Final Summary and Reaction

After having my survey out for a few weeks i have collected enough data to come up with some conclusions. Going over the data, 78 percent of the people who filled out the survey were females, the rest males. So i had to be aware that there would be a female bias in the answer. Also, many of the people who filled it was within the 16-20 year old range. So mostly students. I was glad because i would get a lot of data from current students who are experiencing the education system today.  As expected from my hypothesis, 81 percent of people said that they preferred liberal education system as opposed to structured. I am not surprised because most of the people who answered were students and that seems to be the shared opinion of many students today. They want to be able to learn what they want.  One thing that did surprise me was that students with a high GPA chose a liberal education preference. I assumed that people who preformed at a high level liked structure, but i guess that is not the case. The general opinion seems to be a liberal system is the way to go. In the open response, i got a lot of similar responses to the question: "Why do/did you or why do/did you not like coming to school?" Many said they liked learning but not the way they are currently being taught. They want to be taught lessons and skills that will benefit them int he real world. Also they would like to see a lot less "busy work" and excessive homework. Students and parents alike want to make the education more enjoyable and beneficial. I was surprised that the parents also valued a liberal system and wanted to see change. I usually would have thought that parents believe in a structured approach to learning. 

From this survey i came to the conclusion that students and parents alike are not happy with today's education system. They feel as though it is shaped to "teach to test" and not focused enough on promoting the teaching of life skills and developing the mind. 

Research Update

So far I am pleased with the amount of responses i have gotten after i posted my survey on Facebook. I only posted it last night but have gotten considerable amount of responses. I have started to already notice trends and patterns with the results. The results also may turn out to be a bit biased because many of the people responding have been aged between 16-20 years old. So many high school students are answering the questions and giving their opinions. I have seen many of these answers learn towards a a negative outlook toward school. I would like to see more responses from an older demographic. I want to get an equal spread of opinions in my results. But so far I have noticed that the high school students favor a more liberal education and feel that the school they are in doesn't prepare them with life skills and are focusing too much on testing and not learning. I look forward to seeing more diverse results hopefully.

Detailed Research Plan

I have decided to make a survey to discover how different age groups value education. For my survey i will target high school students and adults. Specifically parents of students. I will ask questions that will help me get an idea of the general opinion of education today. The demographic information i will request is age, gender, and level of education they have achieved. The reason I ask for what level of education is because i think that some of the views of education may be different depending on wether or not the individual continued education after high school.  Some of the questions i will be asking is (if they are students) an average GPA they hold. because that could give me an idea about if people with higher gpas value a more liberal education system or more structured system. I will be asking questions relating to that as well. As far as questions geared to adults, i'll pose questions like: Which is more important to you? Your child's gpa or the fact that they are developing their mind in school. Also i will include questions that help me get an idea of what type of education people prefer today. Do they like a more liberal, freedom giving one like they have in norway, or more strict, standardized test-preparing curriculum like in China. My survey will probably consist of 10-15 questions. I predict that the younger people who take the survey will prefer a more liberal education while the adults and parents will value a stricter education system. I look forward to collecting my data and coming to a conclusion.

Research Plan: Education Survey

My topic is education. I am planning on making a survey that focuses on the formality of education and which groups prefer what type of education. Basically i want to see how different ages value education. Im going to make a survey that consists of questions about learning and education. To find out what is more important. (ex: Do you think numbers represent intelligence more or less) I want to get a view on how the value of education has changed over the years and why.

Summary of Research: Education

From all my research and reading I have found that Education today varies a lot in different parts of the world. The way education is valued and given depends on the country, people, and culture. I have seen this idea at work when i read about Korea and Finland's education systems. In Finland, they believe that a more relaxed and holistic. On the other hand in Korea, students face 13-hour school days and rigorous testing on order to preform well. Both have proven to be successful education systems, they just have different methods that work for them individually.  Another example i found was from reading about new types of education, like Logan Laplant, who is schooled at home but gets the choose what he wants to study. Education is constantly being modified to fit the needs of today's modern world. This was exemplified in my post about the online free university. Higher education is being made more accessible to those who may not be able to afford college.  

Overall my research proves that education is a crucial part of society. It is a top value for most cultures. Learning about the different views on education around the world was very interesting to me. I now believe that education will always be a key piece in society and it is always changing. 

South Korea: best education in the world?

VIDEO: BBC News Is South Korean education best in world?
This video focuses on the rigorous education system South Korea has for their youth. In addition to day school, they attend private schools at night. Even young children. The day starts at 6 and ends with bedtime at 2:30am! The result of all this schooling is extremely high test scores. It also has improved the economy of South Korea. A place where illiteracy used to be a major problem, now it is a major city booming in the tech industry. The downside of this pressure to be on top is that South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

When I watched this video i was astonished. The fact that people my age are in school for 13 hours a day, wake up at 6 and dont go to bed until 2:30 only to do it all over again is crazy to me. I could never imagine that being the norm in the United States. It would be some major culture shock. South Korea's education system seems to prove the idea that intense study and rigorous work is the key to high test scores and economic success. However, this reminds me of a previous post i had about Norway, they had high test scores but a much more relaxed and liberal education system. Can there be a happy medium? IS it possible to be successful without such an intense system in place?

Oklahoma schools required to teach high school students to manage finances (6)

High schools in Oklahoma require students to take classes that teach life skills. In this courses students learn how to manage their finances and learn how to handle real-life financial situations. They also gain an understanding of banking, taxes, investing, loans, insurance, identity theft and eight other areas.  Mustang High school offered these courses before it was required. But in surrounding high schools it is now a requirement in order for students to graduate.  “We're basically teaching them how to live on their own.”

I have heard countless times students say that they feel like they aren’t being prepared for the real world in school. I think that it would give a lot of students piece of mind if they felt like they were being taught real-life skills like the courses that are being taught in Oklahoma. These high schools understand that part of going to school is to prepare kids for the adult world. I think that is important to be taught skills we can use in the real world like how to manage bills, taxes, budgets, etc.. I’m sorry but algebra becomes pretty irrelevant in most cases after high school.

Link to article

Free Online University Receives Accreditation #4

Link to Article 
On Thursday February 13th, the University of the People, a online university that requires no tuition received accreditation. The University was built to reach out to "undeserved students" all around the globe. It is expected to have over 5,000 students by 2016. Students enrolled are from all over. 700 students from 142 countries are enrolled in the university already. The idea for such a program came from the mind of Shai Reshef, whose mission is to make higher education available to all. There is no tuition, only a application fee that ranges from 0-50 dollars. Scholarships are also offered for those who may not be able to afford that fee. 

I think that this is a really beneficial program. In today's world it seems that the only way to be successful is to have a higher education degree. Unfortunately many universities and colleges are extremely expensive and people in developing areas cannot afford this education. This non-for-profit university is a chance for those people to have a fighting chance. I also think that is good that large organizations like Microsoft are showing support fro the University. Hopefully the University of the People will set an example and lead to more programs like this to become available around the world. 

A Call to Ignore Exam Results When Evaluating Educators (3) article

In New York, a year after the state department introduced a new standardized test that resulted in passing grades to drop, Politicians called on the legislature to stop using those grades as a reflection of teacher performance. In other words, they don't want the results of the student's standardized test to be a benchmark for teachers. The current law is that the student's grade on these tests counts for 20% of their teacher's evaluation. If a teacher receives a low mark two years in a row it is called "ineffective." Which means they at risk of losing their jobs. Since these tests are only a year old, the legislatures think that teacher evaluations shouldn't be connected to the test scores for at least two years.  

The subject of standardized tests being linked with teacher evaluation has been highlighted a lot in the past few years. I think that the reasoning behind the standardized test has moved from research and student evaluation and onto analyzing teachers. This definitely has negative effects. Performance will probably drop because students just dont care anymore. With that being said, if these scores and being compared with teacher performance, the teachers are at a disadvantage. I don't think it is fair that teachers are at risk of losing their jobs just because students dont preform well on a state exam. Especially since the test is new to the students so they may not do as well as they did on the older one. If anything, waiting a couple of years to evaluate teachers based on test scores is the best idea.  

Finland Might Be on to Something (2)

In this video a reporter discusses the unique education the country of Finland has. To start, Finland stresses the importance of equal opportunity. There is no private schools allowed. Every child goes to a public school. There are no standardized tests. The only somewhat standardized is the National Matriculation Exam. Every student takes it at the end of secondary school, which is basically American high school. Finland schools took the focus away from being the best and pressuring students to score high on tests and is now focusing more on developing the individual to the best of their abilities. Also, children are not allowed to attend school until the age of 7. Allowing children to be "kids." This form of education seems to be working because in a worldwide survey test Finland students scored number 1 in the world. 

I found that this was very interesting. It almost makes me want to move to Finland! It seems as though Americans have always been so focused on being the best that we are losing the sight of the real importance education is. Finland seems to be doing this exact opposite. They are not worried about being in competition with other countries. They want their students to develop their minds and find out what they are good at and passionate about. Unlike the United States, where it seems like all we care about is training students to get a high score on a standardized test. I also think that it is unique that Finland does not allow private schools. It gives everyone a fair and equal chance to receive an education. I think that this is much needed in the US. Here, people who have a lower SES aren't able to obtain the high quality education that is available to wealthier people. Finland must be doing something right by focusing on the real meaning of education. I hope one day the US can do the same.  

New Idea of Education (1)

Washington Post Article

I recently read an article that was refreshing and thought provoking. Thirteen-year-old Logan LaPlante talked at a TEDX conference at the University about his idea of an ideal education. When Logan was nine his parents pulled him out of public school and let him discover subjects that he found interesting. He still learned the same subjects that students who attended traditional school such as writing. But instead of being assigned an essay topic, Logan gets to pick what he wants to write about. He still has basic coursework but finds his way of learning much more interesting. He said, “Once you are motivated to learn something, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time and on your own,” 

            I found that Logan’s story was very interesting. As a high school student, I definitely find myself questioning why I am doing a certain assignment. Especially when I used to attend public school, I felt like teachers would just assign “busy work” that meant nothing to us students. I agree with Logan when he says motivation is key in making learning interesting. If I were genuinely interested in the curriculum I would think I would do very well in that subject. I think that this education is a very good way to encourage growth of creative and independent thinking. In this day and age being creative and original plays a major part in gaining success; I think that it is important to encourage that in education from an early age. What do you think? Would like to have more freedom or more structure in education?

Introduction

Hello my name is Amy and my blog is going to be about Education. I chose this topic because it is very relevant to today's world. The education systems of the world can say a lot about a state, country or any area. The topic of education is constantly in the spotlight. I think much can be discussed about it and how it affects a society. I look forward to writing some interesting posts!