Democracy doesn’t work if we don’t have an Informed Citizenry- 0:34 – 1:10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gjyXG5O0&feature=related
People abuse their freedom- 2:17 – 2:24
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA0gjyXG5O0&feature=related
A lot of problems- 6:41 - 7:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mfbUhs2PVY&feature=related
How do we build an informed citizenry?
Like we built the pyramids, from the bottom up- Education.
If we establish a strong foundation for dealing with the world in which we will live in, we will build a stronger country and a stronger individual.
What is the purpose of education?
Micro Level
-teach us the skills that best prepare us for life.
-prepare us to succeed in whatever field we choose.
Macro Level
-prepare us to solve world problems
-prepare us to solve country’s problems
Mission: Education should be an evidence-based practice designed to prepare people for real life, success in their chosen field, and make conscientious decisions to contribute to a better world.
(1) Evidence based- make decisions of what and how to educate based on best available research, expert opinions, logic; not based on tradition (it’s what we have always done), gut instinct, or hunches.
What skills best prepare us for life?
• The material we are taught in school should roughly reflect to the skills we need to use in life in quality and quantity.
We need to develop people who are:
-Politically Informed (Civics, Rights, Politics)
-Environmentally Conscious (Energy conservation and use)
-Self-Aware (self-knowledge, how we think, decision making, social psychology, some cognitive psychology)
-Financially Savvy (entrepreneurship, budgeting, financial planning, basic accounting, money management, consumerism)
-Others? Technologically adept, Communication experts, etc.
I would argue that our society is a mirror reflection of our education system. We become what we learn- our values, ideals, ideas, etc.
What problems do we have within our country?
-Politics
-Environmental problems
-overall dissatisfaction with self and life
-Economy
-others?
How much time do schools spend on preparing us to deal with these problems? How much time does school spend teaching us skills we have not used since we were tested on them?
Many people are unsatisfied with political leaders but know little about politics themselves. Our economy is not in good shape. How much do we learn about politics and the economy in school? Our shortcomings in our system is a reflection of our failures in our education system.
The focus has to be on how to best prepare people for the rest of their lives and make a meaningful contribution to society. Lets keep our eyes on the prize.
Much of our focus in school is on the wrong detail. We focus on who, when, and where because it is easy to test. We should focus more on the why and how. Is it more important to know who signed the declaration of independence, and when and where it was signed OR why it was signed and how it was implemented, and what were its consequences.
We focus on who, when, and where because it is easier to test. But the real valuable lessons are learned from answering WHY and HOW questions.
Many people will resist any change to the educational system claiming:
(1) “that’s the way its always been done.” This is an unacceptable response from an intelligent person. Surely there must be a rational reason to do what we do. If something we do does not make sense anymore, given our new evidence, we discard it.
(2) “these current subjects teach you how to think.” This is a weak argument because the new subjects would teach you how to think also, in a more practical and useful way.
(3) “it will take a lot of work.” This may be true, but will not discourage people who really care.
It is important to teach people to think about the topics that are of the greatest concern to themselves and the world in which they live.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
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