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So, you're saying that YOUR kids are smart and informed but other kids are just keeping their mouths shut and absorb misinformation? I don't have experience in other school districts but I know certain teachers that my kids have had very much encouraged detailed research from multiple sources. I'm sure they had their own biases (don't we all?) but critical thinking is something our school district has in it's mission statement, and it is taught in our schools.
Critical thinking is not something that can be "taught" in schools.
Critical thinking is an entire lifestyle and way of approaching the world.
Life in today's society (including life in the modern public schooling) profoundly discourages critical thinking.
In fact, you have to be a person of enormous intellectual fortitude and a serious dose of inborn skepticism to cut through the maze of propaganda, slogans, politically-motivated "research", statistics (interpreted with an agenda), pre-packaged ideas, and all sorts of other "party lines" repeated ad nauseam via any institution with an ability to broadcast.
Critical thinking is not a "unit" or "standard" you can "mandate".
1. Pay attention in class.
2. Listen attentively.
3. Practice in class and out of class.
4. Take notes.
5. Study your notes, book, etc.
6. Look for ways to use French outside class.
7. Review vocabulary frequently.
8. When it gets difficult, try harder & study more.
9. If more study doesn't help, get a tutor.
10. Don't give up.
I am a French teacher. Whenever I have a student who failed a test, I always have them come in to meet with me. It's usually the same people over and over. When I ask them "do you really want to learn French?" pretty much all of them shrug. I figure why even bother if they don't want to be in the class and aren't even attempting at all.
I'm not sure what's worse... helicopter parents who smother their children, or parents who don't give a crap about their kid. I have to deal with both, but it's usually the latter.
I am not sure which one is the worse but this reminds me that somewhere in between there must be this sweet, magical.....mmmmmmmmm spot where the highly available parent calmly and happily supports the child's initiative to learn and his unquenchable interest in growing intellectually.
Mother and father are right there to answer the question when jr. runs keenly to them to ask about the meaning of X word, the significance of X historical event that he chose to read about all on his own, and the strategy he chose for X Math problem - that he also decided to approach all on his own.
Parents happily and effectively help... and "Ipsa scientia potestas est!!" exclaims the child, running back to his studies.
He is doing all this not only because he has this undying thirst for knowledge that no paycheck could ever quench...but also because he knows he must take responsibility in becoming a productive member of society (aka "the grid") who would never, EVER dare resort to parental, fraternal, neighborly or public help of any sort.
Anything involving less child effervescence than this scenario, would lean towards helicopter parenting. Anything involving less parental presence than in this scenario, would lean towards parent not giving a crap.
Unfortunately, that is not a given for most of my students who are inner-city residents in the midst of multi-generational poverty. I have to lower the level of instruction to ridiculous levels just to make sure that even seriously impaired students can pass and earn their diploma. Fortunately for my students who are more able, I use daily French news broadcasts that really challenge them (and me).
I have a few who actually want to learn French, and they are doing a manageable job of it. Their levels are much lower than the comparable levels of students with a similar ranking at a school where the norm is to want an education. I think they would mostly thrive, though, if they found themselves really challenged. I am teaching them French history using authentic texts and movies, as they have had no real education whatsoever in world history. It's shameful, but that is the response of low-level schools to the modern test mania driving the narrowing of the curriculum.
Our students take 32 classes in 4 years (if they graduate in 4--many take 6 years to accumulate the required 26 credits), but their test subjects are double-dosed with two of the eight 90-minute blocks devoted to ninth and tenth grade English, Algebra I, Biology I, and US History. No other subjects really matter as they aren't tested and thus don't count in the rankings of the school and staff.
Teachers who are assigned to the test subjects are in the hot-seat as they are held responsible for the test scores of students who don't come to school, or who come to school for illicit reasons. For those of us who aren't given those classes, half our performance rating comes from the test scores of the school in general. There is therefore no reason other than altruism for a teacher to choose to come to a school like that unless there is something wrong with the teacher. Thank God we have a number of altruistic teachers, but unfortunately we have an increasing number of incompetents. And believe it or not, there aren't enough of them who want to do the job, so we have several vacant positions half-way through the first term. No one has walked out yet, as usually happens by now.
So yes, desire to learn leads directly to learning. The system is dumbed down because the worst really is that bad.
Critical thinking is not something that can be "taught" in schools.
Critical thinking is an entire lifestyle and way of approaching the world.
Life in today's society (including life in the modern public schooling) profoundly discourages critical thinking.
In fact, you have to be a person of enormous intellectual fortitude and a serious dose of inborn skepticism to cut through the maze of propaganda, slogans, politically-motivated "research", statistics (interpreted with an agenda), pre-packaged ideas, and all sorts of other "party lines" repeated ad nauseam via any institution with an ability to broadcast.
Critical thinking is not a "unit" or "standard" you can "mandate".
While it is difficult to teach critical thinking in the schools, teachers can try getting a subscription to this philosophy for children website (it's free). Tons of resources for thinking activities.
While it is difficult to teach critical thinking in the schools, teachers can try getting a subscription to this philosophy for children website (it's free). Tons of resources for thinking activities.
The practices of the Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's", is coming to a close. It's a NEW ERA, young people today are exposed to a vast array of things and information at a far earlier age, they are developing a different ideology about things.
They are learning to care about the environment, their health, and to not become obsessed with wealth gathering at any and every expense. They are turning more to thinking about what kind of human being they will become, they are thinking about what kind of world will they shape and model.
They are moving away from the Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's" mentality of, trying to have the biggest house,"making Saturdays a 'run to the shopping mall obsession", they are less inclined to promote or engage in the many forms of segregation habits, they will push for quality in things if it has a value attached, because they have more information and they understand better the need for quality as a standard, more than just accumulating a bunch of stuff just to say they have it.
They will force technology to give them function, rather than just bells and whistles that result not to actually do anything.
They have come into a world, where the Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's" was willing to sell anything for sole personal gain with no regard for the impact it has on society.
They are learning that America must focus on have a strong industrial sector and learn how to work with a global society rather than chasing slaves on foreign soil.
They watched as the Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's" sold off practically any and all Legacy American Business. They see where Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's" - Spent everything, and took on debt simply because they could.
The credit card life, of which they are learning is nothing more than a 'self indenturing program", the only winner is the banks.
They have watched cities crumble, the infrastructure suffer with partisan bickering, while cronies rip off everything and big industry has been subsidized while they rip and strip the public.
They are learning how to challenge industry, to cut out all the chemicals in the food supply chain, as their understanding of chemicals and health must be managed in a way that "health is number one".
So, yes, Education has changed an will change even more in how it functions and what it has a responsibility to provide within its teachings.
They fight against programs that try and void things from the history books, and now they pursue the truth to be told with broad view, rather than a one dimensional view as if it was only about one ethnicity. They want to know about all people and they are learning of the wrongs done over many centuries and they don't plan for a repeat of such.
Math and Science is now part of their everyday life, as they learn to factor things on a variety of levels to get a better picture of how things are interdependent within what makes up life.
It is not dumming down, it is dealing with things in a way that fits with the common knowledge that is more informative in their general everyday lives. The internet gives them access to points of view that broadens their concepts and pushes them to seek more expansive understanding in a multitude of ways.
They can now use their phones to get information, previous generations had to go to the encyclopedia to find, they now can find it in a flash.
They are learning the madness of politicians, and will usher in a whole new mentality into what becomes a politician. I would suspect they will request and DEMAND, public financing for political office, and take the special interest out of the cycle and circle of making decisions which impact the lives of all. They are now smart enough and becoming even smarter in the future to hold politicians accountable to the people and not beholding to corporate influence and money.
They will promote and institute a broad based public health care system and push to contain pharmacy companies from pushing bad drugs and over charging for them. I would think, they will overhaul the entire Insurance Business Mentality, and they will find a way to take the power Banks have over the nation, and force it to be respectful of the citizens whose monies they handle.
In 50 -75 yrs, it won't be anything like it is today as to these things which have crippled the American People all during the Baby Boomer and the First and Second Generation of "their offspring's".
They will make education affordable and accessible to any young person who wants it, and they will push for a system where it is mandatory that people choose a career path. They will know that an uneducated society without mandatory skills, becomes a burden to all. They will push for a system where everyone able and healthy can and will have a means to make a contribution.
Gun control in the future will be nothing like it is today, they will develop means to force a change where any weapon holder will be held far more accountable, and any rogue weapons will have a very stiff penalty to the degree it will be a great deterrent to even consider having a rogue weapon.
If you can't justify your financial holding, then you won't be able to use it even if you have it or acquired it by devious means.
Yes, their education is administered different and it will over the next Century go through many changes .... the concept of being a drop out, will not be an option for anyone healthy and capable of learning.
Critical thinking is not something that can be "taught" in schools.
Critical thinking is an entire lifestyle and way of approaching the world.
Life in today's society (including life in the modern public schooling) profoundly discourages critical thinking.
In fact, you have to be a person of enormous intellectual fortitude and a serious dose of inborn skepticism to cut through the maze of propaganda, slogans, politically-motivated "research", statistics (interpreted with an agenda), pre-packaged ideas, and all sorts of other "party lines" repeated ad nauseam via any institution with an ability to broadcast.
Critical thinking is not a "unit" or "standard" you can "mandate".
Critical thinking can be taught in schools. Your children are still young, but some schools can and do teach it. Media classes tend to talk about the propaganda in marketing, something I learned way back in the 70's and something my kids learned in school and growing up in their family. We often have conversations about how politicians and the media spin things and how to go about unearthing facts. Avoiding Fox news helps too.
Critical thinking can be taught in schools. Your children are still young, but some schools can and do teach it. Media classes tend to talk about the propaganda in marketing, something I learned way back in the 70's and something my kids learned in school and growing up in their family. We often have conversations about how politicians and the media spin things and how to go about unearthing facts. Avoiding Fox news helps too.
For 20 years our schools have been trying to teach "critical thinking".
You cannot teach critical thinking. You can ask questions and have the students answer them and tell them to "think like a xxxx". But cognitive research says no, it cannot be "taught". It is not a skill like adding, subtracting or reading. It comes with domain knowledge which most students do not have.
"Avoiding Fox new" ? Really ? Critical thinking takes an objective view..all things are questioned.
Your bias is showing.
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