ufff…there was lot to reflect in your post Emma…form brave citizens ready to contribute to the world… I want to believe that is possible, it will involve a cultural change, not only in educational institutions but in society. First the idea that schools are responsible for kids/young adult education, the only responsible party, must change and parents need to play a stronger role and dedicate more time to their children, yes I think newer generations are expending less time with their kids, for one reason or another. Second, I don’t believe you can learn everything just in the flow of “real” life. There are years of progress in engineering, science and humanities, that we should know, and there is no better place to explore them than schools/colleges/universities… the key however, is to expose this knowledge with an open mindset and frame. So for example, instead of stating “The First Law of Thermodynamics…”, or any other law/theory in another field, we should find ways to allow the exploration of these “truths” without considering them as the only explanation…easier said than done, but if we allow students to think in possibilities, then in a way we are encouraging bravery to find alternatives to change whatever might not be working for our society… Perhaps not the best example, and perhaps I did not answer your question, but with careful thinking I believe it is definitely possible, just need to gather the “right” people and start somewhere, if it clicks, then the odds of propagating are better.

Disclaimer, haven’t read Palmer, yet I agree with the points you bring up, as well as the follow up comments. So, in a typical classroom environment the teacher is often the “authority” who in theory has the power to decide what is correct and what is not (behavior, content to cover, classroom rules, etc)… so the education reform definitely has to start with us, moving away from the authoritarian role in the classroom to a facilitator, but this shift is responsibility of students as well, only if both parties move from the assign roles, the change can start to happen.

So we need to be ready to work with students, and be prepared for them not being comfortable, if that is the case with a new approach, and keep digging until whatever objectives you had are met. Eventually I think society will benefit from that change.

Hi Syeed, so it seems I am coming late to the party. It is interesting that the points you made about not being really prepared to teach students after your B.S. have been identified in research, and yet it continues to happen. Even here in the U.S., often graduate students are assigned to teach classes or labs without necessarily going through a minimum training to do so, as you said, knowing the content of the class does not mean you are ready to be a good teacher

Yeah, I think Universities should strive to generate those opportunities, but it also depends on the other side of the equation (industry, companies)… and the other question is: the offer of more internships would increase unemployment because full time jobs are replaced? just a thought

Hi Sogan, thanks for your comment. Best wishes for next semester. We could exchange some experiences a long the way