What Makes an Ideal Education System? Is It Possible ?

What Makes an Ideal Education System?

Imagine an education system with no ability streaming. No standardized testing. No high-stakes national assessments. No school inspections and no school ranking. Now add to that high learning outcomes and high quality teachers. These are not just ideal attributes of an imaginary system, but features of an actual education system.
As Professor Hannele Niemi1 described these elements of the education system in Finland at the Redesigning Pedagogy conference in June 2009, the audience sat in rapt attention – partly in disbelief, partly in excitement at the possibilities – as what she was saying sank in.

Could such an educational utopia exist? Is it even conceivable here in Singapore?

Is It Possible?

While many would not argue about the rigour and strength of the Singapore education system in producing academically competent learners, we would also readily admit that there is still room for improvement.

The Finnish education system presents us with a challenging model. It has received attention from all over the world because it came out on top in the PISA surveys2 – Finnish 15-year-olds have been number one in terms of skills in science, mathematics, the reading literacy and problem solving.

Now add to that highly qualified teachers, societal trust in the work of educators, and the highest respect for learning, and you have a dream come true. The difference is that this model has been tried and tested – and proven successful.

How Does It Work?

According to the McKinsey report on the world’s best-performing school systems, there are three things that matter most in top school systems:

1. Getting the right people to become teachers
2. Developing them into effective instructors, and
3. Ensuring that the system is able to deliver the best possible instruction for every child
   (Barber & Mourshed, 2007, Executive Summary)

A closer look at the system reveals that the Finnish system fulfils all the above criteria – and then some.

1. Getting the right people
   Finland’s teachers are recruited from among the top 10% of each cohort. Quality teachers make for a quality education system.
2. Developing effective instructors
   All teachers are required to possess a master’s degree, even primary school teachers. They undergo a research-based education which aims to nurture analytical and open-minded individuals. By improving instruction, student learning outcomes are also improved.
3. Ensuring the best possible instruction for every child
   Finland’s educational policy has purposefully aimed at equity in education. Education is free for everyone, through to the higher education level. There are also no “dead-ends” when it comes to learning – the system provides options for everyone to further their education, with extra support available for the weakest students. By putting such support systems in place, the standard of every student, and thus the whole system, is raised.

In addition, the Finnish education system has several unique features:

1. There is no streaming. Believing that it is too early to judge individual capacities at age 11 or 12, streaming was discontinued and a common 9-year education introduced.
2. There is no top-down curriculum system. Schools design their own curricula, based on a national core curriculum, and decision making is decentralized.
3. There is no high-stakes testing and no school inspectorate. Instead, there is an evaluation system where assessments are sample-based and the results used for formative purposes.

It is important to note that the Finnish system has had a head start of over 30 years. An OECD review team (in 2006) described their education system as a “complex of practices” that has taken a long time to mature.

What’s the Next Step?

The Finnish example gives us much to think about. “Is such a system possible in Singapore?” many would ask. This raises many other questions to ponder:

1. Do we need ability streaming, and if so, at what age?
2. What alternative modes of assessment can we adopt? Will it work?
3. Are our schools ready for decentralized decision making and curriculum design?
4. Is our society, especially parents, ready for a system that does not seem to produce measurable outcomes?
5. What part does culture play in the success of such an education system?

However, the Finnish education system gives us a tried-and-tested alternative to consider, perhaps even a model to aspire towards. If nothing else, it demonstrates that such a system is possible – and can, indeed, be successful!

Participating in PISA

Singapore will participate in PISA for the first time in 2009. Administered by the OECD, PISA assesses how far students have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in society as they near the end of compulsory education.

While our students have consistently topped the charts in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), which has a greater emphasis on content knowledge, it will be interesting to see how they fare in PISA. How will they compare with students from around the world?

Notes

1. Hannele Niemi is Vice-Rector and Professor of Education at the University of Helsinki, Finland.
2. PISA stands for the Programme for International Student Assessment.

References
Barber, M., & Mourshed, M. (2007, September). How the world’s best-performing school systems come out on top. Retrieved from http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Worlds_School_Systems_Final.pdf

Niemi, H. (2009, June). Why on the top? Reflections on the reasons for the success of the PISA success. Keynote paper presented at the 3rd Redesigning Pedagogy international Conference, Singapore. Retrieved August 24, 2009, from http://conference.nie.edu.sg/2009/info/keynote-speaker.php

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (n.d.). OECD Programme for International Student Assessment. Retrieved August 24, 2009, fromhttp://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/issue19-hottopic/

What is the difference between Shakespearean tragedy and Greek tragedy?

There are many important differences between Greek tragedy and Shakespearean tragedy. 

Greek tragedy was performed as part of a religious festival (like a church christmas play) - so the stories were already known to the audience, and everyone knew what was going to happen next. 

Elizabethan theatre was commercial entertainment (people paid for their seats - like in a cinema). The stories were usually new, and an element of suspense was nearly always present. 

Greek actors wore elaborate costumes and masks, and parts of the dialogue was sung (parts were even danced). Murders, fights and battles had to take place off-stage (a character would tell the audience what was happening) - as usually happens in opera or a ballet. 

Elizabethan actors wore ordinary clothes (though they might be 'in period' for a historical play). They could scuffle, fight - even 'die' - onstage. (Shakespeare has Tybalt die onstage in Romeo and Juliet, to good effect). 

Because Greek drama was semi-offical, Greek playwrights tended to be highly respected public servants. Most Greek plays take a broadly politically conservative stance (though the best plays can be quite subtle in the points they make). 

Elizabethan players were seen as anti-establishment (they were called 'masterless men'). Many Elizabethan plays are critical of official government positions - though there was rigorous state censorship to make sure they never went too far. Shakespeare's plays, however, consistently adopt a position supportive of the government (and he was far from a "masterless man", being one of the King's Men). 

Another difference is that in Greek tragedies logic over rules emotions (characters try to find out the truth and how things really happened) and in Shakespearean tragedies emotion over rules logic (characters worry about their emotions and what they think is going on rather than finding out the truth).

In Greek tragedy, the chorus is always present on stage as a commentator; in Shakespeare choruses only introduce the scene or the play (see Henry V, Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV Part II, and Pericles for examples)

Greek tragedies usually have one continuous simple plot; Shakespeare's plays have complex plots often involving intertwining subplots (e.g. King Lear)

Common Features of the Shakespeare Tragedies

The Shakespeare tragedies share a number of common features, as outlined below:

• The fatal flaw. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes are all fundamentally flawed. It is this weakness that ultimately leads to their downfall. 
• The bigger they are, the harder they fall. The Shakespeare tragedies often focus on the fall of a nobleman. By presenting the audience with a man with excessive wealth or power, his eventual downfall fall is all the more tragic. 
• External pressures. Shakespeare’s tragic heroes often fall victim to external pressures. Fate, evil spirits and manipulative characters all play a hand in the hero’s downfall.

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http://shakespeare.about.com/od/thetragedies/a/Shakespeare_Tragedies.htm

Close Reading vs. Critical Reading

Close Reading vs. Critical Reading

Close Reading

When you close read, you observe facts and details about the text. You may focus on a particular passage, or on the text as a whole. Your aim may be to notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references; or, your aim may be to notice only selected features of the text--for instance, oppositions and correspondences, or particular historical references. Either way, making these observations constitutes the first step in the process of close reading.

Guides for close reading:

1. Read, and re-read. Read the entire document, taking mental notes. Then when you re-read the document, write down the words or phrases that catch your attention. Note the authors usage of similes, metaphors, personification, and other rhetorical terms. Do this until you get a general idea of the passages meaning.

2. If there are any words that you do not understand, look them up in a dictionary. It does not hurt to learn new words.

3. Determine the author's tone. Is the author being sentimental, ironic, comical, etc. Observing the tone will allow you to identify with the author.

4. Relate the theme or themes to something you have read previously or to a real life situation. It will allow you to get a better understanding.

5. Finally you should be able to build a thesis statement.

Critical Reading

We use critical reading every day. When we see another person talking keeping, we take mental notes of the persons use of words, etc.

Guides for Critical Reading:

1. Read through the introduction of the text to get an understanding of its history. When reading dated material, compare the lifestyles of that time to the current lifestyles.

2. Determine the main ideas and be able to support them with your own examples.

3. Analyze any arguments that you strongly agree or disagree with. Be able to explain your position in relation to the argument.

4. Examine how events relate to one another.

5. Analyze the characters. See what type of traits of human nature they express.

6. Try to visualize the setting.

http://lc.brooklyn.cuny.edu/smarttutor/corc1110/closecritical.htm