Schools are a cornerstone of society, but with their traditional ways of teaching and conditioning, they can also hold students back. The aim of schools is to educate, but in reality, they often do more harm than good. In this article, we will examine the hidden cost of conditioning in schools, and explore three key ways in which schools condition students.
1. Emotional Conditioning
One of the most significant ways that schools condition students is through emotional conditioning. Teachers, peers, and other students often have a profound impact on a child's emotional development. Schools can create a competitive and hostile environment, which can lead to feelings of anxiety, stress, and self-doubt. This can cause students to lose their confidence, creativity, and motivation, leading to a negative impact on their mental health.
2. Intellectual Conditioning
Intellectual conditioning is another way that schools condition students. Schools often focus on a narrow curriculum that emphasizes test scores, grades, and academic achievement. This can lead to students feeling like they are only valued based on their intellectual ability, which can lead to a lack of motivation, self-esteem issues, and a loss of creativity.
3. Social Conditioning
Finally, schools often condition students through social conditioning. This involves teaching students how to fit in and conform to societal norms and expectations. This can lead to a lack of individuality, creativity, and the development of negative habits. For example, students who are conditioned to be conformists often lack the ability to think critically and creatively.
Classroom Exercise: Understanding the Hidden Cost of Conditioning
Objective: To help students understand the hidden cost of conditioning in schools and how it affects their emotional, intellectual, and social development.
Materials: Whiteboard and markers, sticky notes.
Instructions:
- Divide the class into small groups of 3-4 students.
- Ask each group to brainstorm a list of ways in which they feel they have been conditioned in school.
- Have each group write their list on a sticky note and stick it to the whiteboard.
- Review the list as a class and categorize the items into emotional, intellectual, and social conditioning.
- Discuss each category as a class and have students share examples of how they have experienced each type of conditioning.
- Draw a diagram on the whiteboard to illustrate the interrelated nature of emotional, intellectual, and social conditioning.
- Conclude the exercise by asking students to reflect on their experiences and how they can counteract the negative effects of conditioning. Encourage them to think about ways to maintain their individuality, creativity, and critical thinking skills in the face of societal pressures.
Assessment: Observe students during the discussion and reflect on their participation and understanding of the concept. You can also ask each group to write a reflection on the exercise and their insights into the hidden cost of conditioning in schools.
