After watching 2 Million Minutes, what are your thoughts about how American education differs from other parts of the world? In your opinion, how does education in other parts of the world compare and contrast to education in America? Do you think American education should be more like education in China and/or India? Why or why not?
Don't forget your homework - Blog and write 6 things learned from Chapters 4 & 5 (3 from each chapter.) And many of you still need to turn in a copy of your background check, signed Disposition, 4 year plan, and foliotek registration.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
After watching the documentary, 2 Million Minutes I had mixed emotions. I definately do agree that other countries take their education to an entirely different level, but then again, it is America, freedom is what we're all about. In many of these other countries all they have is their careers. I almost see it as sad for them, because they cannot be truly happy with only working. Maybe they are, though, because that is all they are used to? I definately agree that there are aspects in America's educational system that should be changed. We definately should challenge students more and require tougher courses. In the end, that will improve a lot. I think the main issue with America's education system is there is not enough challenege. Students blow their homework off or studying off to watch Grey's Anatomy, for example, because they obviously do not see it as their main priority, whether that is because it is not interesting and challenging enough or because they do not understand and give up. Both of the reasons can be fixed. I do not think we should base our educational system off of another country's, but we should study others in order to improve our own. Lastly, I think the video was very generalized. Not all students from India, China or America are like the students in the video.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the documentary in class it is very obvious that our educational system differs drastically to that of India and China. India and China are much more focused on academics than American students are. In America a majority of students are concerned with getting good grades, but don't put forth near the effort that Indian and Chinese students do. America tends to put an emphasis on extracurricular activities. Even colleges in America want students who had their hand in many extracurriculars to come to their university. I think America definitely needs to challenge students more, so the students are not bored with classes. If high school was more challenging, students would be more likely to put effort into their work. I would never take it as far as India and China, however. Having to determine your career path while still in high school is too much pressure for that age group.
ReplyDeleteJulia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with pretty much everything you said! Students in America do tend to blow off homework, and not worry about studying. I know that's how I was in high school! I was more concerned with lacrosse than anything else! I do think the educational system in America needs to be more challenging so students will put an effort into their work.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteYour comment about American students only worrying about the grade, not the challenge was such a good point! I think our educational system is based so much on merit. The better the grade that happier everyone is. It should be the tougher the challenge the better it is. I think that is something that should definately change, because students are too wrapped up with getting an A that they'll cheat or do whatever they can to get that grade and it should only be about learning.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI definately agree with you that students in America only worry about the grade they will recieve, instead of the material they are taking in. I think that this focus should be turned to the challenges, not the A or B you will recieve. Sometimes the more you fail, the harder you try.
After watching 2 million minutes, it is pretty obvious that our education curriculum is not very challenging. Yes, India and China are at the top of the list in education while the US is moving down on the list. China and India children only do school work and nothing else, but maybe play a musical instrument. US children have different wants than just staying up all morning and night doing homework. We like to be entertained by friends, TV, sports, theatre, movies, etc. We are free. We can do what we want to do. We want to have fun so we don't have to stress every minute of our lives about school or work. I'm not saying China and India are taking education to seriously, but these children don't know about anything else than getting good grades and going to school all day long. I feel like they need to have some fun. I do believe America needs to challenge our students more so we can learn actual material and not just receive a grade. I will tell you, after taking a test or an exam, I will never remember that ever again, but China and India's students will always remember there material for way longer of a period. We are competing for jobs now with these students so we need to step up our game.
ReplyDeleteAshley,
ReplyDeleteI agree that extracurricular activities seem to be more important than school in America. This is what Universities look for when they are trying to recruit someone from a particular high school. It seems China and India's extracurricular activities are just playing an instrument that contains education like reading notes, and even going to math conventions, while America is focused on sports and winning their division. We just don't take education as serious which is wrong.
After watching 2 million minutes I felt that the movie made the students in America seem lazy and unmotivated. While I agree that the students in China and India have a very good work ethic I would not like to live like them. Also I noticed that the students from India and China were working so hard to go to colleges in America, and I think that should be noted more in the movie. I do think that our students should have stronger work ethic in school, I don't think we should change up the makeup of the school systems.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that the students in India and China don't know anything else besides school. I would not want to live that way and I do not want my students to have other interests and hobbies.
I think the American education system is lagging behind compared to other countries. It seems that other leading countries, such as China and India are prepping thier children for the future to compete on an internationl level, where America isn't. We focus as much on the social and extracurricular part of school as we do on the academics, and more in some cases. China and India's only focus is academics. I am not sure which education system is better because China and India's students may be smarter, but American students are probably more well rounded as individuals. I guess it depends on which one you consider to be more important, because I think being well rounded socially and in other ways is just as important as academics. However, I do think we do need to step up our academics a level or two so that American's are able to keep up and compete with the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the movie did make American students look lazy and unmotivated, not all of us focus our study group around our favorite television programs. However, I think a lot of American's do lack the drive and focus that most foreign students have. I think a lot of this is due to all of the distractions and choices American's are given at such a young age.
After watching part of the 2 million minutes video it was a shock how much studying India and China does. I think that some of us American want the good grades and better careers, but we do not put a greater effort into it. I think also that our study habits are getting worst with all the television shows that are out, video games, and just all the free time we think that we are missing out on.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn
ReplyDeleteI wouldnt say that we are lazy, but I would say not motivated because it seems like we have no one pushing us as hard or making us stay home and study.I think we all need that push or someone to make us want more or better but also we should want better for ourselves. Also that is so true if we are so behind in academics why to they coming here for our education.
The 2 millions minutes movie may me kind of wonder was I was here?? Why did I choose to come sudy in the United States if the education in this country is as bad as the video showed us!! Well I decided to come here, because like I said before education in the US is totally different from the education in my home country. I am mot from India or China, but yes I see a big difference with the way school is in Europe. The European tecahing model is not as rigid as theirs but it still more strict than in the US. I wasn't shock like most of you, seeing how students live in China or India, because in Europe also, we have longer days of schools (8hours a day in highschool), homework to do at home (4hours per night most of the time) and we also do more intellectual activities like taking music class, art class, we do sports but they don't have the same impact in our eductaion as it is here in the US. Although, I think the China's and India's model are maybe too strict, I think the US one is maybe not enough. But, at the same time, US students like to go to school, school is like a second home for them, where they can have fun and where they know they are going to find people who care for them. I think school should be a mixt of all, school should be a place where you learn but also where you can have fun and develop social skills. I would also add that it was very interesting seeing the resources and materials the Chinese and Indian students use compare to teh one we have.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching what we have watched of two million minutes i think that all these other countries want more for there country buy focusing on school at and stuff it will help them become smart and to get out of poverty where he in the united states we have some poverty but the majority including myself didnt apply ourselfs in high school because we didnt have too, where we are well off as a society
ReplyDeleteJulia I agree with you saying that the video was quite a general view of the situation in India and China, because we all know that every children is not living like that. In every country ans educative system some people always spend more time on their shool work than others. I also agree with the fact that your job is not the only thing in life. If you go to school, get a job that gives you lot of money, good for you, but if this job its doing something that you hate for the rest of your life, well whats the point about it. I think, we have to find the right middle between being proficient at school and enjoying life.
ReplyDeleteWatching the movie 2 Million Minutes, made me really think about the education system in America. I believe that there are some students in America who are like the students in China and India and school is the most important thing in their lives. I went to high school with people who had no social life at all because they only cared about their grades. I know that those students were not very happy after high school was over because they felt like they missed out on being a teenager.
ReplyDeleteI also went to high school with people who could care less about their grades and who were basically only attending school to get out of the house.
I believe there will always be two extremes to every situation. On one hand there are people who dedicate their whole school career with just academics and on the other there are students who dedicate their school career with other things like hanging out with friends and watching TV. The solution to this is finding a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities and hobbies. I also believe that learning time management skills would benefit students.
My parents always made sure that all my homework was done before I could watch TV or go over to my friends house that night. This taught me to do my work before I have fun. So when I got to be in high school I was able to manage my time on my own. I was able to be in different clubs and still get my work done and get good grades.
I believe that American education is seriously lacking to that of other countries. Americans have no drive and have so many opportunities that other countries don't have and they have drive. Also Americans don't spend all their time studying and definitely don't go to school all day. The education in other parts of the world is greatly different than America's education. For instance, other countries concentrate on their education and studies and America is more laid back in education and students can play sports or do other activities. To compare America to other countries, well America doesn't even compare because we don't spend enough time in school or studying to compare to other countries. I don't believe American education should be more like education in India or China because I like the freedom we have to be able to go out and have a social life. In America we do strive to have a better education system and I believe it could come a long way from where it is now. I believe that elementary school will either set you up for success or failure for the rest of your life. Everything you need to know is taught in elementary school.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn,
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that the video made the students in America seem lazy and unmotivated. You have to look at it from different cultures with a different way of doing things. If you listened to the video the students from India and China envied American students and they would love to have more free time and hang out with their friends. And students from many countries want to come to America to go to college because there is more opportunities for them here in the land of the free. Students in America will only go as far as they want to go. No one can force them to succeed if they don't want to succeed. Just stating my opinion nothing against your comment.
Trey,
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that countries like China and India have more poverty and are doing everything in their power to educate this generation so that they can make the country better off. On the other hand students in the United States need to worry about students in countries like India and China because eventually they will start taking the jobs that would be coming over to the United States. When that starts happening, the United States will start suffering.
After watch the film 2 million minutes, It's amazing to see how different our culture is from other countries. American's don't put as much effort into our work as India or China does. Which I think we should focus on our education more so we can catch up with the rest of the world in education. But, then we are the best country in the world. So it's kinda hard to tell. Do we make for children go to school all day and night long to get that education without any playtime. Then our children will be unhappy and miss out on being a teenageer or do we continue to keep things the way they are and hopefully we will still be on top. It's a diffcult choice to make because who knows what the future holds. The good thing about being able tohave fun when we are young adults is that it is out of our system when we get older. China and India students don't get that joy of having the fun that we get too.
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI too have mixed feeling on this. I think we do need to step up our education but, we also know when it's time to just have fun. Each student knows their breaking point. When they need to take a break to have fun and when it's time to hit the books.
After watching the movie in class, I felt that the movie made the american education system look worse than it probably is. The role of extraciricular activities in our society is a huge influence on our lives rather than the 23.5 hours of studying daily. The extra activities challenges our personalitity and develops us individually.
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, our education system is probably behind the other countries but i believe as a whole our education develops more areas than the other school systems probably would ever think about developing.
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about America not challenging students enough and that the video was very generalized. I believe our educational system should change but not just because of other countries educational systems, for our own benefits.
Watching 2 Million Minutes was like a wake-up call to me. I believe that an American education is really good, there is a reason why I came all the way from Honduras to study here. Yes, American education is different from others and it may not be as challenging as in India and China, but it is still very good. For example, in Honduras there are private bilingual schools and non-bilingual schools, and public schools as well. Public schools are not good at all, but in American public schools are really good. There are other differences but a similarity may be with the private bilingual schools in Honduras because they are guided by an American system. I believe that education in America is good and it shouldn't be like in China or India. I think the difference relies on the students and how much they want to make out of it.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 million minutes I was not very shocked at what they said. With growing up in a small town, both my parents being in education, and having foreign exchange students I had already heard the differences from American education to other educational systems across the world. In the video they picked only two students per country. I can say from the girl in the video that is from America, that she is nothing like me and has different ideas than I do. So if I'm different from her in India and China there will be students who sit there saying the same thing about the students who represent their country. No one person will be the same in school even if your education system pushs and challenges more than others. America should challenge their students more and make them think, through my years school has been easy because someone was always there holding your hand on what to do, we were never taught to think outside the box and push ourselves as other countries have done. America can not base their educational facilities and cirriculum on another countries, because society in each country is different. America needs to form its own hard working, encouraging, and challenging system for students.
ReplyDeleteDerald,
ReplyDeleteI think you are right, that video just makes American Education seem like a bad one. But maybe the education is not really the issue, but the people not giving it as much importance as these other countries do.
After watching 2 million minutes I was shocked to see how many hours students in other countries spend studying. The American education spends time doing extra curricular activities such as sports. The education process in other countries seems to have many dedicated students, who even study and go to tutors on the weekends. I think that the American education should be a little more like China/India's because our world is a global economy. Students for the United States are competing with students all over the world and to insure placement with the best in the field we should spend more time studying. But I also think that Sports and other social activities help create a well rounded person and brings other attributes that and education along can not.
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteI like what you had to say about America creating their own challenging school system for student. That needs to happen to be able to compete with others in similar fields of work. I also agree with what you said about all students being different in the school system. The girl that was shown from the United States isn't anything like me either but i can relate to her that i would much rather watch tv and hang with friends than study.
America has this sense of liberty. Majority of children are raised with many oppertunities and chances. Therefore, we are not as scared to make mistakes and take chances, whereover, other countries like China and India follow what society expects from them. They live their life by the social norms and I believe Ameria does not have a social norm, we have a world where we live our life by what surrounded us in the past. I dont think America education can even compare to China or India. They are just two completely different worlds; day and night. I do not think it is bad how they live and make their decisions but that is what fits them and this is what fits Americans. I do not think America education should be like India and China's education because we do not know how to succeed with that type of education. It is all about adapting, decisions, and expectations. I think their education is valuable to them and our education is valuable to us, they should not be combined or overlapped, it would just not work out, we are not raied with their type of thinking and they are not raied with our type of learning style.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, I do agree that we spend more time on extra curricular activities but that is how we were raised. It will be hard to change the way Americans are use to living and alot of successfull people do come from America and those successfull people went through the same thing every educated child has to go through.I think it is just based on a person's decision making when growing up. And i agree that it is also good that Americans are involved with sports and other activities because it does allow a child to find out who they are and they are good at to succeed in the future.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video, I like many others have mixed emotions. Bettering the education system in the United States would definitely be a great accomplishment. However, with the field I am going in to, I have a seperate opinion. More focus on core subjects would affect music and the arts education in a very negative manner. Funding for the arts is already stressed, and some schools don't even see the need for it. If we challenge students more academically, I am afraid that enrollment in these programs will decrease substantially due to lack of time and added stress.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the film, I think the education here in the US should be taken more seriously. Most of the people I know only went to school because they were forced to and are only here because of a sport or because their friends all went to college. I do think that the children in India and China were too worried about school, but the American children were not worried enough. I think right in the middle is where the education system should meet. So its still a very serious matter but that you also have time to be a kid.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the film, I think the education here in the US should be taken more seriously. Most of the people I know only went to school because they were forced to and are only here because of a sport or because their friends all went to college. I do think that the children in India and China were too worried about school, but the American children were not worried enough. I think right in the middle is where the education system should meet. So its still a very serious matter but that you also have time to be a kid.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching 2 Million Minutes, it really made me think about how America does not use their minutes wisely. I believe that we should study other countries more and try to follow their teaching techniques. I do not think that we should make school super strict so that no one has fun, but we need to push our students harder and help them reach their full potential. This movie made me wonder how much smarter I would be if I lived somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteChloey,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you and I think a balance between America's education and India's education would be great. I know that even I feel like I go to school sometimes because I have to and I wish I did not feel like that. I think that America has the potential to be a very smart country, we just need to make some changes.
In charpter 4 I learned that how well students do in school reflects
ReplyDeleteon their mothers education level. 83% of high school students graduate
and the bilingual education act provides funding for students who's
first language isn't English
In chapter 5 I learned about the ifsp and how it is designed to help
families reach their goals. I learned about how ADHD affects students
in class,It makes them lose focus. And lastly how drugs decrease the
probability of success in school
I agree with Becca on and Chloey on this one! Sometimes when it comes to class i feel as if it was a waist of my time to even be there which speaks volumes about the teacher but never the less when both the teacher and the students are on the ball, great learning is to be had lol! India and China both have the right idea about education and turn out some great students but, how many of the youth get turned away because they could pass the entrance exam into high school? Is that fair? And is that putting the education of the student first and for most? In a way yes to the second question because they are taking the highest learners and average learners and giving them a shot at making a life for themselves. However, i would say no the second question because not everyone is getting the same opportunities to make their life. And if i were a gambling man i would bet that things like test anxyity and ADD, are not taken into account when grading these exams. If I had to choose one system I would combine Indian schooling and American schooling because I feel that the two systems could create great harmony between one another.ying and Yang!
ReplyDeletei think that americans are smart for what they are doing. spending less time in the classroom teaches us other responsibilities. it teaches us how to prioritize time, make money and manage it, and develop other skills. i dont think we should adopt there plan because it would burn our kids out and they wouldnt be as well rounded as we are today
ReplyDelete* i wasnt here to watch the clip the first time, you allowed me to post it this week.
i would have to agree and disagree with becca
ReplyDeletei think depending on the person, their minutes are wasted, but there are students in the classroom who are excelling and doing very well. after school they are attending jobs doing sports or something else productive. the only problem i could see is that america gives you the option of what you want to do with your spare time.
i hope it is ok for me to post this a few weeks late...
ReplyDeleteI think there should be a happy medium between our educational system and India and China's. I admire how driven the students over there are. They seem to know what they need to do... what is expected of them... and accept that it must be done. I heard no whining from them on the video...
On the other hand... I don't think a lot is expected of American students in contrast... yet we whine about being overloaded or stressed.
I do think that American's have way more personality and concern for their common man than the other nations. So I think that we are doing somethings right there. :)
I agree with Ryan about feeling like class is a waste of my time on occasion. I have an instructor right now, at Lindenwood, that I feel is not teaching me anything! I read the book and research the internet because I desire to learn the subject well and feel that it is crucial to my success as a teacher, yet I am not recieving adequate training... how much better will I be when I am teamed with a well trained, skilled and driven teacher!!!! Awesome... that's how!
ReplyDelete