February 13

For writing into the day, we listed everything we know about a country or countries.  Then, we watched two short videos about 21st century skills and global competition.  After these videos, we discussed questions (on the PowerPoint) in small groups, then have the following whole group discussion:

• Studying a language should begin in elementary school.
• Other countries learn languages earlier.
• Only two years in high school is required; that's not enough.
• Even with four years of high school language class might not prepare you for college language classes.
• Language study should be required.
• Global awareness is our weakness. The only thing we know is how we beat them in wars.  We don't know anything about the other cultures.
• Can you cooperate with countries or can you only compete with them now?
• Other countries go to school year round.
• Are we being dumbed down by getting 12 weeks off every year?  If you constantly learn, you will be smarter.
• Could we shorten school days and go year round?  Then we would have the same amount of time but not forget things over the summer.
• Because it's free, we don't value our education.
• We only see other countries on TV, but the media doesn't tell us about the people.  They only tell us what the country does.
• Schools focus on memorizing dates and names.  They should concentrate on the culture of the countries.
• Maybe we should have a class for global awareness.
• We think we are the best.  When we hear other countries names - like Iraq or Mexico - we only think of violence.
• We too easily believe what the media tells us.
• Is history class important?  
• You could incorporate culture.  
• We only learned about our history, not other culture's history.
• We have to remember that other countries are older than us.  Maybe we have so many problems because we are too young.
• Maybe we don't remember history because we thought it was stupid while we were taking it.
• We need to learn the customs of the other cultures if we are in business.
• It depends on what you need to do.  Why do you need to be globally aware if you are never going to leave the US?
• The US is a melting pot.
• Most professionals interact with people from other countries.  Even at the grocery store, you might do something to offend someone from another culture just because you don't know about their culture.
• We judge other countries' customs because we are ignorant of them.
• Some people from other countries who come to America feel like they need to act American.
• Most jobs require that you speak at least two languages now.
• In grade school, we don't know what we want to do yet so we don't know how much global awareness we will need for our jobs.  Because of that, we should just learn it anyway.  It could only benefit you.
• Do you think we really learn the other four 21st century skills listed by Ken Kay?
• We might have one or two word problems or critical thinking questions in school, but we don't know how to answer them.  Most of the time, we would just skip them.
• Collaboration wasn't something that we learned well.  We had to do the work ourselves unless we were purposely put into groups.
• Before college, there wasn't much group work. 
• Group work allows us the opportunity to learn others' ideas and points of view.
• It goes back to who's teaching the class.
• In college and in jobs we will need to collaborate.  They should make sure we collaborate in high school.
• We've always been pinned against the world.  There's always a target on our backs.
• Who can tell you what's right or wrong when it comes to the customs of different countries?
• As a nations, we are covering up what's going on around us.  We think it's all about "me".
• People turn off the TV as soon as there is something they don't like.
• The news is depression.  They don't tell you the good stuff.

Then, we read the descriptions of Liberal Education and Montessori Education.  In small groups, we discussed what we thought of these methods.  Most people preferred the Montessori method because of the student teaching and the focus on first hand experience.  Some also emphasized that liberal education allows the person to be well rounded.

Homework:

• Read "On the Uses of a Liberal Education."

• Post a reading response on your blog.

• Bring your golden line to class with you on Monday.