Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Quantum Education Comes from Three 'R's + Four 'C's

It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated." -- Alec Bourne
By most accounts, in education American youth lag behind others in the world. We can catch up if we're determined to do so, but it won't be easy or quick; it will take totally rethinking our approach to education. Aren't we doing OK, even though we lag behind with education? Not so much, if we consider the crouching tigers of China and others where they take excellence in education seriously.
Essentially in America, what it will take to begin cultivating educational excellence across socioeconomic strata include the painful pill of removing athletics programs from our school and applying the funds and attention to improving our teacher support and curricula; changing from a memorization-testing mindset to one of critical thinking; keeping our children in school closer to the 230 days of Chinese children rather than the 180 days of ours (ours are in school less than half the calendar year), thereby reducing or eliminating hours of homework and hiring teachers from the tops of their graduating classes.
Will our youngsters feel stressed at settling for a physical education class with an Olympic mindset rather than a football or basketball team? As Tom Friedman suggests, instead of the stress of buckling down to a culture of learning, "stress will be not understanding the thick Chinese accent of our kid's first boss. That will be stress."
In order to make the quantum leap to excellence, of course, we must continue teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, but that's no longer enough. We must commit to making the quantum leap of absorbing the traditional studies while adding a 21st-century curriculum and global attitude.
Just as our parents could not have conceived the huge progress in communication, information and technology we have experienced in the last three decades, we cannot imagine the changes our children will experience as they enter a world with entirely different challenges from the world in which we gained our education. We must view education from the standpoint of what they will encounter, rather than the status quo.
The first change we must make is huge. We must shift from our culture of playing at school and at home, to one of learning. In all our schools, we must teach critical thinking, communication skills and computer coding -- all in a setting of problem-solving teamwork.
We can, and must, close the socioeconomic education gap through free online education, such as the courses in Khan Academy, primarily though not exclusively, for students in K-12, and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for higher education and we must even provide, as Chinese educators do, tutoring to parents who need it in order to help their children learn.
CULTURE OF LEARNING
In our minds, school often lags behind athletics and extracurricular activities in both priority and funding. We do operate with the idea that colleges value extracurricular activities in their entrance criteria but the quality of extracurricular activities is important; for example, starring on the debate team, organizing a fundraiser and taking leadership in student government as well as serving on the newspaper and yearbook are of a much higher value than starring on the football team, or as a cheerleader.
Not fully understanding the link between education and its effect on their future success, our youth are often distracted with social media along with athletics -- tweeting constantly, both in class and out. Facebook, Instagram, games, TV and other social media outlets consume their attention; little, if any is education related. They go to sleep late each night, yet must get up early, supposedly ready to function at a high level.
When they do get to class, far too often they are unprepared; parents often have had little time or energy to supervise and work with them. Or, even worse, parents may tend to complete assignments for them -- particularly those for science fairs.
Chinese children, for example, far outshine ours educationally. Are Chinese children smarter than ours? Not at all, yet they excel where our children -- even the best of them -- lag behind others in the world.
One difference between our children and Chinese children is that Chinese familiesfunction in a culture of learning. They do play, of course, but learning is paramount. Parents and teachers interact closely and often; three times weekly is common, to ensure that students are progressing well; their teachers travel the globe in order to improve their skills. Granted, our social problems may be different but, through adaptation, we can follow their success.
CRITICAL THINKING
"The eight characteristics of critical thinking are asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity... also seen as an essential part of critical thinking," according to Dr. Karen I. Adsit, Director and Professor, Walker Teaching Resource Center, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN.
Evaluating the barrage of various opinions and 'facts' we encounter via social media and other outlets, it is important to be able to analyze the information completely and accurately in order to make reasoned decisions on issues that will impact our lives.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Verbal and non-verbal communication skills are at the very core of success or failure in negotiating life's challenges. Excellent communication skills, leading to effective interpersonal relationships, include (but are not limited to) team leadership and team participation as well as conflict resolution and negotiation. These skills help us to present our ideas and projects effectively, and to 'sell' ourselves at job interviews, participate as team leaders and members, and so on; the application of effective communication skills is virtually endless.
Former coach to the U.S. Olympic Team, Dr. Denis Waitley says, "A team in harmony is synergy in motion, where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual talents. When all assignments are understood, when each takes 100 percent responsibility for the outcome, a quantum leap in performance takes place. Winners learn how to become interdependent without sacrificing individuality; how to stand out while fitting in."
Toastmasters International provides an excellent, non-threatening environment for adults who wish to sharpen their communication skills and thus, coach their children.

CODING
Thousands of technology jobs are going unfilled in America today because of a lack of qualified candidates. Prospective employers are looking overseas for them. And that's only today.
As we see computers gradually being phased out in favor of other devices, future developments promise unimaginable opportunities in hardware development. (Think robots, computerized shopping, bioengineering, drones, manufacturing and scientific research, for starters.) Savvy students will be poised to delve right into a myriad ofemployment opportunities, in which they can write their own tickets.
But what about today? "Learning to code is the new literacy,"
writes Denise Detamore, Founder/Director of Advantage Learning Cooperative Educational Center. "It accelerates child development, especially in math. There are over 19 mathematical concepts in SCRATCH (a computer coding program for kids developed by MIT). Imagine an 8-year-old learning about negative numbers, probability, equations, variables, etc.
"Learning to code stimulates creativity and builds confidence in boys and especially for girls, and it unlocks the best and most promising careers in America. According to the U.S. Labor Department there will be a shortage of over 1 million people to fill the jobs in computer science by 2020."
Yes, it is time to realize that the future is here; we can either choose to move with the times, anticipating the future and make the quantum leap to excellence or maintain the status quo and take the consequences. Which will we choose? It's our decision.
Note: 
Khan Academy provides a brief (free, as always) one-hour introduction to coding, in which students can create their own greeting cards.
An interesting read for students and adults is The iCandidate, despite several malapropisms.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Quantum Education Comes from Three 'R's + Four 'C's

It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated." - Alec Bourne

By most accounts, in education American youth lag behind others in the world. We can catch up if we're determined to do so, but it won't be easy or quick; it will take totally rethinking our approach to education. Aren't we doing OK, even though we lag behind with education? Not so much, if we consider the crouching tigers of China and others where they take excellence in education seriously.

Essentially in America, what it will take to begin cultivating educational excellence across socioeconomic strata include the painful pill of removing athletics programs from our school and applying the funds and attention to improving our teacher support and curricula; changing from a memorization-testing mindset to one of critical thinking; keeping our children in school closer to the 230 days of Chinese children rather than the 180 days of ours (ours are in school less than half the calendar year), thereby reducing or eliminating hours of homework; and hiring teachers from the tops of their graduating classes.

Will our youngsters feel stressed at settling for a physical education class with an Olympic mindset rather than a football or basketball team? As Tom Friedman suggests, instead of the stress of buckling down to a culture of learning, "stress will be not understanding the thick Chinese accent of our kid's first boss. That will be stress."

In order to make the quantum leap to excellence, of course, we must continue teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, but that's no longer enough. We must commit to making the quantum leap of absorbing the traditional studies while adding a 21st century curriculum and global attitude.

Just as our parents could not have conceived the huge progress in communication, information and technology we have experienced in the last three decades, we cannot imagine the changes our children will experience as they enter a world with entirely different challenges from the world in which we gained our education. We must view education from the standpoint of what they will encounter, rather than the status quo.

The first change we must make is huge. We must shift from our culture of playing at school and at home, to one of learning; and in all our schools, we must teach critical thinking, communication skills and computer coding - all in a setting of problem-solving teamwork.

We can, and must, close the socioeconomic education gap through free online education, such as the courses in Khan Academy, primarily though not exclusively, for students in K-12, and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) for higher education; and we must even provide, as Chinese educators do, tutoring to parents who need it in order to help their children learn.

CULTURE OF LEARNING
In our minds, school often lags behind athletics and extracurricular activities in both priority and funding. We do operate with the idea that colleges value extracurricular activities in their entrance criteria but the quality of extracurricular activities is important; for example, starring on the debate team, organizing a fundraiser and taking leadership in student government as well as serving on the newspaper and yearbook are of a much higher value than starring on the football team, or as a cheerleader.

Not fully understanding the link between education and its effect on their future success, our youth are often distracted with social media along with athletics - tweeting constantly, both in class and out. Facebook, Instagram, games, TV and other social media outlets consume their attention; little, if any is education related. They go to sleep late each night, yet must get up early, supposedly ready to function at a high level.

When they do get to class, far too often they are unprepared; parents often have had little time or energy to supervise and work with them. Or, even worse, parents may tend to complete assignments for them - particularly those for science fairs.

Chinese children, for example, far outshine ours educationally. Are Chinese children smarter than ours? Not at all, yet they excel where our children - even the best of them - lag behind others in the world.

One difference between our children and Chinese children is that Chinese familiesfunction in a culture of learning. They do play, of course, but learning is paramount. Parents and teachers interact closely and often; three times weekly is common, to ensure that students are progressing well; their teachers travel the globe in order to improve their skills. Granted, our social problems may be different but, through adaptation, we can follow their success.

CRITICAL THINKING
"The eight characteristics of critical thinking are asking questions, defining a problem, examining evidence, analyzing assumptions and biases, avoiding emotional reasoning, avoiding oversimplification, considering other interpretations, and tolerating ambiguity...also seen as an essential part of critical thinking", according to Dr. Karen I. Adsit, Director and Professor, Walker Teaching Resource Center, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, TN.

Evaluating the barrage of various opinions and 'facts' we encounter via social media and other outlets, it is important to be able to analyze the information completely and accurately in order to make reasoned decisions on issues that will impact our lives.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Verbal and non-verbal communication skills are at the very core of success or failure in negotiating life's challenges. Excellent communication skills, leading to effective interpersonal relationships, include (but are not limited to) team leadership and team participation as well as conflict resolution and negotiation. These skills help us to present our ideas and projects effectively, and to 'sell' ourselves at job interviews, participate as team leaders and members, and so on; the application of effective communication skills is virtually endless.

Former coach to the U.S. Olympic Team, Dr. Denis Waitley says, "A team in harmony is synergy in motion, where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual talents. When all assignments are understood, when each takes 100 percent responsibility for the outcome, a quantum leap in performance takes place. Winners learn how to become interdependent without sacrificing individuality; how to stand out while fitting in."

Toastmasters International provides an excellent, non-threatening environment for adults who wish to sharpen their communication skills and thus, coach their children.


CODING
Thousands of technology jobs are going unfilled in America today because of a lack of qualified candidates. Prospective employers are looking overseas for them. And that's only today.

As we see computers gradually being phased out in favor of other devices, future developments promise unimaginable opportunities in hardware development. (Think robots, computerized shopping, bioengineering, drones, manufacturing and scientific research, for starters.) Savvy students will be poised to delve right into a myriad of employment opportunities, in which they can write their own tickets.

But what about today? "Learning to code is the new literacy," writes Denise Detamore, Founder/Director of Advantage Learning Cooperative Educational Center. "It accelerates child development, especially in math. There are over 19 mathematical concepts in SCRATCH (a computer coding program for kids developed by MIT). Imagine an 8-year-old learning about negative numbers, probability, equations, variables, etc.

"Learning to code stimulates creativity and builds confidence in boys and especially for girls, and it unlocks the best and most promising careers in America. According to the U.S. Labor Department there will be a shortage of over 1 million people to fill the jobs in computer science by 2020."

Yes, it is time to realize that the future is here; we can either choose to move with the times, anticipating the future and make the quantum leap to excellence or maintain the status quo and take the consequences. Which will we choose? It's our decision.

Note: 
Khan Academy provides a brief (free, as always) one-hour introduction to coding, in which students can create their own greeting cards.

An interesting read for students and adults is The iCandidate, despite several malapropisms.

Monday, December 23, 2013

The 'Pony Express' in Ireland is Running Strong

Take away e-mail, expensive snail mail, Facebook and Twitter. Take away newspapers. So, how can someone in metro Atlanta send Christmas greetings to cherished friends and former neighbors living in the foothills of the Slieve Aughty Mountains in rural East Galway, Ireland?
No problem! In my case, I have two routes for it. I posted a message on the Facebook page of Galway BayFM radio station; I believe they will broadcast it at the right time, and the neighbors will hear. If this is still the case, customarily people tune in for the 10 a.m. broadcast to learn the latest news -- who died, who was born, engaged or married, has an anniversary or birthday, and who sends greetings from the four corners of the world.
My more personal method, though, has worked before and will work again. It's a modern form of the Pony Express. You see, my cousin Mike O'Shaughnessy lives in Salthill, a suburb of Galway City, and he knows my former neighbor John Fahy from Mike's former days as a Garde (police officer) in Galway City. John is a traffic warden, so it's natural that their paths would often cross in the course of mutual duty.
I e-mailed Mike and asked him, if he were to run into John, would he kindly send my fond memories and Christmas greetings to those I carry in my heart, and he said he would. Every work day John drives the 50 miles each way from Lissaphuca to Galway City, so it's pretty certain they'll meet.
The other time we used the Pony Express was in 2003 when I was planning a visit back 'home' with my former husband. I asked Mike, through John, to let them all know, and he did; I know, because on the day we arrived back, renting a little cottage in Kylebrack where, years before, I had rented a cottage from Padden Downey - and that's another story altogether - we dropped our luggage in the bedroom and took off walking down the road to Skelly's Market to stock up on groceries. (We hadn't rented a car because of our lack of confidence driving on the left, on winding country roads, and because I knew it wouldn't be a problem with all the wonderful neighbors. And that's another story, too.)
Margaret Skelly wasn't the least bit surprised to see me; she said everyone knew I was coming home. Forty-five minutes later, because of the then-driving rain, Margaret asked her son to drop us back at the cottage. And he did. The Pony Express had been successful.
And that's how we communicate, to this very day. The Pony Express thrives!

(From my upcoming book, A Year in Lissaphuca© - working title)

Friday, December 6, 2013

Mandela or Obstructionist Politicians; Choosing the Best Legacy

 
Those of our political leaders and the people who fund them, who are obstructionists, pale in the shadow of Nelson Mandela. He was everything they are not, and their legacy will reflect the difference. Mandela lived by principle, and he also lived by steel-minded moral discipline to keep private his fury at the injustice of his 27-year incarceration. His driving force was to unify his explosively divided South Africa, and create a society based on the good of all; but in America the self-interest of our obstructionist politicians and their backers seem to drive them to keep America stagnantly divided. Our division is between the haves and have nots.

The good of our country is not on their radar; they lack the will to unify America and move us forward. While they also lack much of the integrity that results from principle-driven lives, they have plenty of the steel-willed determination to unbendingly serve their own interests. They are as different from Nelson Mandela as black is from white.

While Pres. Obama is striving to move America forward by exercising a number of Mandela's similar qualities, he seems to lack one key element that enabled Mandela to succeed  despite his opposition. In addition to his public commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation, Mandela could listen -- deeply and interactively -- and thereby find points of agreement to build on.

And that brings us to you and me.  We have two clearly defined models on which to base our legacy. Which will we choose for our next generations? Who will our children see as the heroes and role models of our generation? What values and skills will we pass on to them? They'll certainly make the judgment on who they should emulate, and who made the best world for them. 

Of course, if you see you're not going to measure up, it's not too late to change. If you are of the obstructionist/winning at all costs frame of mind, are you man enough and woman enough to acknowledge that that approach hasn't worked, and to start living by principles of integrity, including accountability, and to demand that politicians you elect do the same? Are you up to learning to listen interactively, and start looking for points of agreement in your opposition's side? To lead by consensus, as Mandela did?

History will decide how well we've done. In the coming days, we'll see a number of world leaders flock to South Africa to pay tribute to the tall black man who brought his country socially into modern times by teaching his people to get along, despite his personal feelings. When America's political leaders and backers eventually pass on, who will flock to pay them tribute? That will be one measure of how tall they stood. And, when each of us passes on, what legacy will we leave to succeeding generations? It's in our hands to leave them the very best. Or not to.