3. Problems with Our
2
Current Educational Model…
• Too much emphasis on testing.
• No Child Left Behind punishes schools
that do not meet Adequate Yearly
Progress reports.
“The previous law was too punitive. It was too prescriptive. It lowered
the bar for students and too often narrowed the curriculum…”
---Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
at a press conference on March 15, 2010
4. Problems with Our
3
Current Educational Model…
• Not enough time to cover everything that
is required for the tests and include other
fun activities.
= Extend school hours and/or days.
According to Malcolm Gladwell (2008):
“ …America doesn't have a school problem. It has a
summer vacation problem…” (p. 260).
5.
6. Shift from the Teacher- Centered
5
Instructional model.
• Emphasize cooperative learning and
group work.
• Some of the many benefits include:
– Greater student achievement.
– Social benefits for students.
– Suits the changing work enviro.
– Classroom costs reduced.
7. Shift from the Teacher- Centered
6
Instructional model.
• Projects and student portfolios
instead of exams.
In School In the Workplace
= Students will develop the social skills
required in the “right brained” workforce.
8.
9.
10. Technology Incorporated
9
Throughout All Curriculums.
• Online learning should be
encouraged, not penalized by schools.
• Schools should provide technical support
and offer credit to students who
successfully complete online courses.
11. More Support for Students. 10
• Quality career planning and support.
• Encourage job training programs and
internships for students during school
breaks.
• Senior high schools offer more flexibility
and curriculum tracts based on a
student`s intended career.
12. More Support for Students. 11
• Add an advisory/ homeroom period every
day. Students can get individualized
attention and discuss problems with their
homeroom teacher.
• Reduce classroom size in all classes
(core as well as elective/ advisory).
– Dennis Littky`s Mets schools demonstrates how a reduced class
size at the secondary level can be successful.
13. Encourage Responsibility. 12
• Encourage students to take on more
responsibility in their daily lives such as:
– Daily planners, lunch helpers, etc. Schools
already have these programs, however the implementation is
haphazard and lacks connection to broader area of life.
– Monitor their grades and communicate with
teachers. Both in person as well as using technology such
as online grading/ test scores and teacher blogs/ emails.
– Volunteer/ charity projects outside of school.
Cultivates an appreciation in students and a
connectedness between the student and community.
14. Encourage Leadership. 13
• Club activities and sports.
Students can foster important character-building
and self-esteem raising traits through such programs.
• Through group projects and collaboration
in school.
If we shift away from the teacher-centered model and favor peer
collaboration projects, students will develop leadership and
organizational skills naturally.
15. Revolutionary? Not Really. 14
• Many of these ideas are already
implemented in American schools
(especially the Met Schools).
– However, there is no consistent
implementation with all teachers, grade
levels, schools, districts and states yet.
=The ideas presented should be evenly
distributed throughout all areas of American
public schools.
Current teachers must be trained and schools must be
remodeled to facilitate cooperative learning and technological
instruction.
16. Final Thoughts 15
• We are slowly seeing signs of change.
– Recently the Obama Administration
announced the reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
= This act trumps NCLB and offering flexibility to
schools, among many other goals.
• Hopefully these ideas presented and
others will be adopted in our public
schools in the very near future.
18. References 16
Bemak, Fred (George Mason University). (2007, December 3). A Generation in Jeopardy: Today’s
Youth, Tomorrow’s Future. The Vision Series. Video retrieved from http://www.researchchannel.org
Christensen, C. M., Horn, M.B., & Johnson, C.W. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will
Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Conde, Sara. (2005, April 5). A Lesson for the Education System. The Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/04/04/1112489413929.html
Dahely, Andrew M. (1994). Cooperative Learning Classroom Research. Retrieved from
http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~andyd/mindset/design/clc_rsch.html
Gee, James Paul. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. New York:
Palgrave/ Macmillan.
Gladwell, Malcolm. (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Kolb, Liz. (2007). Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education. Retrieved from
http://.myneu.neu.edu
Pink, Daniel H. Education and the Changing World of Work. Discovery Education. Video retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykq6XSO0c0M
United States Department of Education. A Blueprint for Reform: Reauthorization of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (Data file). Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/index.html