The Randomness wrote...
#1 thing that I think definitely has to change: The admittance rate.
Too many dumbasses (I am not kidding) go to all these schools and honestly, they don't belong there. I was in classes where over 80% didn't properly graduate and at least 50% just got the bare minimum. The United States gives too many chances.
I can't exactly agree with this since I feel that your problem doesn't stem from them but the educational back ground. For example, I failed most of my classes out of frivolity and boredom (I became visually dependent half way through high school) but passed the G.E.D. easily and have no problem keeping up with any class I've taken, procrastination but that's it. I think what needs to be addressed is much further back to current.
The Randomness wrote...
I also agree that in college they should just concentrate on your major, but no, in order to leech off some extra money, they force you to take general education. That really has to be done away with.
However, cultural studies should be done lightly and only reinforced in that specialization.
This I agree with, college should be reduce to train those in exactly what they need, and if anymore, out of the students desires. People spend years in college racking up debt so they can spend even longer paying it off, a viscous cycle that values debt first.
Fiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
-As well the lessening of the value of cultural identity, and shifting it to a more world inclusive view, such as the involvement of other cultures in each others growth. At the very least the way it's done now (in California) needs to be reaccessed and less sugar coated. (American history was repeated vague things about the emancipation proclamation, George Washington, slavery for around half a semester (I've learned more significant things about slavery and discrimination from net, movies, news, and games than in school) afterwards... I"m drawing a blank, something about American novelist).
There is a lot of information to throw at the kids when covering a world history of 6,000 years and a class can only move as fast as the slowest student. When I moved from Iowa to Georgia, the difference in the schools was glaring. I learned in 4th grade in Iowa what they were teaching 5th graders in Georgia. My class size was also smaller in Iowa as I lived in the middle of corn/soybean country. Hell, the town was small enough I could ride a bike from my house on the outskirts of the town to the school on the other side of town in 30 minutes.
History is a complicated matter for me, I still have a incomplete view on how to handle it. I do see it's significance in regards to warning us of the mistakes of our predecessors, but often times that's obscured in the teaching material or method. As well, I find there is a lot of valuable history over looked for political or social reasons, such as Chinese history. (Combine it with a bit philosophy seems like a possibility).
I'm aware the the slowest child issue, that's why I believe in the below would be a better approach to this problem than holding back a collection of students who can achieve more. Also a lessening of the significance for certain curriculum's in exchange for others varying around the students abilities.
Fiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
-As stated in the video, the elimination of the factory line settings in school, and more focused on the individuals ability, setting students in areas around their capability (This would have helped me a lot more in school than Ritalin). Of course I'm aware that this could lead to discrimination, that's why...
There is a lot of resistance towards any education reform from the United Federation of Teachers. Attempts to change anything beyond "throw more money at it" have been staunchly opposed by the teacher's union. Even when we try to adopt a more European style where money for public schools follows the child rather than being sent to the school regardless if a child moves is blocked. Any legislative efforts to create charter schools or expand private school options are blocked as well by the union.
This I did not know, I thought it was a matter of the educational bored and governmental stubbornness. Of course as teachers I would like to hear their opinion on the matter to know their reason for opposition educational reform. If it's more than what you stated. I would figure that many teachers would approve of better methods of educating their students.
Funding is somewhat outside my capacity to calculate, most of the time I go with "taxes from military funds and tax loop holes". Never thought about rather it should follow the student or the school.
Fiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
-The inclusion of other cultures art, not just famous historical European art. This includes modern art of other cultures. As well as more than drawn and sculpted art, I remember, when I was a kid, of a course where they studied cartoons that tackle and carry political, social, cultural, economic, ect effects.
Rather than focus on "culture" we should focus the efforts on disciplines that result in tangible effects on our society such as engineers. The infrastructure of this country is falling apart and "culture" isn't going to create the people needed to fix a problem.
That's where I disagree. Art helps create, express, and develop creativity and
Divergence thinking. Two of the biggest things needed in this culture in which we need new approaches. As well, an awareness of other cultures value through art would create/reinforce new methods of teaching better understanding and willingness to cooperate with other societies, is what I think. Not that it should be mandatory but that it can bear a valuable role if used efficiently, though I'm not fully sure how to.
It's not that I think less of engineers, they are incredibly significant. But engineers alone can not come up with concepts of vertical cities or nature based infrastructure just by having the skills needed, for example.
Fiery_penguin_of_doom wrote...
-Switch to the metric system, theirs no reason to hold on to standard...
Teach it, use it but, don't discard Imperial entirely as it still has it's uses, especially for baking and a few other things that don't translate well into metric.
Didn't know that. Then standard within context to what it works well with? In terms of being capable of dealing with other countries, not knowing metric is a huge imposition. (Frustrating when I can't follow it in science exploring free time).