FILM COMPETITION Philosophical questions about school and education
Key questions for the film What does education mean to you? Why is (or isn t) education important? What should the point of education be? What do you think education should be like?
Other key philosophical questions that often arise about education What is education for? What should children learn? Should everyone be made to go to school? How should we group children? What s the difference between education and schooling? Should schools prepare pupils for work, or to have a good life, or something else altogether?
What are the aims of education? Try looking at some different types of schools and think about what they are hoping to achieve. On the next slides are a couple of very different boarding schools (both are expensive though!) What s the atmosphere like? What do you think that people who went to the school are like when they leave? Which school do you prefer? Would you like to go there?
www.summerhillschool.co.uk Children don t have to go to lessons if they don t want to The children and teachers decide the rules and punishments together There is no uniform Both girls and boys can go to this school Have a look at their typical day: www.summerhillschool.co.uk/typical-summerhill-day.php
www.etoncollege.com The school is for boys only Pupils are expected to excel at their studies There is an old-fashioned uniform with a top hat Some of their pupils are royalty and others have gone on to be Prime Ministers or high up in government Have a look at their military training programme: www.etoncollege.com/ccf.aspx
What should we be learning? What s your favourite subject and why? If you could decide what we should all learn, what would be the most important subjects and what would you leave out? Should we all learn the same things? Are there any things that we must all learn about, or learn to do?
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 09:00 baking / cooking reading anything you like chatting or debating with friends maths puzzles free time indoors or outdoors 10:00 any type of dancing or gymnastics karaoke singing or DJ workshop computer games cycling / skateboarding comedy / drama workshops 11:00 Break Break Break Break Break 12:00 watching films or photography making or building things laser quest or paintballing drawing or painting skiing / skating 13:00 Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch 14:00 archery or circus skills X-box or Playstation etc writing stories and poems swimming or volunteering science-y stuff
Is school bad for children? Some people think that school makes children focus on tests and on doing what they are told Do you think school stops you from being creative? Is it good to follow rules and be compliant? What about things like bullying?
Is school good for children? What do you gain from school? How would you learn things without school? How would you meet different people without school?
Outdoor Education Most education takes place indoors Should we be outside more not just for sports, playtime and field trips? Find out about Forest Schools and Farm Schools What kind of learning results from being outdoors?
What do people do instead Some children... of going to school?... learn at home with parents and siblings... learn by themselves with books, computers, and by visiting museums etc... learn in communities
In some places, it s hard to provide education at all schools may have little money and few resources some children can t get to school others have to work instead there may not be safe schools for them to attend Are the aims of school the same for these children as they are for you?
What about society? What should children learn in school to help improve things for everyone? Should society be paying for children to go to school or is it up to their families? Who knows best what children need? Is it the children themselves, their parents, or society in general?
What if there were no schools at all? What could we have instead? What would children do all day? How could parents go to work? What could we do with all the buildings? What could we do with all the teachers?!
There are lots more questions like this you could consider Take a look at the film-making pack for information Contact the PESGB through SAS if you would like some ideas of books to read or other websites to visit pesgb@sasevents.co.uk Good luck with your film!