Education Complication

Proposal

























Darin Dutson, Eric Pratt, Rachael Lundberg
Prof. Trevor Smith
09 April 2014

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I. REFLECTION ............................................................................................................................. 3
II. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 4
III. FLOWING SCHEDULES ............................................................................................................ 4
IV. INDIVIDUAL LEARNING .......................................................................................................... 5
V. COLLEGE PACE ...................................................................................................................... 5
VI. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 6
GRAPHED SOLUTION .............................................................................................................. 6
VII. SOURCES .................................................................................................................................. 7



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I. Reflection Bring on the Team Work!

There are many reasons why we work in groups to bring about better
results. In our group project in working on Education = Complication, there
were more positive outcomes than negative. If I had the opportunity, I would
work in a group again solely for the ideas that were generated from a simple
brainstorm with other people. I really enjoy the opinions of others and often times
look to shape mine off theirs. We were able to come up with many logical
explanations for our project. Also, the research done with one another was very
helpful because we could go through and read useful parts of fascinating
excerpts we found. Even if we did not use the same exact sources, we still
gained many of the same views.

Unfortunately, however, there were a few negative factors that played a
role in the group assignment. First, it was very difficult for our group specifically to
be in the same place at the same time. The first time we were able to meet
together after we formed our group was one week before the entire final project
was due. Also, certain individuals have many things going on in their lives and
are not able to tend to the needs to the entire trio. This makes it very difficult for
the people to be organized in specific purpose.

Besides learning about facts such as graduation rates in Utah or dilemmas
being experienced nationally with education, I discovered more fully how to
become a team player. A better understanding came to me as I saw parts of
our team succeed with each others help. I came to appreciate also that this is a
more controversial subject than I expected; that numberless people have an
opinion on solving the education issue. Luckily, I was able to become significantly
more knowledgeable compared to my past position on the matter.

Lastly, I always enjoy studying and writing about debated issues like these
because I never know if I am going to found out if I am truly interested in the
topics. I found myself sincerely interested in the logics that go into the education
program. I would most definitely repeat doing a similar project with similar group
work because the ideas expressed were far better than mine alone. As I
mentioned, the research was more effective because we did it together, and
lastly we had the chance to see other perspectives.


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II. Introduction

Remember all those pointless facts you had to memorize and write on
your high school history exams? Of course you dont, because you forgot them a
week after you took the test. I know that if I would have taken half the tests one
week after the original, I would have failed all of them. Why? Because that type
of knowledge was in no way applicable to my everyday life.

We can all agree that students are not reaching their full potential
because they are taught to memorize facts they will soon forget rather than to
think critically and to apply learning. Today it is evident there are numerous
troubles in Utahs school structure; however, I will address three basic problems
that will assist greatly in attaining outstanding results. The first major problem is, as
I mentioned, the fact based learning; second is how the teachers are educating
pupils, and third is the established school schedule during the year. Junior High
Schools and High Schools need to be more like colleges: where students are held
more accountable and where they can learn a solid sense of responsibility. This
way, graduation rates would increase significantly and students will truly reach
their full capacity.

We will start with the SCHEDULES when students are attending school.
Next, we will explore an option we can use for INDIVIDUAL LEARNING.
The final and most effective solution comes after, COLLEGE PACE.
EDUCATION DOES NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED!
III. Flowing Schedules

Can you picture students remaining in school for the summer months,
always staying fresh on the education that is so valuable to them? If students
continued going to school 180 days out of the year but did not have a three
month period to forget everything, teachers could focus on useful subjects
instead of losing time reviewing forgotten material. As shown on the 2013-2014
School Calendar for Salt Lake County, school starts August 21, and ends June 3.
So what about those 12 weeks in between? As an alternative, extended breaks
could be implemented throughout the year. In all, there are around twelve
weeks during which the students are released for summer break. There are also
about two weeks during the winter that adolescents are allowed off during
Christmas break. On top of that it is safe to say there are roughly one-and-a-half
weeks of scattered vacation during other holidays in spring and at other points in
the season. As I mentioned, these breaks could be implemented in such a way
that students had three to four weeks, instead of two for Christmas. They could
have a longer Spring Break during Easter. They could also be allowed a couple
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to a few weeks in the summertime. This way they would not be forgetting all the
material they absorbed, but could continually construct their hard-earned skills.

IV. Individual Learning

Another bright idea to add is that of a flipped classroom; where students
would be able to receive lectures at home and they could get extensive help
inside classrooms. Imagine if the teachers actually taught outside of schools from
small webisodes and helped students execute during the entire class period?
Students agree that it would help to be able to review lectures to learn more
thoroughly. One learner referred to it as active learning, on a YouTube video
for nurse study for good reason. The teachers would be able to see more
progression from the students and graduation rates would actively rise. With
this focused assistance from the educator during class, students would be aided
not only with the general material, but also why it matters, and how it applies in
their lives. They would better understand how to think critically, which would help
them break out of the systematic learning system that destroys development of
creativity.

This or possibly some other types of methods would break the cognitive
learning that retards the growth of students individually. With teachers focused
on the personal predicaments that students experience with specific material,
they will be able to teach more thoroughly in core subjects. A student could
excel because he or she could have an immense understanding of essential
parts of Mathematics, English, and Science. These are all much needed in
college acceptance.

V. College Pace

A great example can also be taken from most colleges by the tests that
are placed into effect only when it matters most. It actually takes a toll if a
student receives a low grade in a class because there is so much on the line.
Employers pay close attention to grades. No more students will be saying, It
doesnt matter what I get in this class because it doesnt count anyway, if we
better emphasize lower education. A theme of competition is likewise manifest
whenever this type of learning is added, demanding better results.

Also, testing in college can be quite tedious, but most times it is testing
your actual learning and comprehension, not just fact finding. If we could scrap
the whole testing system in the lower education levels we would be in a lot
better shape; however, testing is imperative to relay ideas of accountability to
students. Do you think it would help students learn if they were to learn how to
have an actual thought process instead of how to regurgitate useless data?
Teachers could focus more on the actual comprehension of a student rather
than the facts produced by that student. Placing into effect grades of students
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93% Graduation
Rate by 2023
Enhanced School
Schedules
Individual
Learning
College Pace
could be based on students ability to problem-solve rather than their age.
Exactly like college. There could also be a midterm and finals week in lower
education. They could be tested effectively for one week and be done with it!
No adolescent is going to be able to tolerate testing if it continues to become
longer and longer at the end of every year. According to wiseGEEK.com, and
other sources, the average attention span of a teenager is 20 minutes. So how
would you expect to have a teen or even a younger child pay attention for
hours on end, being forced to think about irrelevant matters?

VI. Conclusion

Looking back, we have discussed very briefly a few simple ideas that
would greatly improve our school systems in Utah. We do not need to
dramatically change the entire system, but we start with evolved schedules in
middle school so that we could aid the adolescents retain their hard-earned
knowledge. Then we could implement college structure to see more
competition and more accountability, which would better prepare them for the
college level. Due to the responsibility, they would take it more seriously at an
earlier age. Lastly, we could flip classrooms or put into place another new
method to create opportunities for the students to think critically and progress
more rapidly.

Based on past statistics we could expect the graduation rates to go up
from 81% in 2013 to 93% in 2023, and just keep soaring from there (Salt Lake
Tribune). Graduation rates would reach even higher levels if we continued to
apply logical changes. Outcomes of students studying effectively would be
shown throughout the entire United States, and Utah could be seen as the main
attraction for the most important service society has to offer. Education.
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VII. Sources

Menlove, Martell, Ph.D. "USOE Schools Year Calendar Home." USOE
Schools Year Calendar Home. Utah Office of Education, 2013. Web. 03
Apr. 2014.

"What Is Considered a Normal Attention Span?" WiseGEEK. Conjecture
Corporation, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

"What Is the Average Attention Span of a Teenager?" Questions &
Answers. Cha Cha, 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

NurseKillam. "Benefits and Challenges of Flipping the Classroom Using
YouTube: Innovative Nursing Education." YouTube. YouTube, 19 Apr. 2013.
Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

"Decodeunicode.org . Unicode Sign . NOT EQUAL TO."
Decodeunicode.org . Unicode Sign . NOT EQUAL TO. N.p., n.d. Web. 09
Apr. 2014.