Welcome

1. Welcome Opening Day September 2, 2008

2. The story we are told.

3. Inside photos showed Alexei doing complicated experiments in physics and chemistry and reading aloud from Sister Carrie. Stephen, by contrast, retreated from a geometry problem on the blackboard and the caption advised, "Stephen amused class with wisecracks about his ineptitude." Seated at a typewriter in typing class, Stephen tells us "I type about one word a minute." Zhao, 2008

4. Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world. The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a Nation and a people. We are raising a new generation of Americans that is scientifically and technologically illiterate. Zhao, 2008

5. 1995 TIMSS Grade 8 Mathematics Performance Zhao, 2008

6. Two Million Minutes, vividly reveals that American students are no longer “at risk” of falling behind -- they are now clearly behind even Third World students in India and China, in addition to being in 24th place among developed countries. By comparing how these students prioritize their time (approximately four years or “two million minutes” of high school), the film demonstrates that the typical student in the U.S. spends much less time on his/her education and gives less thought to future career opportunities than his/her global peers in India and China. --2 million minutes Source: http://www.2mminutes.com/pressblog6.html Zhao, 2008

7. Despite the billions of dollars being spent on ‘education reform’ since 1983, the U.S. has implemented none of the meaningful recommendations of the 1983 report and as a result has seen no real improvements to our math or science education system. ----Robert Compton,2008, creator and executive producer of the documentary Two Million Minutes. Source: http://www.2mminutes.com/pressblog6.html Two decades later, A Nation at Risk remains significant in terms of setting the debate and ushering in an era of reform in education, but its goals have not yet been realized. The changes wrought by twenty years of task forces, committees, and study groups have not produced the hoped-for improvement in student achievement. Few of the commission's recommendations were properly implemented, and many of those that were proved too timid to bring about effective educational reform. --Diane Ravitch 2003 Source: http://www.hoover.org/pubaffairs/dailyreport/archive/2848976.html Zhao, 2008

8. U.S. treading water in reading Bloomberg News ServiceRussia, Hong Kong and Singapore shot to the top of 45 countries and provinces participating in a fourth-grade reading test, while England fell below the United States, according to results released yesterday. (Honolulu Advertiser, November 29, 2007) U.S. Students Fall Short in Math and ScienceTeenagers in a majority of industrialized nations taking part in a leading international exam showed greater scientific understanding than students in the United States—and they far surpassed their American peers in mathematics. (Education Week, December 4, 2007) Zhao, 2008

9. But the story can’t be left there.

10. http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2007/gcr2007_rankings.pdfhttp://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gcr_2007/gcr2007_rankings.pdf Zhao, 2008

11. Source: http://www.worldmapper.org/ World Population Distribution Toy Exports Royalties and License Fees Exports World Tertiary Education Enrollment World Wealth Distribution Zhao, 2008

12. What do other countries think?

13. [China 2002] In December 2002, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued a policy designed to reform assessment and evaluation in elementary and secondary schools. This document, entitled Ministry of Education’s Notice Regarding Furthering the Reform of Evaluation and Assessment Systems in Elementary and Secondary Schools, calls for alternative assessments that go beyond simply testing academic knowledge. It specifically forbids ranking school districts, schools, or individual students based on test results or making test results public. • [China 2005] • High school curriculum reform • Among the problems targeted by the reforms: • Overemphasis on knowledge transmission • Too many required and uniform courses, which limited students’ individual development • Too much overlapping content, resulting in excessive coursework burden on students • Overemphasis on the value of individual discipline, resulting in too little interdisciplinary and social integration • Remedies: • Credit system • More electives, fewer required courses • Local subjects/school based curriculum • Integrated studies • New subjects (art, environment, technology, etc) Zhao, 2008

14. Japan • Since 2001, Japan has been working to implement its Education Plan for the 21st Century, which has three major objectives: • The first is “enhancing emotional education,” that is, cultivating students as emotionally well-rounded human beings. • The second objective is “realizing a school system that helps children develop their individuality and gives them diverse choices” by moving towards a diverse, flexible educational system that encourages individuality and cultivates creativity. • The third is “promoting a system in which the school’s autonomy is respected” through decentralizing educational administration, enhancing local autonomy, and enabling independent self-management at the school level. (Iwao, 2000) Zhao, 2008

15. [Korea 2000] • Revised 7th National Curriculum • The ultimate goal is to cultivate creative, autonomous, and self-driven human resources who will lead the era's developments in information, knowledge and globalization. • Promote fundamental and basic education that fosters sound human beings and nurtures creativity • Help students build self-leading capacity so that they well meet the challenges of today's globalization and information development • Implement learner-oriented education that suits the students' capability, aptitude and career development needs • Ensure expanded autonomy for the local community and schools in curriculum planning and operation. Zhao, 2008

16. Singapore Since 1997, Singapore another frequent high flyer in international comparative studies, has engaged in a major curriculum reform initiative. Entitled Thinking Schools, Learning Nation, this initiative aims to develop all students into active learners with critical thinking skills and to develop a creative and critical thinking culture within schools. Its key strategies include: • The explicit teaching of critical and creative thinking skills; • The reduction of subject content; • The revision of assessment modes; and; • A greater emphasis on processes instead of on outcomes when appraising schools. • In 2005, the Ministry of Education in Singapore released another major policy document Nurturing Every Child: Flexibility and Diversity in Singapore Schools, which called for a more varied curriculum, a focus on learning rather than teaching, and more autonomy for schools and teachers (Ministry of Education, 2005). Zhao, 2008

17. Why?

18. Imagination is more important than knowledge. It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. Albert Einstein

19. Technology redefines

20. HD TV Zhao, 2008

21. 1. Teri Hatcher2. Demi Moore3. Donald Trump4. Heather Locklear5. David Letterman6. George W. Bush7. Ray Liotta8. Sandra Bullock9. Bill Clinton10. Clint Eastwood 1. Jessica Alba2. Eva Longoria3. Anna Kournikova4. Ben Affleck5. Ashton Kutcher6. Marcia Cross7. Halle Berry8. Jessica Simpson9. Nicole Kidman10. Angelina Jolie Swanni's Annual 'Best & Worst' HDTV List http://www.tvpredictions.com/fall2005hd092605.html Zhao, 2008

22. "Say bud, can you tell me where the illiterate club is?" Zhao, 2008

23. Industrial Revolution Zhao, 2008

24. Science! What knowledge is of most worth?--Herbert Spencer, 1859 What’s taught in schools Latin Chemistry Theology Chemistry Greek Biology Religion Greek Physics Latin Biology Grammar Physics Grammar Technology Zhao, 2008

25. Our Challenge

26. (W)hy would the world’s employers pay us more than they have to pay the Indians to do their work? They would be willing to do that only if we could offer something that the Chinese and Indians, and others, cannot.--New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce (2007). Tough Choices or Tough Times

27. Because of the Death of Distance

28. As electrically contracted, the globe is no more than a village. Marshall McLuhan, 1964 “Honey,” I confided, “I think the world is flat.” Thomas Friedman, 2005

29. It’s a Big Job to Make the Mini: Global Supply Chain Therefore we need to move into niche areas where they will not be able to completely replace us for quite some time. ---Lee Kuan Yew, 2007

30. Daniel H. Pink (2005).A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age

31. Information Age: L-Directed Thinking Sequential Literal Functional Textual Analytic Conceptual Age: R-Directed Thinking Simultaneous Metaphorical Aesthetic Contextual Synthetic A Whole New Mind Asia Automation Abundance Zhao, 2008

32. Essential Aptitudes in the Conceptual Age • Design • Story • Symphony • Empathy • Play • Meaning

34. Disciplinary Mind Mastery Schools of Thought Professional Craft Synthesizing Mind Integrate Ideas Communicate Creating Mind Uncover new ideas Clarify new ideas Respectful Mind Awareness and appreciation of differences Ethical Mind Fulfillment of responsibilities Five Minds for the Future Gardner, 2006

35. Global Citizenship The completely untraveled person will view all foreigners as the savage regards a member of another herd. But the man who has traveled, or who has studied international politics, will have discovered that, if his herd is to prosper, it must, to some degree, become amalgamated with other herds. --Bertrand Russell, 1950

36. American companies lose an estimated $2 billion a year due to inadequate cross-cultural guidance for their employees in multicultural situations. A 2002 survey of large U.S. corporations found that nearly 30 percent of the companies believed they had failed to exploit fully their international business opportunities due to insufficient personnel with international skills. Microsoft’s Windows95 was banned by India because its Time Zone map put the region of Kashmir outside the boundaries of India. (Committee for Economic Development, 2006)

37. Are we preparing citizens for the globalized world? • Unique talents • Creativity, Imagination, and Passion • Cross-cultural competencies • Understanding the globe • Foreign languages • Understanding other cultures • Global responsibilities Zhao, 2008

38. What does it take?

39. Personalize education: Is there a core curriculum? Creativity and discipline: Skills, knowledge, and attitude Globalization: Schools as global enterprises Zhao, 2008

40. Digital Citizenship • Living in the digital world • Consumers • Citizens • Community leaders • Making a living in the digital world • Digital workers • Global workers • (Re)Creating the digital world • Innovators • Entrepreneurs Zhao, 2008

41. What can we do?

42. Assume Moral Responsibility of Public Educators Public education does not serve a public. It creates a public. Neil Postman The philosophy of the classroom today will be the philosophy of government tomorrow. Abraham Lincoln Zhao, 2008

43. Be informed of changes. Model attitudes and behaviors. Lead changes in curriculum, policy, and events in your schools. Advocate changes in the state and the nation. Zhao, 2008

44. Imagine a District where…

45. People work together to improve instruction in all classrooms.

46. People strive to personalize instruction for all students.

47. People model professionalism creating a healthy and supportive environment for students to learn.

48. People treat each other with respect and learn from their differences.

49. People believe that communication is the most important subject we teach.

50. People take risks and encourage students to take risks.