Teach students at their own pace

A recent TV program about changes in the way children are taught reminded me of what Naval Communications Training Center in Pensacola did in the early 1970s.

I was the facilities officer responsible for maintaining our teaching facilities. We developed computer-aided instruction programs designed for students to progress at their own individual pace on a variety of subject material.

The software in those days were essentially stone aged compared to now, yet able to reduce the training time for many of our courses and raise the quality of learning. Finally, after 30 years, we have a few outside the standard teaching mode.

It is a shame that every parent and teacher in Yuma did not watch this program. The program essentially destroys our typical teacher argument for reduced class size.

I honestly believe we could implement a similar teaching environment over a couple of years with funds currently used to staff so many districts. The present method of teaching is archaic and relying on printed textbooks routinely obsolete after a few years is very costly.

Why should every child progress through a given course of instruction at the same pace?  Each child’s learning pattern is different and forcing everyone to conform to a pre-defined pace is, I suspect, the primary reason why so many hate school.

William Hadley
Yuma