A Good Education

The same problems have long hindered schooling: student disinterest, low test scores, and disrespect for teachers and administrators. Yet these are merely effects of a deeper cause.

High-Tech: Students use iPad computer tablets during a history lesson at Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, California (Nov. 22, 2010).

Walking through a bustling phalanx of teenagers in a hallway, you enter a warm, dimly lit, poster-filled room. A set of questions displayed on a digital interactive whiteboard prompts each pupil to transmit a response using a personal remote control, or to stand up and manually enter their answer through touch-sensitive icons on the electronic screen. As pupils complete warm-up assignments on school-provided laptop computers, attendance is silently taken using an electronic seating chart featuring each student’s digital photo, which is sent to the main office via computer network.

The usual suspects are goofing off. The teacher separates them and reminds everyone that time management is crucial.

The activities that follow have been carefully planned to require minimal lecture time, quickly shifting to hands-on experience that is strategically designed for age-specific attention spans. The dynamic format allows for much student collaboration and trial and error, with the teacher acting as a facilitator.

But actual learning seems scarce, as the lesson flow is often interrupted by gum-chewers, paper-ball throwers, disrespectful commentators, excessive chatting, missing materials, equipment vandalism, detention assignments, one-way restroom trips, students sent to the principal’s office, the occasional scuffle—or lockdowns for immediate threats, such as gang fights, an armed intruder, or police inspecting lockers for illegal drugs.

The bell rings as the class period ends. Students stand up and shuffle to the next classroom. Whatever is not finished is typed up by the teacher and posted on a homework webpage.

Welcome to the 21st-century American classroom.

Here, the concept of a teacher verbally presenting information to quietly listening students is largely outdated. Modern educators now have to keep up with every technological advancement, combat ever-shortening attention spans, and generally be ready to adapt to what students want.

Despite the best efforts of teachers and school administrators, there continues to be widespread scholastic disinterest, high dropout rates, and low test scores.

What is preventing educators from delivering a “good education”?

State of the Classroom

Today’s classroom has drastically changed from years past. Sincerely dedicated teachers look for new and effective ways to make a difference in students’ lives, even if this means constantly altering established patterns or spending personal funds on whatever does not fit the school budget.