Shortcomings of Education System in U.S.
April 13, 2011 by rseide
As the richest country in the world, many would expect the United States of America to be world leaders in just about every category from military to GDP to even education. However, the sad reality is that the United States isn’t even in the top 10 when it comes down to education. Many people speculate as to why and how this could be possible, especially when there are other countries with a fraction of our wealth that possess more prowess in terms of education. I feel that the problem isn’t directly correlated with funding but with the learning environment itself.
In life, when someone tries something new for the first time, they initially take premature ste[s before attempting to make huge leaps. For example when i first learned to ride a bike, i would move forward a few feet at most, but after repeating this again and again I eventually went around the block. In the education system this process is known as bottom-up processing. The opposite of this system is known as top-down processing which is a major cause of the shortcomings found in the United States education system. Top-down processing is essentially when emphasis is placed on harder tasks first and then later focusing on the fundamentals. In reference to my prior example to bike riding, top-down processing in terms of me riding my bike. would involve me attempting to ride around the block before i master riding the bike a few feet forward. Many in favor of top-down processing feel that an exclusive focus on the acquisition of basic skills causes children to lose sight of the larger goal and lose motivation and fail to thrive in school. However learning is the same for everything and is characterized by the phrase, “you’ve got to crawl before you can walk.”
Attention is key in a learning environment. Not only does it engage all the students, but it indirectly tells them that their knowledge intake is imperative. However in the U.S. education system the lack of attention is another short coming. In the typical classroom a teacher sits at their desk far away from students, or stands at the blackboard with their back to the class. The notion that these circumstances give off are that the teacher is an authoritative figure that is there to teach, but not necessarily ensure that the material or lesson plan is understood. This is an example of initiation-reply-feedback sequence. The teacher asks a question and expects a quick discrete answer, therefore not allowing the student to form a deep understanding of the concepts and ideas at hand.
I think that with a stronger emphasis on bottom-up processing and a more in depth approach to initiation-reply-feedback sequence, the shortcomings in our education system can gradually be eliminated and the United States can work it’s way up the rankings, in terms of education.
2 Responses to “Shortcomings of Education System in U.S.”
I think you are making a good point in comparing riding your bike with the classroom, but your definitions of top-down and bottom-up are a little off. The difference is not in relation to harder versus easier, or even big versus small steps. Instead, it is a distinction between starting with the whole picture (i.e. riding the bike) in top down, and then filling in the details (i.e., this is how you hold the handlebars, or place your feet on the pedals, etc.) as necessary, and starting with the details (i.e., this is how you hold the handlebars, place your feet on the pedals, etc.) and then adding these up to the whole picture…