Speaker A
Welcome to Did You Know Now and Then, where we compare life in the present to life in the past. Today, we go back to school and compare the way pupils were taught in the old days with how they're taught today.
Explore how schooling has evolved from strict, large single-gender classes to modern mixed-gender classrooms with advanced teaching methods.
Key Takeaways
- Schooling has shifted from large, strict, single-gender classes to smaller, mixed-gender, and technologically equipped classrooms.
- Teaching has become more specialized and respected as a profession over time.
- Students today have more free time and varied educational experiences compared to the past.
- Past education was often rigid, gender-biased, and involved corporal punishment.
- Modern education emphasizes diverse teaching methods and student engagement.
What the video covers
- Historically, classrooms were large, single-gender, and strict, with students using slates and inkwells.
- Modern classrooms are smaller, mixed-gender, and equipped with computers and multimedia tools.
- Teachers in the past often had second jobs and taught all subjects to the same pupils.
- Today, teaching is more specialized with different teachers for different subjects and better job reputation.
- Children formerly worked in fields after school, reducing their free time compared to today.
- Education now typically lasts nine years with varied teaching methods including group work and school trips.
- Past education was gender-segregated in subjects and often involved corporal punishment, especially for boys.
- Teaching methods in the past were strict and military-like, contrasting with more flexible modern approaches.
- The video invites viewers to reflect on early teaching methods and share their own school experiences.
- Additional content references include historic films and other educational episodes on the British Pathé channel.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Number one: the classroom. In past centuries, classes could contain up to 100 pupils, often only girls or only boys because most of the schools were single-gender. The schools could be pretty strict. Students would sit politely on wooden benches for fear of caning. For writing, they'd have slates or inkwells. Today, schools educate both boys and girls, at least in most countries, and school equipment has taken a great leap forward. Pupils nowadays work with computers, overhead and video projectors, eat lunch in the cafeteria, and get their homework done under parental supervision. Classes today are much smaller compared to earlier days. A normal class now contains around 30 pupils.
Speaker A
Number two: pupils and teachers. There was a time when teachers had to have second jobs in order to earn enough money to live off. Teaching was also mainly a male profession, and pupils usually had the same teacher for all their studies. It was not over when the bell rang. After school, children would be expected to work in the fields and help their parents in doing chores. Well, you won't find pupils working in the fields after school today, and as a result, they have much more free time than they used to. Teaching as a job has a much better reputation, and it's become more specialized with different teachers for different subjects.
Speaker A
Number three: education. Children usually have to go to school for nine years. The teacher has a curriculum, but there's some variety in how they're taught, with group work, school trips, audio-visual projects, and so forth. In the past, some subjects were only taught to certain pupils depending on their gender, and boys were often exposed to corporal punishment. Teaching in general was almost military-like. So, what's your take on early teaching methods and whether they've improved? What was your school life like? Would you like to give it another go? Let us know in the comments section below.
Speaker A
Did you know that cosmetic surgery was already being practiced in 600 BC? Watch how it developed in a previous episode of Did You Know, right here, or check out some top lists, or search our channel for some hidden gems. There's 85,000 historic films to enjoy.
Speaker A
school children would be expected to work in the fields and help their parents in doing chores well you won't find pupils working in the fields after school today and as a result they have much more free time than they used to
Speaker A
and teaching as a job has a much better reputation and it's become more specialized with different teachers for different subjects number three education children usually have to go to school for 9 years the teacher has a curriculum but there's some variety in
Speaker A
how they're taught with group work school trips audio visual projects and so forth in the past some subjects were only taught to certain pupils depending on their gender and boys were often exposed to corporal punishment teaching in general was almost military like so
Speaker A
what's your take on early teaching methods and whether they've improved and what was your school life like would you like to give it another go let us know in the comments section below did you know that cosmetic surgery was already
Speaker A
being practiced in 600 BC watch how it developed in a previous episode of did you know right here or check out some topl lists or search our channel for some hidden gems there's 85,000 historic films to enjoy
Topics:educationschool historyteaching methodsclassroom evolutionBritish Pathéhistoric schoolsstudent lifecorporal punishmentgender in educationschool technology
