For many years, I have been working as a teacher – a professor within an educational system that relies on the Gestalt theory in teaching, known as the "Second Generation" system. This system, in short, is based on the principle of transitioning from the whole to the part in a clear descending order. The learner begins by learning the sentence, then breaks it down into words, followed by segmenting the word into letters through phonetic segmentation techniques. The final stage involves discovering the specific letter to be studied.
This educational system is highly successful in its region of origin, namely the Germanic countries, and it has many psychological benefits, especially for the learner. It moves away from the coercion of rote learning, with the teacher transitioning from a mere instructor to a guide and companion. Additionally, the elimination of transitional assessments for first-year primary learners and their automatic progression to the next grade has reduced many pressures, temporarily delaying the learner's entry into responsibility. This has also mitigated the impact of the normative observations made by the teacher, which in turn has relieved younger students significantly.
Within the educational system I belong to, however, the shift in cultural environment and the uniqueness of the human context I work with made the Second Generation system difficult for educators to understand. For example, a teacher who has spent over 20 years progressing through lessons from part to whole – i.e., from the letter to the sentence – has found it difficult to accept the concept of transitioning from the sentence to the letter, from the whole to the part. Furthermore, education officials, especially some bureaucrats like the "educational inspector" who is neither fluent in Germanic nor English and is accustomed to the poor Latin/French educational system due to his admiration for everything Parisian, saw an opportunity to attack any teacher applying the Second Generation system in the classroom. This was driven by two main reasons: first, his initial rejection of anything different from what he was accustomed to, and second, his ignorance of the Second Generation system and everything it entails.
Contrary to the confusion faced by many educators unfamiliar with European languages, and who still operate within the educational system I also work in, I have implemented the Second Generation system fully. My proficiency in some Germanic languages, along with visits to European countries where the system was implemented with varying success, aided me in this. Despite encountering strong opposition from the "ignorant educational inspector who heads the educational district where I work," I discovered certain gaps that need to be addressed here as recommendations from a teacher who has experimented with the Second Generation system within an educational framework that was accustomed to the First Generation system (the Latin system).
I will focus on two key points that I consider essential to the Second Generation system: one positive and one negative.
The elimination of normative assessments for first-year primary students has removed pressures and eradicated the phenomenon of rivalry and resentment caused by comparisons among classmates. This is a significant positive aspect, as it unites and consolidates learners. The automatic transition from first to second primary grade, while relieving psychological pressure on students and eliminating the anxiety associated with tests, has negatively impacted some parents' approach to supporting their children. I have observed blatant neglect and alarming laxity from some parents, due to their confidence that the automatic promotion system will advance their child to the next grade. This has negatively affected academic achievement and even emotional involvement in the learner's sense of responsibility within and outside the classroom, particularly with regard to lesson retention and mastery.