1st Post in Improving Education

Four Hundred Fifteenth Post: 1st Post in Improving Education (20090807)

This is the first blogging of how to improve secondary education in the United States. Most of my ideas are simple and would not cost millions to implement. Here it is.

My first idea is really not original. My friend Curtis has argued with his son’s school many times. And that is to replace substandard textbooks. That is the ones were the student doesn’t have to read the chapter. They just answer question 1 through 20 in order because the questions are all in linear order in the textbook. It is a waste of time for the student just to reference answers. It would be more beneficial for them to read and answer no questions.

With math books these junk textbooks have nothing to do with problem solving. Instead they are plug and jug.

We should completely remove the textbook from shop class. When I was in school it was the schools requirement we spend half of the class semester using the textbook. A student gets enough book work from these junk textbook in other classes already, shop should be hands on. I always learned more building stick bridges, ice scrappers, bird houses, reading design plans, making a rubber band plane, or launching model rockets.

I’m not saying all textbooks are junk. In fact there are many great textbooks. They is nothing wrong with defining glossary words. I’m just pointing out that it tends to become more of a chore than a learning experience. When your in college and after you just realize there is so much to learn and explore. The junk textbooks give the impression that all answers are in order. It takes away the challenge and the wonder and enjoyment of learning. Later in life, you realize how much more you would know if the approach to learning was different. For example, when you study math in college the textbook is usually more difficult and thus more challenging. And there are math books that are not in textbook form. The approach to reading them is different. They require more work, but the reader is getting more knowledge from the work as compared to looking up answers.

In short, instead of the Government doing expensive and fruitless standardize test, they should review the textbooks and put an approval rating on them. That approval rating should not come just from the government but the teachers and parents of the students who they will be teaching.