Education for all!

As I may have mentioned before, my plan for my life is to become a teacher. I'm a firm believer in the idea that everyone has the capacity to try and at least somewhat succeed in school, and that regardless of career path, everyone should strive to be a life-long learner. That being said, my opinions on this week's topic may seem a bit predictable.

As Laura mentioned, Germany allows for (more or less) higher education paid for by the government/taxes. I think this is one of the best ideas that anyone has ever had. The biggest issue standing between people that want to contribute to society through some means that requires an education is the fact that most people can't afford to take four years to just take classes and focus on them. Most people that go to college in the US have to either a) get their financially well-off parents to foot the bill, b) take out a metric fuckton of student loans that they will likely never be able to fully pay off, c) somehow end up with scholarships to pay for everything, or d) work the entire time they're in school in a way that'll drastically slow down the pace that they can progress at.

Honestly, the fact that society expects everybody to have a degree before they can work any kind of job is more than a bit of a problem. But let's imagine for a second that we could eliminate that issue and provide government-paid higher education. The people that don't need to go on with their education to get into the field that they want to get into wouldn't bother with it if they didn't feel like it was necessary. Suddenly, that massive clog in the system is gone, and the people left at colleges are the people that really want to be there.

I think it would do our country a lot of good to allow people to continue their education without it being a financial concern. Just because it isn't necessary for their job, that doesn't mean that it can't be a contributing factor to being a well-rounded person. I might be veering into territory that's much too idealistic, but as everyone here knows, getting a college education is about more than career training. It's about being better prepared to interact with the real world. It's about absorbing as much new information as you can. It's about exposing yourself to different ideas that make you question the way you look at the world and really consider whether or not your way of thinking is right.

And isn't that what we all really want our society to be like?

I Wish I'd Taken Chemistry in High School

The way that online classes are typically handled is... well, abysmal at best. Requiring a discussion post and replying to X number of classmates on each topic isn't going to get you anywhere near simulating an actual classroom environment. Personally, I think that the problems with the format lie in the fact that most instructors don't really know what to do with it, so they try to approximate a traditional classroom to the best of their ability.

An excellent example of online classes being executed poorly would be... well, every online class that I've ever taken. Most recently, I took a Teaching English Language Learners class online. It followed the same model that every online class I'd taken before then. Read a set of class notes each week, read an article or two, write a reflection, comment on three other people by the end of the week. There were also a few projects thrown in here and there, but this was the bulk of the class. Then the midterm came, and I failed it rather miserably. Why? Because this was not an effective method of learning. There was no actual teaching occurring, and it was too easy to just skate by without actually retaining any information.

However, I don't think that all hope is lost for the prospects of online education. There are a few factors that need to be properly addressed before it can be a valid method, though.

1) Subjects. Online education is just flat out inappropriate for some subjects. The most immediate example that comes to mind would be languages. Some subjects just need that face to face interaction and communication with an entire class that you could simulate with video chatting, but at that point, why bother?

2) Content delivery. Most online classes that I've seen provide content in a way that's simple for the teacher to produce, simple for the student to access, and just... too ineffective. Simple word documents aren't good enough. Content needs to be delivered in an effective manner that can address multiple learning styles, and it needs to do it in a way that only online education can do. Personally, I like the idea of interactive flash-game-type-contraptions that show how things work with a written and spoken explanation, along with questions as students work through it, with explanations for what they may have done wrong provided if they get the wrong answer.

However, the best uses of online education come not through fully online classes, but classes taught in person that are heavily supplemented through online tools. Now, any college student today has used Blackboard or Desire2Learn, and most instructors usually post grades and the occasional handout from class, but what I'm talking about is when it serves a purpose that either can't be served in person or can be served so much more effectively online.

The most prominent example is submitting assignments. Submitting papers and such through an online service of some sort eliminates most of the issues with losing homework between printing it and getting it to class, and it allows the instructor to provide feedback and engage in discussion over the assignment outside of regular class time.

Another example that works particularly well is posting notes online. Now, a lot of people are opposed to this because it encourages laziness, but providing the slides and allowing students to print them and take notes on important points from the lecture is kind of the best thing ever for a student. It allows for having all of the straightforward bits already available and encourages actually paying attention in class instead of just trying to rapidly copy down every word from the slides.

All things considered, online education will never completely replace traditional classes, but it will play a huge role going forward. The availability of online classes for those with limited schedules will increase, and as time passes, the methods of running these classes will become more effective through trial and error, and online components will become necessary at all levels to supplement the traditional classroom environment, all in the name of making the content more accessible to as many people as possible. John will be offering his views tomorrow, and then Pendleton will be wrapping up the week on Saturday.

Uneducated

This topic is going to be a bit difficult for me for two reasons: I’ve never had experience with online education personally and I don’t know much about how it works outside my area.

I will say this: I’m not very fond of it as a theory. I mean, the idea of having the ability to do things on a more flexible schedule in the comfort of my home is nice. But, when you get down to it, there are just too many cons. (I am doing this from what I know of the way online education works on the high school level.)

I think a large amount of the learning process (as Kelsey mentioned) is the relationship you can have with your teacher. If you have a problem understanding then you can talk it through and work on it. The only way you can get through it online is practice in a way that maybe you aren’t particularly good at learning in. While I understand that there are actual teachers, I don’t think they’re very effective because explaining a problem is a lot easier to do in person. Just like explaining the solution is.

I have met people who learn in every different way you can think of. I think that online learning restricts you because it makes you learn primarily through text or video/graphics. But I know a lot of people who are hands on learners who need real life examples or something tangible to learn better. These students would be hindered in an online environment.

I don’t have any personal experiences with online education and therefore I think going into depth about this topic would be misinformed. So, I would love to open this up for discussion and know everyone else’s opinions on the matter.

Sorry for the third week of mediocre posting, hopefully I can respond to comments and make up for it. Can’t wait for Kathleen’s opinion on the matter tomorrow!

National Education

I suppose I shall start out this post by apologizing for what might be slightly incoherent. Maybe, maybe not. I have addressed this topic briefly in my college German classes, and my personal opinions on reform generally stem from my views on such European educational structures.

I am going to discuss the primary and secondary educational systems and why I think there should be a more national viewpoint towards education than a state one. Currently states can set their own curriculum; there are some national guidelines, but they are dangled in front of state school systems by offering funds for complying. At least that's how I view it. But I think education is one of the things that should be a national issue; if we are going to formulate a competitive, intelligent educational system that prepares students for making their way in the world, should the system not be standard across the country, while allowing for states to include some geographical material and history? It makes more sense to me than watching what the Texas School Board will decide about their curriculum and analyzing how it might affect the country.

More specifically, I think our educational system is broken in directing everyone towards the path of college. Sure, high school would quote how people could do other things after high school, but the emphasis was always on college. And here is where I really found myself liking the German system. While there are some schools that are becoming more general like the United States, mostly secondary schools are divided into those who are looking towards the college track and those that are going to more trade and vocational type professions. I am generally aware that other European countries have systems that are similar to that, but I do not know many details. Doing so would allow less people to go to college, a college degree feel more important, and clear up a clogged system. I have talked to people who have mentioned how they needed a degree to get a job that they knew how to do, but needed the degree to prove - I'm not sure, but it felt pointless and a waste of their time and money. When a degree and not experience can earn a person a high wage, it is sad. Or at least, I think it is sad.

And although I think that creating high schools that focused on trade and vocational professions would be extremely useful in improving our educational system, I do not think it will happen any time soon. Standing in the face of such change, as with many European systems are American cultural values. The American Dream, letting anyone be who they want to be, would not want such a divided system. And I think that is why we push everyone towards college, because we do not want to be seen as pushing anyway towards being second best.

But here's the thing; when we are promoting everyone to be future mathematicians and scientists and problem solvers, we are leaving behind the people that have to do everything else. I think our problems lie at a more administrative level than an educational one. I think we are still capable of coming up with new and better ways to teach, but it is the bureaucracy, the emphasis on showing skills a certain way, that will be our downfall.

I sit here and I am not sure what to say. I know I think that solving our higher level educational problems starts at examining how our primary education is run, and what exactly to we emphasis. But on some level I also think we are doing fine on our own, we are out there developing new teaching techniques. Ideas about the classroom are constantly evolving. I just worry the system is too slow to catch up. So perhaps at the heart of it, the way I feel is summed up by national control of our educational system. Not streamlining, but making the system more efficient so there is more time to focus on preparing people for a realistic future. My hope for the other side of education - the actual teaching is summed up better by this video by 60 Minutes. Perhaps it will work; perhaps it will not. I do believe on some level teaching will never be perfect because we are not all the same, but I did enjoy this video the first time I saw it on CBS. And it proves to me that people are always trying to work towards a solution.



I also say watch this Sunday's 60 Minutes, which is to have an interview, of the preview that I have embedded below, on an alternative to college.

Education and... Stuff

This post will most likely end up being extremely disjointed and won’t really seem like it makes sense, but sadly I 1) do not know much on the topic and 2) have become extremely busy all of the sudden for no real reason. This being said, I’m going to throw in my two cents from the high school perspective.

I am going to touch on three of the topics that others this week have already mentioned. Hopefully my 

opinion will vary some; however, I’m not quite sure that it will.

Let’s start off with the teacher: To be a successful teacher in my opinion, means doing everything you can to give your student the ability to be prosperous. Now, when I say give them the ability, I mean you need to supply them with things like this: all the knowledge they need to pass your class, how to use the things they learn in your class to their advantage in “the real world”, and every option to be a successful student within your class. As a teacher, you should help me if I need help (within reasonable hours for us both). If you have tried everything and can’t help me, then you should point me in the direction of someone/something that can. And finally, if I am failing you’re class then I really do find it your responsibility to at least try to do something about it, to some extent. That being said, I think as a teacher, you are not responsible for a student’s grade completely. I think the line between whether it’s the student’s job or the teachers to make sure you passes is a bit gray for most people.

Next, I’ll talk about that fine line between when it’s a problem with the teacher and when it’s a problem with the student. As a student, you have responsibilities too. You have to show up, you have to give it all you’ve got to get through every class (whether you like the class/think you’ll use it or not), and you have to speak up if you are struggling. You don’t need to be excited about school or even want to be there, you just have to accept that you are there and you need to take advantage of the free education. If you aren’t motivated by something/someone, then motivate yourself. Think of all the things you can accomplish if you actually tried. It’s insane, isn’t it!? Well, I think that’s where to draw the line. If the student is being given every chance at success by the teacher and still will not complete the work or try, then it is the students fault. But, when teachers say things like, “It really isn’t my problem if you fail” it’s all bullshit. Not only do your grades reflect you, but they are going to affect that teacher’s job standing. Maybe it won’t affect it a lot, but it will affect it somewhat. As a student you need to try, you need to know when to ask for help, and you will have to stay up extra late to do all those projects/study for finals. It’s a part of the “we’ll provide you with education” deal. You have to want to use that education to be successful.

Lastly, I’ll touch on the problem with teacher’s salaries. I agree a lot with John on this topic, so I won’t go too in depth. But, the way I see it (and I know people who agree with my opinion on this) is simple: raising the salary of a teacher will only improve our teachers. If the salary for teachers was higher, the demand would go down, and the qualifications would go up drastically. Because more is at stake for the school system, then they will try harder to find the best people to do the job. I think the lack of a decent incentive for teachers going into the field is extremely discouraging. The fact that, because of how much they make, teachers are still looked down upon because of their career choices is extremely annoying. Teachers make or break a child’s ability to succeed in most cases. If you have extremely bad teachers in one subject your entire education career, what are the chances you’re going to want to have anything to do with it? Zero. If we were paying the teachers more, they would want to do better and would want to be better. That simple.

“Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math.” (USA Today) That is sad. And it’s not all the teachers OR students fault. It’s not society or the media, either. It’s the people in change of herding us all around and making sure everyone passes the state standards. We need intervention from the school boards and government, now. We need to worry more about the future adults we’re producing because one day everyone in charge now will be dead and this generation will be in charge. What they teach us and how is vital. Right now, it’s looking like we’re going to be royally screwed.

Basically, everyone needs to do their part to make this countries education worthwhile. This post wasn’t really about education reform, I would say. But, it’s what I feel about the matters that have been presented previously this week. So, yeah. Can’t wait to see what Kathleen has to say in this week’s wrap up. Thank God it’s Friday.