# Vocational education back in vogue

By Murray Bourne, 06 Jun 2006

I like the Associated Press article from Contra Costa Times Vocational education back in vogue [no longer available].

School is too academic for the vast majority of students. Learning should come from doing and exploring - and thinking about what happened and why it happened. For a long time now, education has been too much of the "read chapter 7 in the textbook" approach.

The article mentions how the students are learning more practical mathematics skills. I'm not sure that all students should (or could) learn 3D modelling and animation, but it is a very interesting approach.

I've always wondered why the apprenticeship model basically disappeared from Western education systems. Seemed to me that this was the best model for most students.

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