Reflecting on Integrated Inquiry

Before getting started on our second week of the NPC Academy, we took some time to reflect about why we're learning this way. Students explored some articles and videos about how schools are changing or should change to better prepare students for the 21st Century. Below are some of their reflections:

"Today, students are so tied to only getting good grades that it kind of takes away from the learning. I find myself working hard only to get grades that make me satisfied, working hard to stuff information in my head. And sometimes I like doing this, I like how if I put in effort, I get somewhat of a grade that shows I've put in effort. But I've noticed how I start to back away when I'm afraid of making mistakes, I find myself not able to do anything if I don't have a set of instructions on what to do. I don't like trying new things because I'm not sure that I'll do it good enough to get a good grade." - Irene Kim, Grade 8

"Today we discussed how traditional schooling crushes the children's natural love of learning, and I agree with this. We talked about how schools force children to learn, even when they aren't ready for it, but true learning can't be forced. An article we read said, "People often think that learning comes when teachers tell students something. But when you look at how children learn, you realize that forcing kids to learn something doesn’t work as well as natural learning." - Jinhee Kwon, Grade 8

"I think the system should change a little bit because when a person is young they are learning a lot, but when they get older they are told the exact rules or laws that they must follow to get good grades, and then they don't learn as much as they did when they were young." - Karen Kim, grade 7

"I learned that schools are interfering with natural learning because they don't let students explore on their own. In traditional schools, kids study less meaningful ideas, and teachers don't let students just normally learn, they use textbooks. And children and students fear making mistakes because they don't want to get low grades. The schools don't let students challenge themselves, they just force them to work on the subjects they say are important and that they should learn about, regardless of whether they like or dislike them." - Jina Wang, grade 8

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