An article with a fascinating thesis:
Sweden has gone the farthest toward abandoning a knowledge-based core curriculum and a pedagogy in which students internalize and learn to apply knowledge under the teacher’s instruction and supervision. Sweden has a long history of incorporating far-reaching social-constructivist ideas into the school system. At the same time, Sweden is also unique among Western democracies in its commitment to for-profit voucher schools and school competition. This combination has proven profoundly toxic for the quality of Sweden’s education.
As I have zero knowledge of Sweden, I am not in position to make any determinative judgement. I find the nexus of topics fascinating, as it cuts against consensus views on both sides of the traditional aisle. However, it has the feel of Haidt’s Coddling of the American Mind –that is, fascinating and appealing, but feels too simple to be fully true. To be fair, the article is adapted from a longer piece with full citations.
