TECHNICIAN
Common Core transforms education Sara Awad Staff Writer
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that are important to accomplish : building a relationship, being efficient and effective at getting a contract, and good budgeting. Unlike American business meetings, Chinese meetings are particularly informal and are typically conducted in restaurants or out on other social venues such as a sauna. The point of these arrangements are to get to know the person you may be partnering with in business on a more personal level, and understand their character beyond formalities. That
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The push for standards in general comes heavily out of the No Child Left Behind policy, Martin said, but he said he was cautious about setting standards that are too prescriptive as it limits teachers to covering what the standards outline and create too much emphasis on content, rather than learning and critical thinking skills. “The problem is…everyone is trying to cram too much in, making learning as though it is about content, and I will argue very strongly that learning is more about process and critical thinking than it is about any content,” Martin said. “Your
of today’s modern world. The three presentations were judged by a panel of four people on the basis of communication, teamwork and overall appearance. The winners, Will Tsang an junior in biology; Vincent Jiang an International Exchange Program student who is planning to matriculate into the physics department; Kern Zheng an IEP student planning to matriculate into the computer science department; and Peter Li an IEP student planning to matriculate into the mathematics department, discussed Chinese business ethics
and how to enjoy a good dinner with a potential business partner. Taking home top honors meant $1,000 in prize money. Their presentation informed the viewers of nuances about Chinese culture which may not be apparent to the layman and how to apply those cultural aspects to form a lasting business relationship over dinner. First and foremost Chinese culture is well known for its humility, and therefore it is of the utmost importance that guests are respectful and humble. When planning a banquet, the group noted three things
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The N.C. State Steward program, a new sustainability movement, will come to campus this fall. The Steward program, unlike other on-campus environmental groups, will attempt to consider the challenges facing the environment more holistically, and integrate economic and social aspects into their advocacy. As ambassadors for environmental advocates, the Stewards hope to collaborate with other environmental groups by holding workshops, presentations and campus events. Although it is supported by the University Sustainability Office, Rebekah Dunstan, the Steward program coordinator, emphasized that it is more than just an environmental group. “We want to make sure it’s more than just environmental and that we include all aspects,” Dunstan said. “They will be educating their peers and the rest of the N.C. State community about socially, economically and environmentally responsible behaviors.” The social aspect comes from making environmental decisions that will not harm others, and puts understanding of the environment first. “They are also just to serve as role models to inspire other peers who have sustainable behaviors,” Dunstan said. Brian Iezzi, steward and sophomore in textile engineering, said an example of economically beneficial actions would be purchasing locally grown foods and products. Carla Davis, the communication coordinator, said with this program will bring many benefits to the already sustainable culture of the University. “At the end of the day, we hope that they will make N.C. a more sustainable place,” Davis said. “It is a way of giving back to the university.” The idea comes from various universities across the country, but with their own spin on it. “We picked the name ‘State Stewards’ because we tried to move away from Eco-reps at a lot of universities,” Iezzi said. “We didn’t want to just be Ecoreps because we are not only just concerned about the ecosystem or only concerned about the environment. We are concerned about students’ social decisions and economical decisions too.” Iezzi was attracted to the Stewards Program because its interdisciplinary approach to environmental affairs, and the recognition that the environment is much more than just a scientific or ecological problem. “I saw that there was a lot of enthusiasm for environmental and sustainable movements on campus, but there wasn’t a lot of connection between every group and a lot of moving forward in one direction,” Iezzi said. “I think the State Stewards will help bring together a lot of different groups and do as much as possible.” Dunstan hopes the Stew-
Common Core
rely on prior knowledge to answer questions. Spires said requiring students to find answers in the text will increase vocabulary skills and give them a higher ability to work with concepts, allowing them to do better on standardized tests. Valerie Faulkner, teaching assistant professor for elementary education and Senior Research Fellow at the Friday Institute, said the new math standards will create more integration between mathematical topics, because subjects like algebra and geometry are intertwined with one another and are taught together in courses like Common Core 1.
‘Green’
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best education is going to come if I teach out of my experience.” Michael Maher, Director of Professional Education, said he supports the new standards as both teachers and experts helped design them. He argues the consistent standards will allow the public to see more direct comparisons on a national scale. Kenneth Bernstein, a retired and award-winning high school social studies teacher, as well as a nationally known writer on educational policy, said uniform standards will
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NME students propose business ideas Chinese students discuss business deals As part of their end of the year presentations for the New Mind Program, three groups of international students gave presentations discussing the bridge between education and cultural immersion. NME runs international educational programs for study abroad students. The organization was founded to help students and educational institutions quickly adapt and respond to the global landscape
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Liz Moomey
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eco-issues
Foreign exchange students in the New Mind Education program receive an award after placing first for their presentation at Crossing the Chinese Border Thursday, April 18 in Park Shops. The event was held to allow exchange students from China to discuss their research on building cross-cultural relationships between China and the United States.
Tim Gorski
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Raleigh, North Carolina
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North Carolina is among 45 states that have adopted new national standards that seek to make education in the United States more uniform, through a system called the Common Core Standards. Sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, these standards were developed to create a consistent set of objectives for K-12 education between states. James Martin, professor of chemistry and a member of the Wake County Board of Education, said “There is concern that there has been too much variability, depending where you are, and that is not seen as good.” The standards only apply to mathematics and English language arts, which Martin said he would attribute to the objectivity of the subjects. “It’s further separated from political or social philosophies and so it’s more likely the thing that you could get national standards on,” Martin said. Science worries policy makers because they don’t know what to do about evolution, while civil rights causes discord when creating standards for history, according to Martin. Hiller Spires, professor of education and Senior Research Fellow at the Friday Institute and College of Education, said the standards for English education include shifts for increasing text complexity, close readings of informational text, and the grounding of answers within the text instead of having a student
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