Are Schools producing asses ?

These are the extract of Multiworld Newsletter.

Lets rethink what we are doing in Schools..

The news is official. Schools are producing asses. After an average study of 12 years (sometimes, 14) in school, children are turning out duds.The schooling system in the USA, India, Malaysia, Africa,everywhere is producing largely unimaginative and boring products, lacking initiative completely.

A recent Consumers Association of Penang booklet on How School Affects Your Kids lists the ways in which schools and their mug-mentality harm children. The school is perceived by children as:

A world of silence and immobility;
A world of uniforms, uniformity and punishments;
A world cut off from life;
A world of strange objects not found in the natural world;
A world strewn with obstacles and meaningless tasks;
A prison where students learn inferiority, submission and fear.

None of these are disputable facts.

Children themselves have drawn our attention to the fact that the school completely resembles a prison. It follows timings; food is bad or the same everyday; permission is required for everything including going to the loo; schooling demands that one sit in the same position for hours without exercise (even prisoners are spared this punishment). All children love intervals, just as prisoners look forward to the short breaks they are given out of their cells. Teachers are mostly wardens, since all they are really concerned about is discipline, uniforms, cleanliness, silence, obedience. Many of them are mean.

The comparison should not be really surprising since the same people who designed the schooling system also designed the prison system.

Parents who claim to love their children are willing to submit them to a 12 year torture learning things that everyone forgets immediately after the examinations are over.

Children who remain out of school do not lose anything since all human beings learn better out of school, given their natural aptitudes to do this. Thus, children can learn three to four languages before they are six without a teacher, but cannot speak or write a language if it is taught to them in school, even after six or eight years!

Taleemnet is providing a much needed platform for parents and educators who realise that although keeping kids out of school may initially seem risky, maybe frightening or even more of trouble, it will bring inestimable benefits in the long term in terms of quicker learning, and better family ties as children have a greater opportunity to be with their parents, members of the community, relatives and friends — all of whom will contribute in one way or another to the learning process.

One of the first Taleemnet projects is a primer on how to unschool kids or help the present ‘walk out’ rates to increase, so that children have a better chance to be themselves and learn what they want to rather than having to submit to a programme of text book cramming that goes on year after year without respite and whose utility is not accepted by anyone including the teacher.

Homework Wars

Kids don’t want to do it.
Teachers don’t want to grade it.
Experts don’t even know if it has any true education value.

So the question is: Is homework really necessary?
No thorough answer to the homework question would be complete without the input of students.

After surveying 72 students in the south Los Angeles middle and high school, students expressed a desire to move beyond the “how many pages?” homework mentality. Many of the surveyed students preferred challenging homework assignments that “make us think” or “involves a part of our lives.”

While a handful of the students wrote that they loved to do homework, most reported negative feelings towards homework assignments that were “boring” or “too much.” A majority of the students felt that they had been inadequately prepared to successfully complete their homework assignments alone. They requested that teachers explain the homework in greater detail and “actually give homework that we have talked about in class.”

Almost 30% of the surveyed students named English essays as “the worst homework assignment of the year.” They also commented on homework often being “too hard” and advised teachers to: “Take it easy because we already get frustrated with all the assignments we do in class.”

This student poll holds an obvious bias. Common sense tells us that most students would choose to do less or easier homework, if given the choice. These survey results do stress the struggle to challenge students without frustrating them, to adequately prepare students and to ensure that homework assignments are actually valuable.

Some experts believe that homework can actually impede student learning and motivation.

According to Dr. Vicki F. Panaccione, licensed child psychologist and founder of the Better Parenting Institute, “One of the biggest detriments that I come across each and every day in my clinical practice is the absolute abhorrence that the majority of students feel toward homework. I think, in most cases, the assignments are counter-productive and create a strong dislike for learning.” For optimum benefit, Panaccione recommends assignments: “that move them beyond the facts they have learned, helping students develop their ability to think, not regurgitate.”

Alfie Kohn, education critic and author of “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing,” recommends that homework should be assigned only when necessary, and urges teachers to organize a change in mandatory homework policies. Kohn says that teachers should reflect on one main question before assigning homework: “What will the effect of this be on kids’ interest in reading, their desire to learn, and their attitudes about school?”

While Panaccione and Kohn might prefer that homework assignments be dramatically reduced, major research studies have proven that homework can increase student achievement at the secondary school level, in addition to other benefits.

According to Harris Cooper, “Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits.” Cooper is a professor of psychology and Duke University’s education director, and author of “Using Research to Answer Practical Questions About Homework.”

Parents also benefit from homework. Cooper argues that homework allows parents to get involved in their children’s education and to foster an appreciation for learning at home.

Clearly, the homework debate is not as simple as “to give homework or not to give homework.” The answer may be, rather, to redefine homework and its goals.

In her extensive research, Susan Hallam determined just that. Hallam is the head of the School of Lifelong Education and International Development at the Institute of Education, University of London. She says that the most important information that she has gleaned from research is that homework must possess specific aims related to learning.

“The real question that needs to be considered is whether homework is useful,” Hallam writes. “Giving homework just for the sake of it is wasteful of children’s time. Where it can be demonstrated to contribute to their learning, then it has value.”

Teachers Must Encourage Student Creativity

In today’s Common Core dominated, test-taking, data-driven schools, creativity is often like everybody’s favorite eccentric aunt: we all say we love her just the way she is, but nobody wants to actually be responsible for taking care of and nurturing her. And she’s really inconvenient, immeasurable, erratic, irascible, and unpredictable.

So many teachers are forced to teach to state tests that, little by little, creative projects and critical thinking have been forced to the back of the educational closet.  This isn’t because teachers like it this way; they feel it’s a necessary evil given the idea that student test scores play a large role in how teachers are evaluated.

Why Fight for Creativity in the Classroom

I am here to stand proudly for creativity, in all its messy, out-of-the-lines glory.

Why? Because ultimately, creativity not only improves those pesky test scores, but it also contributes to what should be our ultimate goal as educators: inspiring students to become curious, engaged, and interested in the world around them and within them.

“The great engine that drives innovation and invention in society comes from people whose flame of creativity was kept alive in childhood. Research shows that, if not nurtured, creativity takes a nosedive by fourth grade. Young children who were awesome artists in preschool no longer color the sky orange and pink just because they love the glowing colors,” says Alice Sterling Honig, PhD, of Syracuse University.

In large part, this happens within the confines of the classroom walls. We train them to spit out the answers we want rather than find the answers themselves, because it’s quicker and gets a more consistent result. But is it the right thing to do?

The Bottom Line on Creativity

Every invention, both practical and whimsical, was the product of creativity. The car you drive, the clothes you wear, the music you hear, some television shows you watch, the books you’ve read, medicines that have cured your ills—all these came from a creative mind, someone who could take existing information and knowledge and tweak it slightly to make something totally new and original.

“Creativity has always been prized in American society,” according to author Po Bronson, “but it’s never really been understood.” Bronson and co-author Ashley Merryman wrote a cover story for July’s Newsweek Magazine titled The Creative Crisis. The writers note that “while our creativity scores decline unchecked, the current national strategy for creativity consists of little more than praying for a Greek muse to drop by our houses. The problems we face now, and in the future, simply demand that we do more than just hope for inspiration to strike.”

As teachers, it is our duty to introduce and nurture creative thought in the classroom. It’s messy and often difficult to measure, but this is the stuff that dreams are made of, and America desperately needs dreamers. Of course, they still need to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic, but emphasizing those skills at the expense of critical and divergent thinking is a mistake, not only in a practical sense, but also because we are called to inspire and ignite young imaginations, not shove them into a box with a scantron.

How to Bring Creativity into the Classroom

It really depends on your subject area and/or grade level, but all teachers can sprinkle some pixie dust on their curriculum:

Get Visual

• Allow students to look at photos or paintings and make up stories about them.

Integrate Music

• Play different kinds of music and ask students to visualize the scenes that might be going on while the music is playing, and have them draw or write poetry, or create a short, short story.
• Remember the old Schoolhouse Rock? I learned more about the Constitution from those little segments with music than I did in all my high school classes.

Historical Creativity

• English teachers really have great opportunities to infuse creativity, but other subject areas lend themselves also: in history or social science, have students write letters form the point of view of an historical character, or write a scene of dialogue between a historical character and a modern-day politician or pop star.

Math & Science

• Math and science might be more of a challenge, but consider letting students create homes or buildings out of geometric shapes, or write a song about basic math principles.
• There are also many resources for creative projects emerging, since the issue is gaining attention. Look for project-based instruction, or constructivist learning, and you might find some interesting ideas that may inspire creativity in you.

Recent Development in Education sector

Firstly some development on the NOC from the state government (please see the clipping below) which may no longer be required.

 

Accreditation: The New Trend in School Improvement

For hundreds of years there have been varying philosophies about education, based on various models of study. In modern times, parents, students, and educators continue to explore the different philosophies on education and how they impact learning. While each education philosophy has its own belief in the driving forces behind it, the issue of provision of education quality exists in the wake of the recent globalization. Numerous education systems exist throughout the world; however, education providers have not been able to develop a consensus on what to teach, what teaching methodologies they should adopt and how the examinations should be assessed.  The question that arises is how the quality of education can be assured when numerous education systems exist across the world.

There are numerous regional accreditation agencies and bodies across the world that assess the education providers of their specific regions on different factors.  They evaluate an educational institution based on the years of education students acquire and how many of them pass their exams. The problems that arise is since these exams are not similar in different countries, they do not really allow an agency to evaluate the quality of education imparted to the students. The quality of education cannot be assured because the academic programs around the world are not the same and cannot be compared to each other.

To standardize the quality of education globally and accredit education providers on an international scale, organizations like IAO have developed accreditation standards that are both regionally and internationally recognized and accepted.

Traditional and Non-Traditional education providers today have realized the importance of establishing global educational standards through international accreditation, adding tremendous value to the brand name of their establishment. In this regard, to prove the legitimacy of such organizations, University of Bangalore recently received Candidacy Status from IAO, which is a major achievement for the education sector of India. It will encourage reputed education providers to get internationally accredited and recognized for providing quality education. Not only this, this accreditation will offer international recognition to all its stakeholders, a factor considered very important by students and university placement programs around the world.

With IAO’s international accreditation, education can reach out across geographic boundaries and has greater appeal for foreign students. Graduates of internationally accredited universities find it much easier to pursue careers in foreign countries because their academic credentials are accepted worldwide. This quality of international accreditation plays a vital role in career development for students and increases the value of international accreditation for students.

Classroom Displays

Classroom displays are an integral part of a classroom.  They help children feel valued and involved.  Their artwork is often displayed on the walls but needs framing appropriately.  Classroom displays can help. We stock a huge number of classroom display products, from display letters to banners, borders and trimmers, all designed to offer you choice.  Classroom displays are critical to your success.

School bulletin boards and Classroom Displays can be updated as often as you like – some themes will obviously last longer than others.  Children are very engaged in their classroom displays and will no doubt have strong views as to what should, or should not, be included.  It is a simple way and impactful way to share information and update others on the work going on in your classroom.   Schools have a number of communal areas which can create a welcoming and high impact first impression when classroom display products are used effectively.  The atmosphere of an area can be changed almost instantly.

There are a number of free resources available on the web which can help you with ideas for what to put up in your displays.  Sites such as Classroom Displayhave a huge selection of great value and high quality resources which can be used again and again.

classfSchool Improvement

'Classroom Displays'

Cut , Copy , Paste

This article considers how teachers can deal with the culture of plagiarism.

Plagiarism – the intentional or unintentional use of material from another source without acknowledgment – has become a “rot” that has set into Indian society, especially into the educational system. While this happens more often than not because of the ease of the process of copy-pasting from the Internet, or due to lack to time, or because it is just easier to use someone else’s work than spend time and energy creating your own, it is also because children often just don’t realise that it is not the right thing to do. 

You open the first project file, slick and sharp in its clear plastic cover and blue spine, with a beautifully illustrated cover. “This child has certainly taken a lot of trouble over her work!” you think. You sit back and begin to read, expecting the content to live up to the promise of the packaging. And indeed it does. The sentences indicate a fluency that amazes you, the ideas expressed with clarity and elegance. You’re impressed. Paragraph after paragraph of perfectly formed ideas, building an argument that wins the day. You give the project top marks, then turn to check the name on the cover as you enter the marks into your register. Hmm…strange, this child never showed this much potential before.

On a hunch, you type a random paragraph from this project into the Google search bar on your computer screen and voila! an entire paper on precisely the topic you had assigned. With a few changes here and there, this is the project you had just graded, word for word.
Such a scenario is becoming increasingly common, with a number of children in urban schools having easy access to readily packaged information on the Internet. It’s easy to copy and paste text, often images as well, and simply turn it as your own work, most often, with no acknowledgments made. Sometimes, a sloppily put together list of web sites (with incomplete addresses) serves as a reference list but it is never clear what extent of information was just lifted straight off those sites and how much of the paper is the student’s own analysis or insight. Of course, copying is not restricted to material off the Net; it can just as easily (though with slightly more labour) be done from a book in the library, a report taken from a family member or friend, or a project submitted by another child in another school.

Plagiarism – the intentional or unintentional usage of material from another source without acknowledgment – has become what one blogger (“Sunil”) calls a “rot” that has set into Indian society, especially into the educational system. Students at all levels think nothing of using ideas and words without citing the source, often not even noting it for their own records. While this happens more often than not because of the ease of the process of copy-pasting from the Internet, or due to lack to time, or because it is just easier to use someone else’s work than spend time and energy creating your own, it is also because children often just don’t realise that it is not the right thing to do. No one has sat them down and explained what intellectual and academic honesty mean.

We cannot get away from the Internet. Nor can we escape the fact that there’s so much formation around us; students today have an amazing array of sources to choose from when they begin exploring a topic. They are exposed to a variety of perspectives as well, and if they choose to, they can draw from a whole range of sources, conventional (printed reference sources, subject experts) and unconventional (talk radio, internet sources such as blogs as well as reference sites such as Wikipedia). What we need to ensure is that they understand the fine line between drawing upon other people’s work to build their own ideas, and simply presenting a ready-made analysis as their own.

Plagiarism can be unintentional, as in when you forget to cite a source or use material without complete information on the source but do not actually claim it is your own. This is more a matter of intellectual sloppiness than dishonesty, and can be corrected by communicating clear instructions on how to handle references and academic citation conventions. It may help for teachers to provide a style sheet for references and citations, and to give examples of where and how source material needs to be acknowledged. Students may not realise that it is important to cite sources even when they do not reproduce material verbatim. The process of paraphrasing in a way makes it their own. They need to understand that the author owns the idea just as much she/he owns the words in which the idea is expressed.

Intentional plagiarism is of ourse a clearer case of dishonesty and is perhaps tackled more easily. But here too, a policy must be laid down and standards set for citing sources and giving credit not only for quoting verbatim but for ideas as well. It is not enough to simply state that plagiarism will be punished but to discuss in the class what exactly constitutes plagiarism.

Some teachers believe that insisting on handwritten assignments to some extent discourages students from copying outright – and even if they do copy word for word, the act of writing it out ensures that some amount of learning or internalisation has taken place. Printed assignments on the other hand could be just cut-copy-paste jobs from a variety of web sites, sometimes not even read through carefully. One teacher cites the case of a student who turned in a printed paper that was clearly a copy-paste job, with even the web address still on the top of the page!

There are more complex issues concerning the copy-paste culture and the various grades of plagiarism. Idea theft – where an idea has been discussed by someone informally and then appropriated and presented by another – is difficult to identify and even more difficult to prove. There are cases where parents put together material for their children to use, sometimes going so far as to have projects commissioned by experts. The school system is not entirely blameless in this area. Often projects are assigned that are much beyond the ability of a single student, both in terms of their intellectual demands and sheer physical scope. Parents are expected to help, not just with advice and feedback, but with the actual putting together of the project. So from a very early age children get used to the fact of depending on others for their work, often without giving explicit credit or acknowledgment for these inputs.

A teacher can help set ethical standards by discussion and by practice early on in a child’s school career. Even in primary school projects, children can be encouraged to talk about how they did a project and who helped them with it, without penalising them for taking help. The point to be emphasised is that we all need help with our work and it is important to give credit to those who help us – or to the sources where the help comes from, if it is not a particular person. Asking simple questions like “Where did you get this idea?” and “Did your mother/father help you with this?” in a climate that is not threatening but simply interested, will encourage children to share the process of their learning and to understand that it’s okay to ask for and take help – and that it’s not only okay, but essential to say so.

In higher classes, teachers need to not only insist on clear documentation of project work but also lead by example in talking about where they access information and where certain ideas have come from in their own lectures and notes. Plenty of examples exist in the scientific and academic literature of the consequences of plagiarism and intellectual theft, and it might be worthwhile to share some of these, so that children understand the larger issues that could stem from a simple copypaste activity. Teachers need to emphasize that while the Net is a valuable and convenient source of information, overdependence on it as a source of information can also lead to a certain intellectual laziness – apart from the fact that a Google search can often end up being like a needle-in-a-haystack exercise unless you know where and how to look, and what to look for!

At the school level, it’s important that there is a uniform and accepted policy in place to deal with plagiarism, and that this is widely disseminated to staff, students and parents.

The ease with which images, text and even sound can be copied, manipulated and reworked to create new products out of bits of old ones leads to a situation where no one recognises where the idea (or set of ideas) came from in the first place. For instance, the whole ‘re-mix’ revolution is based on the idea of taking an old thing and changing it. So where does ownership lie? To what extent can the ‘new’ form be claimed as a completely original idea? Is this plagiarism or simply creative imitation? And then there are cases of literary successes who then turn out to be merely skilful copiers who stitch together stories from a variety of sources and package it as something new.

Surrounded by a popular culture where copying is the norm, where footnotes and cumbersome reference lists are considered not only passé but redundant, children often find it difficult to recognise, let alone respect, ethical boundaries. School is the place where these ethics have to be reclaimed. After all, if scholarship is about anything, it is about ideas and their growth. And unless we teach children to respect other people’s ideas and words, they will never learn to recognise and then value originality.

The concept of plagiarism can be discussed in a variety of ways, and it has ramifications beyond copied projects. Students in high school could be encouraged to think about some of these issues. For instance, are there ideas that have no owners, ideas that are part of a common intellectual realm that exists outside of individual thought?

How can we distinguish between ‘common knowledge’ and individually generated ideas? Is copyright and ownership of intellectual property only a way of limiting the spread of ideas and knowledge? You could discuss the implications of patenting and bring up issues such as the differences between patenting products and processes. What relationship does plagiarism and copying have with the whole issue of patenting?

How can teachers spot plagiarism? 
Here are some things to look out for.

• Unusual sophistication in ideas or their articulation
• A last minute submission of exceptional quality
• Lack of any documentation in the text or no references in a complex assignment
• Wide variation in style within a document
• The cropping up of sudden names or isolated markers without explanation
• The appearance of similar blocks of text in more than one student’s project

How do teachers address the situation?

• Work through a project with the entire class: bring in a set of reference texts and ask the class, in groups, to arrive at a synthesis which draws from these texts. In the process show them how to cite and refer, what constitutes acceptable paraphrasing, etc.
• Arrive at an assessment method that takes into account the process of working on a project as well as the product-this will then address issues such as how well and clearly references have been used and cited, how much originality has been applied, etc.
• Assign short summarising and critiquing exercises that build skills in precis writing that goes beyond just drawing out selected sentences verbatim from a source text.

Can Concentration Really Improve Memory?

Expert answers the big question, can concentration improve memory? The basic memory mechanics exposes the power of concentration to improve memory. You can combine yoga with the basic memory mechanics to concentrate and focus to enhance encoding information in the brain. We’re a group of navigation engineers that take pride in navigating readers to the Correct Knowledge to obliterate harsh learning curves. We know from experience that knowledge is not power, but the correct use of knowledge is power. This article is about making the correct choices to improve memory and prevent from traveling down long lost dreary roads, stumbling into rattle snake pits and the lion’s dens.

Can concentration improve memory? Yes, concentrating can increase the amount of information encoded in the brain. Concentration enhances the basic memory mechanics by creating a healthy, vibrant and energetic brain. Most of my readers want to add additional skills to enhanced brain encoding methods and functionalities of the brain.Combining basic memory mechanics and concentrating creates the perfect chemistry. You are deeply encoding information in the brain, which makes recalling important and relevant information faster.

First I highly recommend practicing the basic memory mechanics, which are enough: (1) water-10 glasses per day (2) sleep-6-8 hours per day (3) consumption of memory foods, vegetables and fruits (4) consumption of memory vitamin-supplements with memory foods, because vitamins cannot assimilate and digest alone.

Secondly practice proven methods that work for you.

Thirdly you can practice additional skills to increase encoding in the brain. Yes, concentration can improve memory when your brain is healthy and fit. You should always practice the basic memory mechanics and brain encoding methods; then add concentration skills. Believe me it requires excellent concentration and focus to practice in sequence and to create healthy learning habits.

Yoga is the “Master” of meditating, focusing and concentrating, which can: (1) increase concentration to improve memory, as well as (2) enhance encoding information in the brain. There are many types of Yoga’s, which are known to connect the mind; body and soul. Maybe you are still wondering, “How can concentration improve memory?” Any healthy brain can add additional skill concentration skills that can enhance encoding information in the brain.

Most of my readers want to know, “How concentration improves memory?” I intend to answer this question with accuracy, definition and precision. Encoding information in the brain is a simple process that grows and builds from practicing a proven process that healthily position and prepares the brain to encode as well as enhance amount of information the brain encodes.

Basic Memory Mechanics

The “Basic Memory Mechanics” is simple a way of caring for the brain, which can make the brain care for you. This process of caring creates a healthy vibrant and energetic brain. Through experience, wisdom, knowledge and understanding you can rely on the basic memory mechanics to keep you on track, which is: (1) sleeping 6-8 hour per day, (2) consuming 10 glasses of water daily, (3) consuming memory foods daily, and (4) consuming memory vitamins with your memory foods. The basic memory mechanics is practiced process that creates a healthy, ready and prepared brain. The brain is boosted, energized, stimulated, and ready to practice the brain encoding methods that work for you.

Brain Encoding Methods

A healthy brain is the key to encoding information in the brain as well as enhancing amount of information encoded in the brain. You’re healthy, energetic and stimulated brain can encode important and relevant information much better. Most of my readers are experts at practicing the basic memory mechanics and proven encoding methods. Beginners should practice 3 proven encoding methods per month, 3 times per week for 2 hours and for 6-12 months, which is highly recommended. I many of my readers are known to practice 5-7 encoding methods, however I realize that some have been practicing encoding methods from as early as Pre-K and Kindergarten, which mean that encoding may be deeply rooted learning habits. Therefore practicing numerous encoding methods may vary depending on the amount of encoding experience you may have.

Additional Skills

Practicing the following in sequence can benefit you immensely:

(1) basic memory mechanics

(2) proven encoding methods that work for you

(3) Adding additional skills to enhance brain encoding methods, which can increase amount of information brain encodes. Your brain muscle should be positioned, ready and prepared to practice additional skills to enhance encoding information in the brain.

Can concentration improve memory? You have a blue print that you can utilize to healthily add skills to enhance brain encoding through proper focus and concentration.

The Importance of Computer and Internet Access at Home

The internet is something most of us take for granted.  We look up recipes, stay connected to friends and family, and research many different topics.  More and more devices such as phones, e-readers, and MP3 players connect
to the internet.  And many students use the internet on a regular basis to do research for papers and other school assignments.  In addition to the internet, many students use programs such as word processing programs, drawing programs and photo shop programs.

It should be reassuring that more and more students are using the computer.  That is until you look at statistics in the states that perform worst where education is concerned.  Recent statistics out of Louisiana, which routinely ranks near the bottom in terms of education and graduation rates, show that between 32 to 40 percent of students do not have access to computers or internet at home.

For a whole generation of parents and grandparents that number may not seem too alarming, after all, they managed to go to school, even to college and advanced degrees without internet access.  But the world has changed.  In years past, one expense that many parents incurred early in their child’s life was the purchase of an encyclopedia set.  As the computer and internet became a household fixture, many families replaced the purchase of encyclopedias with internet access.  It could be argued that students with computer and internet access at home have an unfair advantage over students who do not have that access.

Consider the student who does have internet access at home.  With a five page report due, that student sits in their own home, pulls up the internet on the computer, and at their fingertips have thousands of sources from which to gather information.  After collecting his or her data, this student types in the report, giving little care to the correct spelling or grammar, since both of those are easy enough to fix with an adequate word processing program.  Finally, the corrected research paper is printed out and tucked into a folder to be turned in.

In comparison the student who does not have computer and internet access at home has to find a source to gather information from for the paper.  The library might be a good source for that, but first the student must secure a ride to the library.  If that student is lucky, she can then use library resources.  This is a much slower process, requiring more time.  Some students might then wait in line for computer time at the library, with hopes of getting time to enter their report and print it out.  However, computer resources at the library are limited, and not everyone will have the time or opportunity to type in their report.  This means that this student will then spend additional time hand-writing the report.  In addition, this student will not have the benefit of grammar and spell checker software.

The contrast between the time spend for each of these students to complete the same report is startling.  The depth of research will not be equal for these two students, nor will the grammatical and spelling accuracy.  This puts the student without computer and internet access at a decided disadvantage before the paper is even graded.  Because of those disadvantages, the technologically challenged student may fall behind simply because it takes more time to complete assignments, and that additional time spent will take time away from the study of other subjects.

Over the course of a student’s elementary, middle and high school years this disadvantage will probably be cumulative and may also lead to lower self-esteem, as grades may slip, or at best require more work, and longer hours to remain competitive with other students who have technological advantages such as home computer and internet access.

In a time when we are blaming teachers for poor performance, and in states that score low in academics, maybe
one way to improve the standing of students and the states in general is to look at the gap between the students who have home computer and internet access and those who do not.  It is beyond the scope of this writing to suggest a solution to this dilemma, however it is interesting to consider that home computer and internet access might contribute to improved grades, and ultimately high academic performance within a state.

Teach the Future, Foster Innovation

The Common Core State Standards, along with the recently released Next Generation Science Standards, have educators mobilized, even if uneasy. Many are hopeful these rigorous new standards will fix whatever is wrong with American education and boost U.S. standing in international comparisons. Why shouldn’t U.S. students be scoring at the top on these tests, along with Singapore and Finland?

I’ve just returned from a meeting in Singapore, whose education leaders meet frequently to take stock and look ahead, and I was interested in what might be on their minds. Are they resting on their laurels, content that their national investment in education has paid off—perhaps even hesitant to make any changes to what appears to be working so well?

To the contrary, I found them uninterested in the status quo, eager to invest in new approaches, and concerned to identify objectives that are not being met. A current major concern, and the focus of the meeting I attended, is developing curricula that will foster innovative thinking in students, an attribute the country’s leaders see as critical to 21st-century success, and one, by the way, that international assessments have yet to tap.

Singapore’s leaders are not at all confident that the international assessments they participate in are measuring what’s most important for students to learn. What curricula have we instituted in the United States, I was asked, to develop creativity and innovative thinking in American students?

I had to respond that this is not a current priority in U.S. classrooms. A number of well-regarded educational thinkers and writers, I explained, embrace these objectives, arguing for the importance of developing students who are flexible, generative thinkers ready to address the yet-unknown issues that will confront their generation. But these writers are not the individuals in positions to mandate curricula on any broad scale in the nation’s schools.

Those who do have a say in what is taught and how in U.S. schoolrooms—from district superintendents to classroom teachers—are preoccupied with other concerns at the moment. The new, now widely adopted common standards are just that—standards stipulating what students are to have mastered at each grade level.

How teachers are to teach the material and ensure their students meet the standards is left to local discretion, with guidance for individual teachers scarce, at best. Unsurprisingly, anxieties about measuring up to new expectations are running high.

With their plates full, U.S. teachers are unlikely to find time to nurture attributes such as creativity, or other qualities that we don’t yet know how to measure well or that don’t enter into student- or teacher-performance evaluations. So, while high-level talk continues about the need to equip students with “21st-century skills,” attention on the ground is focused on improving students’ performance on more-rigorous standardized assessments that will bolster their international rankings.

The problem is that these international assessments represent the past and present, not the future. It’s countries like Singapore that are hard at work looking at what could be, not what is, with respect to educating their youths. They have already moved beyond mere talk of 21st-century skills to better identify just what these skills are and, most important of all, how to foster them.

Is it possible, then, that a decade or two from now the United States will find itself left behind, having devoted its resources to boosting student performance on the kinds of tests that the most educationally forward-thinking countries will have replaced?

It needn’t be so. The United States has long been known as a center of innovation. Why not in education, where we might expect innovation to be both central to practice and fostered in the next generation? Something to move us in this direction might be attention to a missing voice among the stakeholders in the debates on standards: that of students themselves.

"[I]nternational assessments represent the past and present, not the future."

What is going to motivate students to invest the greater effort required to achieve the new, more rigorous standards? In the end, teachers can only successfully teach students what they are willing to learn.

I recently asked urban public middle school students in three different classrooms to write a letter describing their ideal school to potential applicants. A few students treated the assignment as an opportunity to fantasize, describing amenities such as locker rooms equipped with Jacuzzis. These were the exception, however.

The surprise, given the open-ended nature of the assignment, was how frequently two themes appeared: One was student choice in what they would study. The other was time to pursue their interests. A 6th grader, for example, described a school in which “[students] are put in learning groups with people whose interests are very much like their own. ... Because of this curriculum, students realize their interests, which helps later when they begin their careers.”

Learning groups formed around individual interests? An intriguing idea worthy of serious consideration, but how does it happen to occur to a 12-year-old?

Surprisingly, she was not alone, although students expressed their ideas in different ways. Some had a rhetorical flair for the persuasive in describing the mission of this ideal school in which students have a say in defining the curriculum: “We help students reach their goals,” one wrote. “We’re here to pursue their dreams,” wrote another.

Like most adolescents, these students have begun to envision who they might become and would like to see the way from here to there. Several echoed this idea in making the case for choice: “Adults make almost all their choices for themselves, so one of our main goals is to incorporate personal choices into our school.”

Another said the school would “teach students to be responsible and to make their own decisions,” adding that “most schools don’t agree” with this philosophy.

Were schools to allow students the space to invest in their own intellectual interests, only the luckiest would develop a passion strong enough to shape who they become. Not all tinkerers in the family garage become Steve Jobs. But many could have the chance to forge concepts of themselves as specialists in something, whatever it might be. It is in such sustained investment in problems of their own choosing, rather than only in a packed-full, standards-dictated curriculum, that the seeds of innovation lie.

The education and cultural critic Neil Postman characterized education as “the central institution through which the young may find reasons for continuing to educate themselves.” This is the ultimate goal if we seek to educate for the future.

Although adolescents’ visions of a future are at best vague, their typical school experience does little to make these clearer. The implicit message their history classes convey is that learning about the past takes precedence over contemplating the present or future. Why not teach the future?

Few classrooms engage students in significant debate of serious issues of the day, arguably the best practice to prepare them to address the issues of the future, and to develop their identities as citizens with the capability and responsibility to address these issues.

America’s investment in education could start to take a different direction, if we summon the vision and the will to look to the future and to invest generously and wisely in it. Americans need not defer to other nations to take the lead in educational innovation, nor should we fail to nurture a new generation of innovators.

Learning Tips for Multiple Intelligences

We learn through all of the intelligence styles, but we have certain learning preferences that are stronger than others. Choose strategies that support your student’s strongest learning preference when helping them with homework or studying.

For Verbal/Linguistic Learners

These learners learn by saying, hearing and seeing words. They can easily memorize names, dates, places and trivia. To help verbal/linguistic learners:

-Use descriptive language

-Have them study by reading, writing, telling stories, playing word games and working with jokes and riddles

-They are good at creating imaginary worlds

-Create crossword puzzles for practice at www.puzzlemaker.com 

For Logical/Mathematical Learners

These learners are adept at categorizing, classifying and working with abstract patterns and relationships. They work well with reasoning, numbers, abstractions, logic, problem-solving and moving from the concrete to the abstract.

-Compare and contrast ideas

-Create a timeline

-Classify concepts/objects/materials

-Read or design maps

-Use a Venn diagram to explain…

-Teach using technology

For Bodily/Kinesthetic Learners

The brain’s motor cortex, which controls bodily motion, is the key to the intelligence of bodily/kinesthetic learners. These learners process knowledge through bodily sensations and need to touch, move and interact with space.

-Create hands-on projects

-Conduct hands-on experiments

-Create human sculptures to illustrate situations

-Reenact great moments from history

-Make task or puzzle cards for…

For Visual/Spatial Learners

Visual/spatial learners rely on their sense of sight and the ability to visualize an object. They create -Make a visual organizer or memory model of the material being learned

-Graph the results of a survey or a course of study

-Create posters or flyers

-Create collages

-Draw maps

-Color-code the process of…

For Musical/Rhythmic Learners

Musical/rhythmic learners recognize tonal patterns. For optimal learning, suggest that they hum or sing the information they want to grasp or have them move their bodies while they study.

-Create “raps” (key dates, math and poems) or write new lyrics to a song so that it explains…

-Identify social issues through lyrics

-Analyze different historical periods through their music

-Make up sounds for different math operations or processes

-Use music to enhance the learning of…

For Interpersonal Learners

Person-to-person relationships and communication are necessary for interpersonal learners. They study and work best with others.

-Analyze the relationships in a story

-Review material/concepts/books orally

-Discuss/debate controversial issues

-Find relationships between objects, cultures and situations

-Role-play a conversation with an important historical figure

-Solve complex word problems in a group

-Peer Tutor the subject being learned

For Intrapersonal Learners

Almost the exact opposite of interpersonal learners, intrapersonal learners thrive when working alone. Self-paced instruction and individualized projects work best with these students. Suggest that intrapersonal learners keep a daily journal, as their thoughts are directed inward. They have a great degree of self-understanding and they rely deeply on their instincts.

-Keep a journal to demonstrate learning

-Analyze historical personalities

-Imagine being a character in history, a scientist discovering a cure or a mathematician working on a theory and describe or write about what you imagine to demonstrate learning

For Naturalist Learners

Naturalist learners observe and understand the organized patterns in the natural world. Provide them with visualization activities and hands-on activities that are based on nature. Bring the outdoors into their learning environment whenever possible. Study in ways that call on the naturalist learner’s abilities to measure, map and chart observations of plants and animals.

-Sort and classify content in relation to the natural world

-Interact with nature through field trips

-Encourage learning in natural surroundings

-Categorize facts about…