausages or things like that coming with instructions (this is if it isn't in a box, of course. If you buy boxed meat you're a fuckwit). Many things still aren't packaged today, and cooking skills are needed to judge how long you need to cook something, how you cut something and things like that.[/QUOTE]
I think he's referring to cookbooks/the internet
Absolutely not. Practical skills are useless in real life.
I have cooking until the age of 16.
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