Reflection+-+Catching+Up+or+Leading+the+Way

EDL 719 Project Based Learning K. Ashley July 10, 2011

Reflection Paper: //Catching Up or Leading the Way// We live in a world that is dramatically affected by globalization and new technologies. One area of change that has been focused on lately is that of the American Education System and how it compares to the rest of the world. Very often the question is asked, “Are we doing enough in our American schools and how do we compare in global society?” In his book, //Catching Up or Leading the Way,// Yong Zhao looks at these questions in greater depth. This paper will explore some of Zhao’s questions, the challenges we face as an educational system, and see the hope in what the future may hold. My first encounter of learning about Sputnik was in my very first college education class. When looking at the progression of how things have changes, it still seems relevant to start there. It seems like that moment put the microscope on our own education system. Unfortunately, at that time and now, politics got involved in education and tried to push an agenda and to propagate fear to manipulate popular opinion. Since that time, there have been many other initiatives proposed to close the perceived educational gap. Another rung on the educational timeline was No Child Left Behind. This was another attempt for the government to get involved in the American education system. Unfortunately again, this was not the best solution for their perceived problem. This event brought our educational system back to the spotlight. Even though more was needed for this initiative, it did begin to bring a paradigm shift to the system in what we should teach, how we should teach it, and who should be learning it. The government realized that if it wanted to influence education, it needed to provide standards and then measure the efforts towards them. In the end, it seemed that this strategy of connecting standards with progress, integrating technology, and curriculum accountability was another way to some the American government’s hold on the educational system. In conjunction with this Zhao states, “the learning gap is a myth – fear has been founded on misinformation and misperceptions – everyone has misjudged what really matters for an educational system, and what really counts as educational excellence” (Zhao, 40). As we look at the system, we must still look at the positive strengths that are foundational to our American education. According to Zhao’s book, some of the strengths of our system are as follow: it is inclusive, we encourage initiative and responsibility, we have a strong community of public and private people who value our different talents, and we allow children to be proud of their strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses” (Zhao, 48-49). One of the strengths we have is diversity and our tolerance of how we face these differences. As we consider one of our strengths to be empathy and understanding in the form of tolerance, it is ironic that in the global comparison our strength may be seen as a weakness. Many of the reforms that have been proposed have looked at specific test scores in limited area, “as more important over diversity, individual interests, creativity, and the risk taking spirit that has helped the US sustain a strong economy and society” (Zhao, 59). It is perplexing to consider that China and South Korea seem to be trying to allow for “more choice, less testing, and less standardization” (Zhao, 60). In our American system we have a natural strength to value the differences we share, yet we keep trying to narrow it down to testing data. One of the common questions that arises is about the comparison to China. Zhao, is strong in proposing that we have some strengths over their s=current system. China’s schools are evaluated on the data like how many of their students are going to higher education and the number becoming engineers. Unfortunately for the students in China, “One exam determines your whole life” (Zhao, 80). There is such pressure to perform to a specific test that man students memorize but cannot apply what they know. Two other side effects that have stemmed from this pressure have been increased levels of suicide, and decreased levels of creativity and originality. To its detriment the highly defined success of the Chinese has come at the cost of individual successes. The book went on to describe several key challenges that our Educational system faces. The first is globalization. It is no surprise that our students need to interact in a global world with a global competence. The second challenge is technology. As educators, we must continue to be aware of developing technologies and the future opportunities that well come from them. One interesting impact that comes out of technology is how these changes impact our students. It is fascinating to consider that, “Technology, while reducing certain types of jobs, creates new jobs and thus increases the value of certain kinds of knowledge” (Zhao, 144). Out of consideration for these changes we have made a list of 21st century skills. Zhao includes core subjects, learning and innovation; information and media; technology skills; and life and career. In an effort to offer some positive thoughts about our educational system, Zhao provides core assumptions. Beyond these ideas is where America excels. Nature and nurture are core to developing successful individuals. I appreciate and support Zhao’s statement about having a global mindset. We must “examine our traditions and identify our strengths in relation to others, not only other countries, but also other communities in our own society” (Zhao, 158). Even though we are expanding the scope of our system globally, it is critical for my students to feel success and pride in their own community. As we compare our system with those globally, it is important for us to not totally abandon our existing strengths. As Zhao states, “American education needs to be more American” (Zhao, 182). We must commit to examining how we define success and change the limitations that our schools have. As professionals we must continue to pursue individualized learning for our students. We must continue our pursuit into “cherishing individual talents, cultivate creativity, celebrate diversity, and inspires curiosity…”(Zhao, 198). By embracing these qualities and looking towards the values and strengths that each individual student has, we will have a positive impact on our world one student at a time.

References: Zhao, Yong (2009). //Catching up or leading the way.// Alexandria: ASCD.