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EDUC 200 - SIGNATURE ASSSIGNMENT

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? In other words, what are some factors that have helped these countries to
excel in the area of education? 
South Korea has a great educational system, which continues to improve. South Korea has a higher graduation rate than many
other countries, but also have very strict rules according to Ripley. The second country is Finland, they are successful, some of
the success comes from how much training the upcoming teachers must get and only a high achieving group of people can
become teachers. Poland was another country that has a good education system, they started off rough, but they have been
able to improve, and improvement means that their system is great. The fourth country is Australia, they have one of the top
educational systems in the world, with great class to teacher ratios and good treatment of teachers. These countries each
choose their teachers wisely, have their students work hard, and emphasize on the importance of their education; describing
what a great education will lead to such as a good paying job.
 
Question 2 – Based on what you learned in this course, do you think the top performing countries are influencing other
countries? In other words, describe how the countries which are listed highest in terms of PISA scores are having an effect on
other countries? 
Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macao have high PISA scores. Based on what I have learned, I believe that other countries look up to
these successful countries and try to seek what they are doing right. This is like Poland, how they adapted to many of the U.S
ways of education, in order to improve their own. All the countries compete to be the best, so they learn how to be better than
the best countries and learn their techniques. Overall, these countries each show each of the other countries what the bar is set
at, how to improve the education, but some other than Singapore, show which subjects cause more struggles than others for
students.

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.  
I do think that countries who pay little attention to educating its citizens will have a negative impact on the world in the future.
Based on the videos that we watched previously in this class where girls got limited education, it left them without opportunities
to at greater jobs because of the lack of skill. An example is if a country has 100 boys and 100 girls and there are 20 jobs for
undereducated people and 180 jobs are for those with an education, then only 100 of the educated jobs will be able to be taken,
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leaving 80 people without jobs and 80 jobs open, but the jobs couldn’t be filled because the 80 others do not have a significant
enough education. Ultimately this would hurt a country and eventually the world because there will be many people without
jobs and many jobs open, poverty will increase while business production decreases.

Question 4 - How does education in other countries compare to the system of education in the U.S. from your observations?
As Amanda Ripley described, Poland tried to learn from the U.S because they were intrigued by the scores. As of now though,
after much improvement, Poland has increased their efforts and scores. Finland placed a lot of trust in their students such as
letting them walk around, have free time, and more. This is like the U.S in some parts, I say some because students like Kim did
not experience the freedom like I did in school. In many countries, it is much harder to become a teacher, it takes a lot of work.
The U.S takes a lot of work to become a teacher, but it is not nearly as rigorous. The U.S parents were described in the book as
“cheerleaders” where in Korea, the teachers were described as “coaches”. This meaning that parents in the U.S support their
kids and set expectations, but in Korea the parents pushed their kids much more and did not give as much praise. Finland was
also described to have a more complex system before being bale to graduate, they have a big test that takes many hours, vs the
U.S which consists of passing a couple “overall” tests and present a project to graduate.

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 world (sadly). What are other groups of people that
are denied a good education?
Students with disabilities are also limited to the amount of education they get. Here in the U.S we have good systems put in
place in order to support students with disabilities, while other countries do not give these students great opportunities.
Students that start off with poverty are denied good education in some places around the world. In the U.S we have free public
education, but some things such as the increase in usage of technology, place barriers in front of students that come from
poverty. Other countries do not offer great education to those who come from poverty, they focus on the more advantaged
students and look away from the disadvantaged.

Question 6 - Thing about the things we discussed in this course – name some things you could now do differently in your
future classes because of the information learned in this course? In other words, we want you to be self-reflective (thinking
about your thinking) – tell us some things you could in your future class to make it better based on items we learned about
with regard to learning about educational systems around the world? It could things like helping diverse learners, or perhaps
being more aware about students who may live in more rural areas of your district and do not have access to technology
(these are just some ideas I had).
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I agree with the thinking about those students who do not have access to technology, this is something I believe is very
important to consider. With technology becoming so popular now days, many assume that everybody has access, but the reality
is that not everyone has access. This typically will put students behind and keep them behind. The next thing I learned is that
testing goes better when it is taken more seriously, although the U.S takes it serious, it is not nearly as serious as other countries.
I think other countries are too serious though so I would meet in the middle when prepping for tests. Students also need to be
trusted, especially at older ages, this makes them feel like they have a sense of responsibility when it comes to education. I think
depending what age I teach, I will try to allow my students to have a slight freedom that allows them to feel like they have a say
in their education. Like parents in the U.S and parents in Korea, I will combine their actions by being a cheerleader and a coach. I
will make sure my students work hard but also encourage their efforts.

(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.
My country would be named Pronoia. The capital would be Hakuna Matata. A country with the meaning of doing good and a
core of having no worries.

Question 7b – What would the population be? Big or small? Come up with a number. Why would be the size that you choose?
Would you want over 1 billion people in your country? Would you want under 1 million? Tell us why.
5 million, the more the merrier, but sometimes too many leads to higher risks of poverty, less available jobs, and more
complications. On the other hand to little means less businesses, less people to run businesses, and more complications as well. I
decided to go in the middle to decrease risks but increase businesses.

Question 7c - Do they have access to technology (very briefly tell us about technology in your country)?
Being that technology is becoming the core of day to day life, I think technology will have to be highly accessible in my country in
order to keep it successful. There will be laptops in schools for each student so no student is left behind, and there will be
lessons that teach the students how to use technology in ways that will help then in their future careers.

Question 7d – Would your country be mostly rural? Urban? Suburban? A combination? Why?
Pronoia will be a combination. I personally enjoy having the opportunity to live in a small town while still having opportunities to
go to bigger parts for fun. I would avoid having parts that have a higher risk of becoming a poor and without access. This is when
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a country starts to struggle, when there are parts that are overlooked. So I will avoid this to provide equal opportunities for all,
this will help the Pronoias have the chance to get a good education, good jobs, and overall be a country that avoids poverty.

Question 7e- Come up with at least 4 more facts/factors that would have impact they have on your country’s educational
system. In other words, think about conditions/factors that have led to the creation of great educational systems around the
world. Now, what condition/factors would like to see in your very own country?
This country has free K-12 education, like the U.S, which provides opportunities for all students. This country has free special
education schools, such as school for blind/deaf. The high schools and middle schools will have advanced opportunities for
students to ensure they can get ahead rather than have to stay at the same pace as peers when they are more advanced.
Teachers will be paid a lot, as schooling will be more difficult in terms of learning how best to handle many situations that may
come up. The teachers must know they are appreciated and respected, this will help motivate them to best teach their students.
Students will be encouraged to try hard but will also be rewarded and cheered on for their efforts.
OPTIONAL – If you would like to draw an outline of 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.
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