Thursday, June 14, 2007

Cribbing My Own Work

I have this post up on alt.history.future, but there's not a lot of traffic there any more with the impending heat death of usenet, so I'll CnP here:

I have been trying to ponder some ways to improve the educational process here in the States. At one point - from 1992 through 1997 - I was actively involved as a volunteer at the local high school teaching computer programming, science, and some technical writing. It struck me then - and it still doesn't seem to be a lot better now! - that the educational system needed a very serious overhaul. Now, i came out of a school system that was considered a much better than average one: Los Alamos (New Mexico) Public Schools. Yes, /that/ Los Alamos and not every school system can be as good, but I think that there was even serious room for improvement there: a lot of the quality of the education had to do with the almost unique culture of the place[1].

Often times when we Americans start discussing education we start talking about either raising salaries of teachers[2] or accountability. Another talking point that gets raised is that of student teacher ratios. Also the suggestion that we provide vouchers so that kids can be moved from bad schools to good ones is another that keeps coming up: introduce a market structure basically. The first is desirable, but must be done carefully. The second has produced a case where they don't teach generally, but rather they teach The Test here in California even in the good schools. The last often gets tripped up in budgets and the perception that its a jobs program for teachers without really improving the quality of the education. The last is...very politically charged and will end up leaving a lot of students behind, IMO, simply because schools can only accept so many students.

I get the impression though from being exposed to other cultures and their methods of teaching - and performance from it - that there must be others ways that we can attack this problem than just the above few ways. Some real reform seems like its necessary. I guess what I am seeking here is from you all are a some ideas as to what the possible changes might be. I have a few and I'll share them and I am hoping that you all will critique them and add some of your own.

The first idea is that we need to push students more, sooner. One experience I had when I was attending school that I originally was falling behind at the California public schools. My folks as a desperation measure enrolled me in a private school for a year to try to help me: I was headed to special education unless they did something and they did. Even though they really couldn't afford it. It helped. Not only did it help, but I accelerated up to and past my cohorts in public school. If my folks could have kept me there, I'd have been much further along. Possibly even doing algebra by the time I was 10 based on the progress I was making in math and reading. The keys here were low student teacher ratios: 10 kids to one teacher with assistant /and/ the fact that we were pushed big time and not in a boot camp sort of way. This requires more one on one time and lower teacher ratios as well as the willingness to make
individualized study plans.

Second way is a deeper linking between universities and the high schools through project related teaching. I was involved in the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge (now Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge, iirc) where students would learn to code and make science projects through access to Crays and whatnot. Often times this REALLY helped kids when they found mentors that were really interested in teaching. They would pick the project - it'd be rescoped by the mentor if it was too ambitious - and then the mentor would teach the necessary math, programming, and science to get them able to do the project. This worked wonderfully even after the kids stopped participating because they GOT why they needed to know x, y, or z subjects and made the process of learning interesting. If this was the rule much earlier like say in the 6th grade rather than the voluntary or semivoluntary exception this might make a big impact. However it requires very knowledgeable and broad-based individuals to teach to this style.

Finally, not because its my last idea, but because I have to run, perhaps we need to consider that since the volume of knowledge we are expected to absorb between the ages of 6 and 18 has greatly increased - or should have - perhaps school hours ought to be from 8 until 5 rather than at least around here 8:30 to 3ish. This always daily teaching in all courses as well as nontrivial block based classes for ones that need that time (like Chem Labs).

An honorable mention is to Carlos' everyone with a 3 year premed degree as I cram this in as I run off to an appointment.

Any other thoughts?

Will

1. When something like 40% of adults have PhDs...

2. Something that does need to be done there, but I have met so many frakkin useless teachers: "I don't understand war, so I am not going to teach about [the First World War]. Read your book. Test on Friday."

Education is one of those areas where I have strong opinions and think we need to seriously overhaul. The world has changed since the 1960s. Let's update our educational system for crying out loud!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why should you have daily teaching in all courses?

Will Baird said...

IMO? Attention span issues. Helps keep students focused. Questions that are remembered over one day might be forgotten over two or more. IMO.

Any other suggestions or thoughts?

Suz said...

Education is my hot button, and has been for quite sometime now. My top two pet peeves this week are the general lack of parental involvement in their children's lives, and the pedagogy that goes with becoming a teacher.

The extent of the problem that lack of parental involvement is causing can be shown by the complete and utter disrespect that children display in the classroom. Their behavior is reinforced by the attitudes of their parents. You know the type, they are the ones who get their child a better grade by throwing tantrums in front of the teacher and principal instead of disciplining the child for slacking off. It only takes a few parents like that to ruin it for every child due to the fear of litigation that usually accompanies those tirades.

The pedagogy involved in getting a teaching certificate is out of this world too. Ever notice how you can have an MS or PhD in your field and be qualified to teach classes in your area of expertise at the junior college and college level, but don't qualify to teach that subject at the elementary or secondary school level because you've had no classes in how to teach? Ever look into what it takes to get that certificate even with your advanced degree?

I know someone with a Masters Degree in Library Science who used to work in the library at UTEP. She couldn't get a job as a librarian in an elementary school when she tried after being laid off. The best she could get was to be a librarian aide. Nor would they give her a straight answer as to what she needed to do to become a school librarian.

Yes, I also recognize that one of those problems is more easily fixed than the other. No, these are not the only things that I see wrong with the educational system in this country. However, this comment has already become quite long. So, maybe I'll write a post on it.

Anonymous said...

I'm curious because we almost never have daily teaching in all courses, so I wonder if it may be more of a cultural tradition than a pedagogical strategy.

In fact, that's one of my points. Education is largely traditional. The way curricula works and standardize, the amount of work the students are supposed to do on their own, the role of the teacher, the disposition of the day and the year, the number of subjects, the freedom of the teacher to shape education together with her class versus limitations imposed by central commands and local commands. There are good and bad teachers and good points and problems within all such systems, regardless of the choices made, and it often is very hard to actually prove one choice is superior to another.

Just for argument's sake, I might say that the idea of having daily teaching in all courses is to be avoided, because it makes routine out of teaching and learning, and that works for education which is based on repetetive thought and the acquisition of basic knowledge but the same routine and short time between lessons is a hindrance for students trying to develop innovative thought or a deeper understanding. Or that it makes sense for subjects like foreign language and math, but is counterproductive in biology and history (that'd be my personal take, BTW). But I really can't prove this by saying that Swedish school is better than American, because for one I'd have to define what my system is better at and more importantly, school is such a mess of different influences and traditions, and it is very hard to say what in the end influences the other.

This is getting too long and blogger seems to hiccup a good deal, so I'll put up something back on my journal about what I think one should keep in mind when trying to reform systems.