The education sector has experienced massive development in recent years. Diverse schools are adopting diverse teaching methods for educating students. This essay will discuss both the techniques that motivate students to cooperate and the ones that encourage them to compete against each other.
On one hand, teaching approaches that encourage cooperation (like group projects, presentations, and various clubs) help to instill great values within students. They learn teamwork, adaptability, patience, and communication. They learn how to share duties and take responsibilities, how to face numerous challenges and solve them together, rather than fighting. They become more tolerant of each other. However, often, some may neglect their duties because they think others are there to perform the tasks. Besides that, some pupils, especially those taking up roles as leaders, may feel pressurized due to too many responsibilities. But over time, these problems usually get solved. Thus, cooperation helps to build a healthy atmosphere in schools.
On the other hand, strategies that encourage students to compete against each other, like academic and sports competitions, have some major setbacks. Some people believe that they help to boost confidence levels and upgrade performance. Nevertheless, such competitions provoke jealousy and hatred. Friends become rivals. Students are deprived of vital aptitudes for life, like teamwork. Rather than coming up with solutions, they may lose their temper easily and get into fights. Those who succeed in competitions may develop arrogance, while those who fail may develop depression. Hence, the drawbacks of competitions outweigh their benefits.
In conclusion, I believe that schools should have fewer competitions but should mostly emphasize cooperative teaching approaches for the betterment of young learners.