What are your favorite school subjects? What do you think is or was the most useful part of their education? What would you change about your education if you could?
Experts in education have many different ideas about what education is. Look at the definitions, and discuss them with a partner. Which do you agree with most and why? Look at the three adverts with your partner, and think what the attitudes of the places would be. Match them with the definitions
All three are for students aged 16 to 18. What subjects would probably be taught at each place? What about subjects you might not think of, e.g. ballet, engineering, drawing, creative writing, meditation? Compare the schools and say which you would prefer to attend and why.
Main Activity
You are going to be the school’s head teacher. Work in pairs and choose together two of the schools to manage.
Plan a weekly timetable for the schools you chose, including:
suitable subjects for each period, or choices of subject
free study periods, or periods when students can do research on a given choice of topics
project titles
a school trip to a suitable place
lesson times and lengths In the UK after the age of 16, no subjects are compulsory. Use your imagination to produce interesting and unusual timetables, you must represent the educational attitudes of the school.
Make groups of four or six to compare ideas.
Follow up
Watch the following video:
In your original pairs, discuss your ideas and intentions when you were planning the timetables. Ask what educational aims and values you had in mind.