In a society that is mowing faster and faster, the requirements on us as individuals is increasing day by day. Shall we move further into uniform education or to one that takes hight for our individual needs and qualifications?
Credits to MythologyArt published on Pixabay
In my opinion, Sweden is going even further backwards with the new school directives that will be decided on in the spring of 2026. There are several reasons for poor results, disorder in the classes, inequality in grades, lack of pedagogy, etc.
The so-called fuzzy school can lean on modern research, just not in Sweden. Of course, there are elements that may not have given the results that were requested. Could there be a connection to the lack of participation in international school development work?
The school should give children and young people such knowledge and skills that they can function as independent indicators, as well as individuals who interact in a social context. They need to have learned to think, think critically, to interact with others in order to achieve their own and common goals. Goals that have different levels of complexity depending on the level of the children and young people.
In one of the more alternative descriptions (my view) of what children and young people need to learn, six areas are highlighted. They are character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. If you are curious, search for Deep Learning written by Michael Fullan et.al.
The new guidelines for Swedish schools should make it clear that the purpose of school education is to convey and anchor knowledge and values. Curricula should constitute a better foundation for education, including through a clearer and more classical view of knowledge.
Content in syllabuses should be based on principles that promote high and equivalent quality. The level of detail should be so high that each syllabus states what is to be covered, what the students are to learn and when, in as precise and concrete a way as possible.
If you compare how a regular school looks at life with how schools that use Waldorf or Montessori pedagogy view life, the differences are very large. Everyone in the same template or individual adaptation of the educational content?
Waldorf education is based on a view where humans are seen as physical, mental and spiritual beings. Here, great importance is placed on a balance between intellectual, artistic and practical development. Music, painting, theatre, crafts and the unique movement art of eurythmy are central parts of the education. Students often study one subject at a time for a longer "period" instead of divided subjects daily.
Waldorf schools are usually independent, but in some countries (such as Finland) they are integrated into the general school system. The education aims to let the child grow at his or her own pace in a safe environment.
Montessori education is a teaching method that is based on taking advantage of the different developmental phases of children where learning occurs through practical, sensory and intellectual stimulation via the everyday and social environment that the children encounter.
The main difference is the independence and student-led learning in Montessori compared to a more teacher-led and mixed-age structure in traditional schools, where children choose their own work with specially developed materials and work at their own pace, which promotes individuality, while traditional schools often have a more fixed curriculum and age-homogeneous classes.
What do children and young people need? Detailed guidance or more focus on individual adaptation?
In the model for individual support in regular schools that is stated, it looks pretty good on paper. The challenge is that the principals do not have the financial means to implement what they want to do in practice. The policy seems to have other goals than to give the children, young people and the school the right conditions. Otherwise, the school would have been fully funded.
We are all different, with different conditions. We do not fit into rigid templates and rigid rules. Some are mature at an early age, others mature a little later. Some like to be in large groups, others thrive best and develop best in smaller groups. A big challenge to handle but one that is possible if what all politicians say were true. "We prioritize school, health and social care. But you have to stick to your budget". A budget that does not allow fulfilling the wishes of politics.
Stay Conscious
Ulf