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EDUC 200 - SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT

Task 1. Big Picture Questions

Question 1 – Name 4 countries that have a great educational system. Based on what you learned in this course, what are 3
similarities that these countries have in common? What are some factors that have helped these countries to excel in the area
of education? 

Finland, Poland, South Korea, and China. What these countries have in common is the fact that if students do not do well in
testing and in school, they will not be able to get into a good college and have a well paying job. Going to college is necessary
and doing well in school is crucial. China and South Korea both have a culture that is very strict and hyper focused on doing well
in school and as hard as it is for students, it has led these two countries to have some of the highest PISA scores. Some factors
that have helped these countries excel is their teacher training, the reform in their educational system (Poland especially), and
maybe even the competition.
 
 
Question 2 – Based on what you’ve learned in this course, do you think the top performing countries are influencing other
countries? Describe how the countries, which are listed highest in terms of PISA scores, are having an affect on other
countries. 
The top performing countries are influencing other countries in many different ways. For example, America is one of the highest
spenders on education per student and there are other countries that spend much less and have much better PISA scores on
average. I am not sure if there are any reforms being done now but I do know that most teachers would be willing to do what it
takes to help their students improve their scores. There has been reform in the education system in America, and maybe it has
helped some, but not by much. I think countries are looking at what top performing countries are doing right and implementing
certain things into their own education system.

 
Question 3 – Do you think that countries who pay little or no attention to educating its citizens can/will have a negative
impact on the world in the future? Support your answer.  
It will have an impact in the world because educated citizens help create a more stable and healthy economy. Educated students
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can go back to their cities, their towns, their villages, and create jobs that will help their community. It creates teachers,
businessmen, nurses, doctors, and many other jobs. It is like a domino effect – when kids are educated, those kids will grow up,
have kids of their own, and will encourage their children to be educated as well. This is why a country must care about their
education system. It affects their citizens’ well-being and is also connected to the well-being of the entire world.

Question 4 - How does education in other countries compare to the system of education in the U.S. from your observations?
As I mentioned previously, America spends a lot of money per student. There were reforms done like No Child Left Behind, but
based on what I have read, it has not made a huge difference in how well students perform. America still has a lot of room to
improve. America is a country that cares about education but has a much different culture than places like China or South Korea,
where students feel extreme pressure to do well. That extreme pressure is not felt here. Another difference is that teachers are
trained well and often go through a very rigorous program in college.

Question 5 - Name some populations that are denied a good education? For example, we all know based on experiences in
this class that women and girls are denied a good education in parts of the world (sadly). What are other groups of people
that are denied a good education?
There are many people in third world countries that do not have access to a good education. Many children that live in slums in
India are not able to get an education or tribes/villages in India that do not have a school nearby. Not only in India, but in places
like Africa, South America, and war torn countries have the same issues. Because of poverty, even boys might not be able to go
to school because of the need to help their family.

In America we have laws that state that children with disabilities have the right to an education, but not all countries strive to
take care of people with disabilities. I know that even in places like Ukraine, children with disabilities are not taken care of as
well as they are in countries like America when it comes to education. Unfortunately, I do not think that Ukraine is the only
country that needs improvement in this area. I believe many 2nd and 3rd world countries do not have the resources or the money
to implement policies or provide care to people and children with disabilities. Maybe they do not have people that care enough
to change things or have other issues that they feel are more important to focus on.

Question 6 - Reflect on the topics we've discussed throughout EDUC 200 – name some things you could now do differently in
your future class because of the information learned in this course.
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I want you to be self-reflective (think about your thinking) – tell me what you could do in your future class to make it better
based on items we've learned about with regard to different educational systems around the world?
It could be things like helping diverse learners, or perhaps being more aware of students who may live in rural areas of your
district and don’t have access to technology (these are just some ideas I had).

Something I could do in the classroom to make things better is be sure I help students that are bilingual. First of all, it would be
helpful for me to know some Spanish, especially if I teach in Idaho where we have a lot of Spanish speaking students. Making
sure I clarify the meaning of words when I am explaining something to the class, always checking for understanding, and
providing separate group instruction with an assistant teacher who is Spanish speaking could help. Something else I think is
important is to do is to identify students who are struggling, whether they are bilingual or not, and provide extra help. Some
ways I could do that is to have groups with students who do well grasping material with those who struggle. When they have an
assignment to work on, they can help each other. The most important thing is to set high standards, but at the same time, try to
identify the areas that students struggle with in order to improve them.

(Questions 7a through 7e) Let’s say that you are the ruler of your own country - think about some of the factors/conditions
that go into having a great educational system. And please have a little fun with these questions, too.

Question 7a - What would be the name of your very own country? What would be the name of the capital of your country?
Make something up! Have fun, be silly.

Prosperia
Capital – Joysville

Question 7b – What would the population of your country be? Big or small? Come up with a number. Why did you choose
that number? For example, would you want an incredibly large population, say over 1 billion or perhaps you want a very small
population, under 1 million? Tell me why you chose the population size you decided up.

Population: 750,000
I chose this number because I would imagine it is much easier to run a small country. It is more like running a state!
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Question 7c - Do they have access to technology (very briefly tell us about technology in your country)?

They do have access to technology but they are not addicted to technology and do not use it for everything.

Question 7d – Would your country be mostly rural? Urban? Suburban? A combination? Why?

My country would mostly be rural. It would have many small villages with one main, larger city.

Question 7e- Come up with at least 4 more facts/factors that would have an impact on your country’s educational system.
Think about conditions/factors that have led to the creation of great educational systems around the world. Now, what
condition/factors would you like to see in your very own country?

The culture of my country would not be focused on sports, but rather, focused on math and the arts. Many people teach their
children different instruments, languages, and read many books. There are only a handful of colleges and the top rated college is
difficult to get into, which encourages students to do better in school.

Another factor is that teachers are valued and respected. The training for teachers in college is very rigorous and the training
does not stop in college. Teachers continue to be trained and learn from each other.

My country is not rich but is not poor either. The budget for the education system is not very big so it is used wisely. Technology
is not used very often in the classroom, instead, teachers are paid more.

Life is very slow paced, calm, and people spend a lot of time outdoors. Businesses, schools, and stores open up at later times in
the day and every business is closed on Sunday. School ends earlier in the day and students are provided the option to stay after
school for tutoring in subjects they struggle in.

OPTIONAL – If you would like to draw an outline of the country in Word (using tools found in Word), include some clipart
and/or freehand then insert that picture of your country and place it here, please do so. This is optional of course, but I love
seeing how creative students can get! Only do this if you have some free time.