Essay On Change In Education System

How Technology Changed Education Essays

How Technology Has Changed Education

Today's education differs much from the education fifty years ago. One of the reasons they are so different is because of technology. In the past fifty years the world of technology has grown tremendously, affecting everything, including education. A few things that have been brought into the world of education are computers, video and digital equipment such as DVDs, digital cameras and recording devices. The technology also includes information presentation technologies which includes the Smart Board, and different interactive whiteboards. There are many more that schools did not have fifty years ago. Technology has been proven to help students achieve in reading, writing, and arithmetic....show more content...

For example, students who learn better by listening can understand more fully with audio and videos shown on the board. (Bell ) For visual learners, students can watch as the lesson develops across the board. Research has shown that students of all ages respond well to interactive white boards. With everyone loving the boards so much, students will jump at every chance to use the board. Interactive Whiteboards make kids want to learn. It makes them more willing to listen and focus on the lesson. Fifty years ago, classrooms didn't have this kind of technology. Classrooms only had black boards or white boards. (Bell ) In 1992, Intel Corporation became an investor in the idea of Smart Boards. At first, not many people thought of them as a good idea, but slowly people became more used to the idea. Since then, more than 100,000 Smart Boards have been produced and sold. Since they were first produced, there have been many advances in technology, thus creating more variations of the Smart Board. The earliest models were front projection boards, rear projection boards, in–wall rear projection boards, the SMART notebook, and other useful software. ("Wikibooks.Org") Since advances in technology have been made, the more recent models include the SMART Recorder, meeting productivity software, a wireless slate, the Senteo response system, SMART camera, and the 600i interactive system. The average price for SMART Board ranges around Get more content

Changes in Education in Britain since 1944 Essay

The Education system of England and Wales underwent a number of important changes since 1944. This essay seeks to concentrate on these major changes describing the rationale and impact they had on the British education system. The essay will commence by focusing on the1944 Education Act, as it was "the most important piece of educational legislation since 1902" (Gosden, 1983:3). There was a great need for this Act, because the Second World War caused considerable disruption to the educational system. As Dunford and Sharp point out, "evacuation, staff shortages and suspension of building programmes all created their own problems. War also brought important changes in social attitudes, and [...] there was a...show more content...

By using the eleven–plus examination (exam taken at around the age of 11) to test pupils' intelligence and abilities in English and arithmetic, three groups of children were identified. Firstly, there were academic pupils, who went to the secondary grammar schools. These schools provided the main route to university. Secondly, there was a group of practical pupils, who were interested in applied science or applied art. They went to the technical schools. Remaining pupils, mostly working class, went to the secondary modern schools where they received a more basic education. Thus, the secondary educational system set up as a result of the 1944 Act was a tripartite system– three types of schools, which, it was argued, were different but equal. As a result, the Act's aim of providing every child with an education was achieved, and the number of pupils in the schools began to rise rapidly. This can be clearly seen in Figure 1: Pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools, 1947–79

Fig.1.

The education system has been a controversial issue among educators. Requirements of school do not let student choose what they want to study for their future. It's a big issue to force student study specific curriculums, which don't help them improve, and what they like to create something. Educators choose a general system for education to all students which based on general knowledge. Intelligent or genius students have to be in that system of education, which doesn't let them improve their creativity. Educators attempt to change that system to make it better, but their changing was not that great to be an example for the world. Also, did that change qualify education system to compete other systems or not? In some examples and...show more content...

Gatto is concern to society that the contemporary schooling system is trying to get rid of students' personality by turning them into obedient students that are easy to have power over (control). Therefore, the system will produce uneducated voters that are easy to be misled by higher powers. In addition, students are not given the freedom of choosing what they want. He is saying that public schools are not the only way to success; also, unschooled people don't mean that they are uneducated. Moreover, Gatto encourages home–school system than public school as option because home–school system has more independence but it's not a solution for the US. I disagree to his solution because he is supporting examples from old generation such as Edison and Ben Franklin; however, our generation is different than before. It needs school environment like sharing our ideas in class and helping each other to solve problems. Therefore, homeschool is not the solution to success. It is a combination of the students' skills, intelligence, and effort that makes up their success.

Graff says that putting students in classes in the contemporary system is wasting and limiting students' potential and creativity (198). Complaining that intellects do not meet the success standard set by schools, Graff proves that schools limit the intellect students can achieve in their academic career (198–199).

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Changes to Our Education System

Margaret Mead stated that "Children must be taught how to think, not what to think" (Mead). Sometimes, the way school educate their students are just filling their cognitive ability with overwhelming knowledge that some expert feels that it's not the "proper" way to do that. Freire, for example, he stated "Worse yet, it turns them into "containers," into "receptacles" to be "filled" by the teachers" (Freire). When children are just "containers", and lack of initiative because they are just do what the teachers said instead of thinking that "why should I do that? What benefit will I gain when I do that?" We might be "disillusioned" by the future ofeducation. We won't be at ease sending our children toschool. Our faith in the education system will be greatly shaken.

The belief of teachers and schools play very important role in the education system. School and teacher works hand in hand to either improve or degrade the quality of education that reflected in their "assets", alumni in this case. We can see how education institution's progress by judging their accreditation. Albeit accreditation doesn't reflect the institution's true "grade", but it is one of our consideration to enroll in or sending our children there. There is an education institution's advertisement said that "with accreditation, comes trust, with trust comes customer", somehow it's not necessarily correct. There are a bunch of factor that society put in to account, such as, the mindset of its alumni, Get

Colleges have changed how they approach education dramatically over the last decade. For many years, the common perception of how colleges were preparing students involved, teachers providing lectures, students doing various homework assignments and then being evaluated. Students either passed or failed. How much time and effort individual's put into their studies became the only way colleges measured student success outcomes. Often, colleges did not find themselves bearing the burden of responsibility for poor student outcome statistics. In recent years, the responsibility for student success has begun to fall more heavily on the schools. According to Grubb and Associates' article, "From Black Box to Pandora's Box. Evaluating Remedial/Developmental Education", as the shift in responsibility switched colleges have challenged themselves with redefining how they approach educating students. "Accepting this responsibility means identifying and then correcting the many possible reasons for non–completion or failure to learn– in short, providing remedial/developmental education, tutoring, counseling, and other forms of student services" (Grubb). Withincollege education, there are two main types of schools. Students either enroll in a four–year university or a two–year community college. Where they are able to gain acceptance, often, depends on their level of preparedness. Two– year colleges have less demanding admission requirements. Christopher Shults article,

America is a blessed country in numerous ways, and its citizens reap the benefits. Free education is one major benefit that not many other countries provide for their citizens. While it is only a privilege to many, but in the States, people have the right to be educated. However, free education cannot be translated to success for all. For those motivated ones who cherish the privilege to be educated are those who climb up the success ladders later in life. For a certain majority of students in the States, our current educational system may not seem to serve its purpose. In this paper, I will explore two possible adjustments that could be made to improve our system to benefit our next generation. Academic improvement and class size...show more content...

Techniques and skills need to be learnt, and cannot be replaced by the convenience of technology. In the primary years, students ought to be grounded with the basics. Once they miss this window, it requires them more to be trained later in life. I marvel at the speed of our technology advancement, but how I desire to see academic advancement in our next generation.

Kindergarten teachers always earn my greatest respect. In California, the class size has increased to 22 students for kindergarten to third grade. One teacher versus 22 students, coming from different background and educational level, really is a big challenge for another to take. Given that some students have gone through preschool and some who have never had any group experience prior to entering kindergarten, that creates a gigantic tap among the kids in one class. The first couple months into the school year, teachers would spend the majority of time establishing structure, routine, and disciplines. Without these being taken place in the beginning of the year, teaching is almost an impossible task to accomplish. The class size needs to be limited to maximize the discipline and the learning, or another option is to have a teacher's aid in the class to assist the lead teacher. Reduction of class size benefits both the teachers and the students. With a small size, teachers can better control their classrooms, and thus, able to allocate

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Educational reform is yet to be perfected. Teachers shape the minds of students to realize what their purpose is in life. Lately, because of certain educational reforms, it has been hard for teachers to say what they need to say. "In 40–plus states, the math and English guidelines determine the knowledge students have to master by the end of each grade, what they'll be tested on this year, and in many cases, how teachers and principals will be rated at their jobs once those test scores are released" (Strauss). Most educational reforms are adopting standardized testing and should be reconsidered. Statistics even show that since we have taken part in reforms like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards math and reading are declining. These standards tell teachers what to teach and what the students should know by the end of the school year. The reforms also evaluate teacher performance by how well the students learn the information. Some people believe educational reforms should not be telling teachers how to teach their students, and others believe that the reforms are absolutely fine the way they are. However the truth is educational reforms are yet to be perfected. One point of view a person could have about educational reform is that students throughout the country should all have the same high–quality standards. Issues and Controversies states,"All states should adhere to similar academic standards so that American youth are Get

These past four years have really been a life changing experience. From a childish freshmen not only at school but at home too, to a still sometimes childish senior, one who knows when and how to control himself. This school and its teachers have taught me so many lessons that will not be forgotten any time soon. You can probably imagine how nervous and maybe even a little timorous I was, my first day at Barstow High. It was not very simple to get accustomed to, coming from Hinkley School, which contained approximately four hundred and fifty students at most, to a big crowded hall ways of Barstow. I still remember how nervous I was that first day; my upper lip was shaking as I asked a hall monitor where the five hundred row was located....show more content... He first started with a lecture followed by a worksheet or two. For the visual learners after the worksheets he would show short videos about that same subject. Most of those videos were documentaries which were interesting if you paid attention. Another class that I enjoyed was English 2 taught by Mrs. Smith. Yea some people think she is though on her students, that's because she is but I think that it has a purpose. She gives some challenging assignment that nobody wants to do but somehow she motivates us to complete them. I remember two projects that were fun and effective, not only as school work but to help sharpen our people skills. One of those projects was to write a children's story book based on an activist from the civil rights movement. Once we completed our book we took part in a field trip to two elementary schools here in Barstow, once there we assigned to a five person groups and we also received a list with the room numbers that we were to visit. We read our books to first as well as to second graders. After we I finished I had some of the children write their named on the back of my book. The second project we were assigned that year and that I enjoyed was to research two authors from the 1800s or so, in collaboration with a partner that we got assigned to. For the first author we had the option to either create a power point presentation or create our own website about that particular author. My partner and I choose to build our Get more content

How Education Has Changed Over Time

The topic I am going to focus on throughout this paper is how education has changed over time. Over the many years of education changing, technology has had a great impact on how we learn and how teachers go about teaching. The three main topics I am going to focus on throughout this paper is how technology has taken over, what new teaching and learning styles we have, and whether or not technology has really helped with education. I feel technology has taken over because we have a lot more access to a lot more information. Which makes getting stuff for projects easier, so that's good. Some things that are bad about it though is that some information that is put out on the internet is not always reliable. Now that we have more access to more

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In these changing times one of the biggest aspects of society that should be updated on a regular basis is education. Changes in curriculum as well as methods of teaching need to be revised each and every year. With this idea came the idea of the Common Core State Standard which is currently being adopted by forty–four out of fifty states in the United States. This new rework is designed to help better prepare students for college, universities, and the work place. However, not everyone believes this is the right move education should be taking at this moment. Those in support state this is the best decision possible to teach the children of the 21st century. Others say the cause for the decline in the quality of education in the United...show more content...

Common Core creates versatility in that students would no longer be hindered from learning living in a household that moves from place to place often due to economic hardship, parental employment, or other sociological factors. One problem that this versatility solves is remedial courses. With the academic standard set at nationwide level, chances of a student needing remedial courses drops significantly. Not only does this promote academic fairness, it also saves valuable time that would be better spent furthering a student's education. The system promotes equality in the quality of furthering the education students will be receiving. Common Core hopes to better literacy and comprehension in the area of online literacy. In this day and age information is readily available at the fingertips of much of the population. With the invention of the internet, data is easily accessed using a wide range of devices ranging from stationary to mobile. Students now use the internet as a huge bulk of their research and resources compared to the traditional style of going to the library. Common Core hopes to better online literacy in certain areas that is outlined in the article by assistant professor Sally Drew, "Open Up the Ceiling on the Common Core State Standards: Preparing Students for the 21st – Century Literacy – Now, "Good online readers use effective strategies to (a) locate information to answer their question(s),

(b)critically evaluate the usefulness of the information

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Education in America has undergone a series of changes as shown by the global rankings where over half of the global top 100 universities are from the United States. There is also single and unequal scientific output of the tertiary institutions in the United States. Most of the Nobel scientific and laureate papers are produced by these organizations. Averagely, anyone in theUnited States benefits more if they own a diploma or degree as compared to those who do not possess any tertiary certificates. Nevertheless, there is a persistent rise in tension and anxiety over higher education in the region. A diploma or degree certification is commonly considered as the gateway to a good and high–paying job. However, a combination of increased...show more content...

In the past, women would not wear anything else other than dresses, hose, skirts, and high heels. Men, on the other hand, were expected to wear suits and ties to complement their looks. There was no room for pants and jeans for anyone. The dress code for women also applied to the female students except for the shoes. Onwards, the boys wouldn't be allowed in school with outlandish haircuts, Mohawks or unshaved faces. This trend persisted until the early 1970s when it as replaced with simple dress codes characterized by outfits that make both students and teachers look dressier. In essence, today's mode of dressing allows educators and students the freedom to wear whatever they deem fit so long as it presents them clearly and simply.

Another aspect that has changed in America's education system is the variety of choice offered in the modern systems as compared to those offered in previous years. In recent times, students have to choose between charter and magnetic institutions. For example, many private schools have developed throughout the country to bring education closer to its citizens (Smith, 611).Higher education is the primary beneficiaries of the evolution process with self–guided institutions such as colleges, universities, and trade schools at the forefront of providing standard and technical knowledge to the students.

The last few decades have seen the emergence of accountability movements such as Common Core and No Child Left Behind

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How Education System Has Changed Over The Years

They did it! They got that 4.0! Students all over are trying their best to get A's in their classes and many of them succeed, but are these students actually remembering the information they learned after the class is over? Unfortunately the way students are encouraged to learn doesn't really help in storing information in their long term memory. The educational system just might be setting students up for failure. Plummer and McCullough share their insights on the issues they have come to recognize while observing how people learn. They express some ways the education system has changed over the years. During this essay the readers are encouraged to think about what is necessary in their lives to obtain the best education possible. Both...show more content...

Plummer relies heavily on emotion, personal experience, literature, and insightful quotes from all walks of life to support his point of view and persuade the reader. He starts off by claiming that students today are lacking a sense of individuation and then goes on to define that. "Individuation is the process of learning to differentiate oneself from others" (Plummer, 2012, p. 439). Here the author is appealing to the readers emotions by influencing them to think about a time they might have piggybacked off of another's thoughts. This is important because all those suffering from the Ophelia syndrome also suffer more or less from an undeveloped sense of individuation. "Failure to achieve individuation leaves people dependent on other, stronger personalities for their identity. They fail to understand their uniqueness" (Plummer, 2012, p. 439). This results in a clone like behavior, and makes it difficult for an individual to promote true growth and efficient learning. The idea that one has been so busy piggybacking off of others that they failed to learn about themselves is disheartening, this makes the reader eager to learn of any other mistakes they might be making with their education and inspires the need to learn what they need to do to change.

The Ophelia syndrome is found in all situations where education is being instilled. Students are told to follow a specific guideline in order to get the perfect Get more content

Every student is bound to cheat at one point during their educational career. The reason why is to get a higher grade. Educational Institutions value high grades rather than to value learning, that is what turns students to cheat. Students are taught on how to take tests not learn about the material. But that is to name one of the many factors that cause the current education system to fail. Therefore, students are not getting the highest quality of education possible that is essentially the goal of every educational institution. Standardized testing is excessive and does not represent how much a student has learned, not only it puts pressure on students it also puts pressure on teachers. On top of standardized testing, a lot of schools are overcrowded thus decreases the attention that is needed for each student in order to succeed. Not only there is a problem with testing and classroom sizes, teachers also are not well educated and prepared for the expectations made by larger classroom sizes and the pressure to educate students so that they can achieve high test scores. To further acknowledge the flaws of the current education system, institutions should not only gauge a student's academic achievement through their grades, it should also be through progress throughout a broader lifespan. Grades and standardized tests only capture a frame on this lifespan therefore academic achievement should also be measured through the improvement and progress of a student's learning.

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Educational System in Progress Elementary, middle, and high school years are meant to prepare students for their college life and their life in the real world. However, students may not be receiving the proper encouragement and preparation for what to expect in their future. The failure in college education is a result of the technology advancement in schools, a far too complicated graduating system, and a way of teaching with too low of standards. When students are not receiving the proper preparation for college in their earlier years, they are not guaranteed to be as successful as they should be. Although the world is rapidly advancing with technology, in some ways that might not always be a good thing. One reason that is true is...show more content...

Studying for a test is commonly done on a site or app called Quizlet rather than individually written out in pencil on flashcards. Classroom work is more commonly done on online sites rather than as a worksheet in front of them. A lot of classroom work is done online rather than with a textbook and paper. In the past, students carried around thick textbooks and notebooks. Now in this time period, tablets or laptops are all the student needs throughout the school day or class–time. Instead of giving a student a book and a worksheet to work on where they have to read and think about the work they are doing, students have the capability of googling each question given and use the first answer they can find because of easy access. Because of classwork being done online rather than in books in today's classrooms, many professors or teachers "find it difficult to imagine teaching without the internet"(Maloney). Many professors use the internet as a way to connect with their students through email or by mass sending the assignment to the entire class. Smart Boards have replaced many overhead projectors in many classrooms in a range of different schools. Technology is creating a form of laziness in students and teachers due to not wanting to work with all the potential they have. The internet is becoming too easily accessible and students as well as teachers are relying on the internet a little too much. Another factor in students not being fully prepared for Get more

System

The German education system focuses within the states therefore the responsibility lies solely on the states. The Federal Government plays a minor role in the education system and it begins with all children aged between two and six attending optional Kindergarten after which school attendance is compulsory. Similarly in Sweden the public educational system is divided into two; the compulsory and non–compulsory system. Education in the public sector is free and no fee is required from teachers or parents for school material, meals or transport to and from school. From the age of 7 until the age of 16 it is compulsory to attend school and some parents even choose to start a year earlier at the age of 6.

Primary Education

In Germany the...show more content... The English language was given exceptional inportance during the curriculum reform in 1994.

Secondary Education

Secondary education in Germany comprises of two levels; lower secondary level and upper secondary level. Courses in lower secondary level are made up to prepare the student for upper secondary level. Second foreign languages are offered to the children as early as grade 6 as it has taken on great importance in the primary sector, although in other types of schools as can be offered as an elective course. The teaching of a foreign language has taken an important role in the education system as it is characterised as a systematic way of learning and preparing the child for upper secondary school. The competency of a foreign language is directed towards the competence of the B1, which is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Once the student successfully completes lower secondary education the transition to upper secondary introduces the strengthening of foreign languages by focusing on the in–depth learning of inter–cultural understanding, oral–discourse abilities and language awareness.

Sweden offers a slightly different approach as students are expected to learn English and one other additional language during their nine year compulsory schooling. However for those students who do not wish to learn one other additional Get

Change In Education

Over the years, different things evolve and change from what society is used to. For example, devices were introduced to have a conversation with people miles away; however, as time continued, individuals were able to talk without a wire restricting them from walking out of the kitchen. Over the decades, the style in males and females changed drastically as well. Although people say change is good, some change might have virtuous intentions but they end up being severely detrimental. Colleges should not interfere with the constant flow of education by incorporating a distraction from learning; however, college officials should merely strive for their students to be comfortable not pampered. Louisiana State University installed a lazy...show more content...

Regardless if she is biased or not, a pool in the shape of LSU that has a steady current does not ensure wellbeing and balance at all. To point out, places to study and take naps are more appropriate in restoring sanity than a place to soak up ultra–violet rays from the sun. It simply is not feasible to believe the new lazy river will encourage people to go home and study for exams or finish degrees. The lazy river may influence individuals to apply there, but that does not guarantee the academic savvy students to attend college there. A lazy river is deeming the college to be more along the lines of a water park. Baton Rouge has plenty of relaxing places to be sociable and restore wellbeing including: the huge water park called Blue Bayou, the numerous beauty salons, and the countless gyms. Austin Baker, a newly graduated student searching for a college to attend, stated, "People may say, 'This is a country club, I don't want my kid to go there,' and that is exactly what I thought. I didn't want to go to a school that provides everything. I want to be independent, live on my own, the normal college life." Just as Baker has mentioned, the installation of a lazy river may make some students feel as if they are having their independence ripped away from them. One may feel dependent on the college, because while they are going to school they are spoiled. Once he or she graduates and are

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Todays Education Has Changed Over Time

Education Rewind

Introduction: Todays education has changed in many ways over the years. From the behavior of students caused by different parenting skills, how teachers teach their classes as well as students ability to use fundamentals, media and technology all play a roll in how the world of education has evolved. Robin Lawrence a thirteen years veteran teacher now a curriculum specialist at Bellaire Elementry has a good insight to how the educational system has changed over time.

Transition: N/A

Paragraph One: Past Education

Topic Sentence: In the past students behavior, the way teachers taught their classes as well as media and technology was all very different than present day.

Transition:

Main Point One: Behavior in the past was much better. Past generations did not have adult problems placed on them. Past parents had better control to allow their children to be young. Parents were did not have a lack of parenting skills. They were allowed to be carefree children unlike the present day generations. Today's generations have adult problems caused by poor or lack of parenting and therefore their behavior reflect this. The poor behavior of today's generations has affected their education. The poor behavior of one student affects the whole class.

Supporting Detail One: Mrs. Lawrence stated, "Student behavior was much better when I attended school than the behaviors I see in students present day.''

Supporting Detail Two: When asking Mrs. Lawrence why she felt that

The school the place where you learn has been the same for 205 years in the US. It is system where it schools are set to teach the kids in the middle,not the bottom or the top. If this is the school system in U.S, do you really think all kids have the same chance to pass as any other kid? In the beginning schools were made to fix critical errors back then but, today when we need to change to more present errors. It's very hard to turn around or even to the right or left to change the system to fix different problems that affect modern. The publicschool system is failing in getting kids to and ready for college and even going through high school and graduating. We must change the system and fix right the wrongs the system has currently. Go through the problems and find a way to fix them. All of these will be set in the U.S and the problems are currently happening in the U.S. We must fix the future and change the system of public schools to help future generations of kids get a better and more fair education. So the US is low in school ranking in general. At www.brookings.edu showed that 'The PISA test scores did not bring great news about the American education system, as the United States continues to hover around the international mean for reading and science literacy. On the mathematics literacy section, the U.S. even notched its lowest score to date at 470; this represents a decline from the previous two tests, but it is not statistically significantly different from

Improving the Educational System Teachers are committed to challenging all students to succeed, whatever their abilities, interests, social and cultural background, gender, prior attainment or aspirations. As future teachers, we need to know the aspects of society, so that we can ensure that each one of our students is successful and achieves his or her potential through the education provided. In this paper, I will be using the articles from the Social Class/Race and School Finance section of the class to evaluate the effects of social stratification, cultural capital, and social reproduction, school financing, and school environment. Social stratification lies at the core of society and of the discipline of...show more content...

Teachers in both school interpreted parental involvement as a refection of the value parents places on their children's education success (Laueau, 1987).

The social reproduction theory can be widely seen in the Americaneducational system. Social reproduction is the theory that children tend to lead lives like those of where they where raised socially and economically. Social reproduction works in that children born/raised into a poor society where education is less valued and where a strong back and arm will get you a few dollars a week tends to lead those children towards a poor life. In the popular mind, school is the great equalizer: By providing a level playing field where the low and the mighty compete on an equal basis, schooling reminders social inequality superfluous (MacLeod, 1995, pg. 11). Reproduction theories, in contrast, show that schools actually reinforce social inequality while pretending to the opposite.(MacLeod, 1995 pg. 11)

The book "Ain't No Makin It" by Jay MacLeod represent strong evidence of the influence of cultural capital and the theory of social reproduction. "Ain't No Makin It" is a ethnography about two "gangs" in the projects of Clarendon Heights and their struggles of social reproduction. The two groups of teens, the

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The Future of Education

As teachers our primary concern should be the students and what type of learning environment will be best suited to meet their needs. There are many different opinions as top what the most effective or appropriate curriculum is for the students. I do not believe there is any one philosophy that can provide the ideal curriculum for each and every student. Just as there are numerous methods of teaching, there are also numerous ways to learn. It is essential that we keep this in mind as we help the students achieve their goals and discover their talents. Above all we must encourage the students to try new things and do what we can to prevent limiting them in any way.

I do not feel that I...show more content...

I think that many of the schools today merely try to prepare the students to move on to college and by doing so exclude the students who are gifted with other abilities that are equally important and useful in society, even though those talents may not necessarily be something that can be refined through a traditional four year college.

As a future teacher, I very strongly believe that students need to be shown practical applications of the concepts they are taught. For myself this is especially notable in mathematical applications. As teachers we need to not just show how to work through a problem: we need to show why it works and what it is useful for. Without something to apply the information to math is nothing more than a stream of numbers and formulas that students memorize for a specific test and then quickly forget. By demonstrating specific examples of applications the students will be able to retain some of the information easier and then adapt what they learn to other problems they encounter in the future.

Upon graduation I hope to begin teaching Math at the middle school or high school level. Geometry, Trigonometry, and Algebra would be my first choices of classes I would like to teach, but I feel I would enjoy teaching any of the other forms of math. I would prefer to teach in a rural area since that is the