The Global Achievement Gap

Chapter 5

·         The decline in work ethic among young Americans is a major concern with both our business leaders and educators.

·         Growing up Digitally: Growing up in a generation and environment that is completely different from previous generations.

o   The Net Generation, “growing up digitally”

o   Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation, by Larry Rosen

§  87% of teens, online, has increased from 60% of 12 year-olds to 82% of 13 year-olds, and 94% 16-17 year-olds

§  Teens are online an average of 5 days a week, 2-3 hours a day

§  75% of online teens use Instant Messaging (IM), chatting with an average of 35 people a week, totally 3 hours

·         New Learning Styles:

o   Learning Through Multimedia and Connection to Others

§  The Net Generation prefers Internet research versus library book research.

o   Learning as Discovery

§  The Net Generation researchers discover new information through different search strings.

o   Learning as Creating

§  New developments on the web give the New Generation a new set of experiences, creating hunger for learning through creation.

·         Producers at School:

o   “In order for young people to respect learning and school, we need to think more carefully about what we’re asking them to learn—to ensure that schoolwork is not busywork or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity” (189).

·         Employers Who Meet the Standards:

o   “Some companies are consciously restructuring work in ways that better meet the needs and interests of the Net Generation—often with stunning results” (197).

o   “There are also some schools that ‘meet the standard’ and are successfully engaging all students, harnessing their extraordinary potential to problem-solve and to collaborate and to create” (199).

Chapter 6

§  High Tech High: A school development organization that runs K-12 public charter schools, serving over 3.000 students in the San Diego area.

o   100% of HTH students have been accepted to college, 80% to a four-year college.

o   The original idea for HTH developed out of the concerns from business leaders and university partners.

o   Common Goals:         

§  Serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community.

§  Integrate technical and academic education to prepare students for post-secondary education in both high tech and liberal arts fields.

§  Increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students in math and engineering who succeed in high school and post-secondary education.

§  Graduate students, who will be thoughtful, engaged citizens.

§  The Met: A network of schools, a project of the Big Picture Company.

o   Their philosophy is based on educating one student at a time, creating personalized educational programs that are unique to each student. 

o   Five Learning Goals: Represent specific intellectual and interpersonal skills.

§  Communication: “How do I take in and express ideas?”

·         Understand audience, write, read, speak and listen well, use technology and artistic expression, and be exposed to another language.

§  Empirical Reasoning: “How do I prove it?”

·         Use empirical evidence and logical process to make decisions and to evaluate hypotheses.

§  Personal Qualities: “What do I bring to this process?”

·         Demonstrate respect, responsibility, organization, leadership, and reflect on your abilities and strive for improvement.

§  Quantitative Reasoning: “How do I measure, compare, or represent it?”

·         Understand numbers, analyze uncertainty, comprehend properties of shapes, and study how things change over time.

§  Social Reasoning: “What are other people’s perspectives on this?”

·         See diverse perspectives, understand social issues, explore ethics, and look at issues historically.

§  “Habits of Learning” in Action

o   Inquiry: Showing intellectual curiosity and wonder about the world. Asking thoughtful questions and seeking out their answers.

o   Expression: Honestly communicating what you know or want to know, and what you believe or feel.

o   Critical Thinking: Analyzing, synthesizing, and drawing conclusions from information. Generating solutions to problems using creative and rational thought.  Keeping an open mind and appreciating different points of view.

o   Collaboration: Contributing to the overall effort of a group, working well with diverse individuals in a variety of situations.

o   Organization: Sifting through ideas and data, arranging them wisely and making sense of them. Setting reasonable goals, planning and managing your time.

o   Attentiveness: Focusing on the task at hand, observing and taking in the information.

o   Involvement: Taking the initiative to participate in the process of learning. Contributing your questions, ideas, and actions in group discussions, activities, and projects.

o   Reflection: Reviewing and thinking about your actions and the work produced, with a purpose of learning more about yourself and work.