Isreali classrooms among the world’s most crowded

This article published in YnetNews.com on the 10th of May exposes the extent in which classrooms in Isreal are over crowded and, it can be assumed; less effective in teaching approaches.

Over-crowding in Isreali Schools Photo: Ilan Mizrahi, Ynet.com

According to the OECD’s study, there is an average of 32.8 students per class in Israeli middle schools, compared to an average of 23.8 in other developed countries. Israeli elementary school classes contain an average of 27.5 students, compared to 20.2 in other developed countries.

The article is split into two sections. First; the basic information; the who, what, when, where, why, and how. The next session is about the governemntal responce to the claims, and the steps needed to improve education in Israel.

The article finished with Knesset’s Education Committee Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev, calling for an ‘emergency meeting’; so heaps of potential for follow stories. Furthermore, there is a link into a story about decline test results, underpaid techers and more on the overcrowded classrooms. Stories comparing the state of education in Israel to other Middle Easter nations would be interesting, especially in light of current conflicts through the region.

This publication caters to a Jewish audience who’s;

…intent is to provide you an information and leisure service that will be a tool for decisions, studies, entertainment and management of your daily lives. Ynet will be at your service all the time, in every place.

so seeing stories about education in this publication, is not so much a big deal, and actually a point of interest for its’ target audience.

Student’s face burnt in science accident

Posted on the ABC on the 6th, the article is a short news story on a chemestry accident went wrong.

An 18-year-old man is in hospital with acid burns after a chemistry experiment went wrong at a Melbourne school.

The student was taking part in the experiment in the yard of the South Yarra school, in Melbourne’s inner south-east, when a container of acid was dropped and he was splashed in the face.

He is being treated for minor burns to the forehead.

The 3 sentence article covers the who, what, where and how, but the reader is left without a when. It was interesting have this tagged as education, even though it happened at a school, it does not really have that much to do with education. However, soem follow up stories would be an investigation into saftey in school science labs and any other similar incidents that have occured in the past.

Tests a turn-off for teachers

So, firstly, before I start on this article, I want to change my opinon on the previous artcle about it being short. Being an article on the interent, space is not an issue, so I guess stories can be as long (or as short) as the writer wants.

So now: this article, published on ABC News on the 2nd of May about the teacher’s reaction to news of a reccomendation made by the government to test new teachers on numeracy and literacy before joining the profession.

Queensland students. Picture from: ABC TV news

The union’s Terry Burke says it is a knee-jerk response.

“It doesn’t encourage anyone to remain a teacher and it also disencourages, I would think, those people who may be contemplating becoming a teacher,” he said.

“If you’re so little regarded as a teacher that you have to do a maths and science test before you can become a teacher then there’s not too much attraction in staying in the profession.”

As this is a fairly recent story, there is heaps of room for follow up stories. Stories could be done on the results that cuased this reccomendation (the poor results by Queensland students). Also, the process that new teachers have to take to get into the proffession.

Conflict is a major element in this article as well as playing on the prospect of not having fresh teachers willing to educate the next generation.

Teach For Australia

This short article published on the April 22nd, in The Australian, documents new initiatives announced byt eh Australian governemnt to lift the standards of under privilages schools in the country.

FEDERAL Education Minister Julia Gillard yesterday announced Victorian not-for-profit group Teach for Australia had won the tender for the Council of Australian Governments’ New Pathway into Teaching initiative, starting in 2010.

The group’s model involves high achievers, called associates, committing themselves to disadvantaged high schools for two years, after which they are awarded a qualification of diploma standard or higher.

The Government is in final negotiations over which university will provide the scheme’s teacher training component. Associates can opt to remain in teaching or receive preferential treatment from recruiters for corporate partners.

TFA chief executive Melodie Potts Rosevear told the HES: “At the moment many choose not to enter teaching partly because we need to make it attractive to them. One of the ways we do this is to make sure that the business partnerships we have provide job opportunities at the conclusion.”

Data from Teach for America shows more than half of those who tried the arrangement stayed into a third year.

Yep. That’s the entire article.

I think the lack of detail is a credit to lack of new direction or a desire for just straight out reporting. Also, the lack of refrencing or information into the study done in America does not give creedit tot his article. It owuld have been good for more detail to build public support for this program. You’r enot even told how long the program will last for or  how many people it will encompass or effect.

I would definitly go into more research, especially the nature of the study done in America, and any similiarities or differences this would have in the Australian education system. It’s a totally different deographic that we;re dealign with. The sociological and cultural implications are not mentioned, neither is the cost of the program. These are all questions that could be raised and researched further.

Re-learning Afghanistan

This article published on the 26th of April on the web-based publication University World News details plans announced by the  Afghan government to rebuild the  higher-education system. The UN backed program is aimed at  equipping and quilifiing individuals to meet the needs of the nation’s reconstruction and economic growth:

Halim [Nazar Mohammad Halim, of the faculty of science of Kabul University] said there were complex and almost overwhelming pressing needs for Afghanistan to rebuild its higher education sector. There were critical shortages of professionals such as engineers, technicians, administrators, accountants, agriculturists, and business leaders to meet the needs of reconstruction and economic growth, as well as an urgent requirement for well-educated and trained leadership in all sectors of the economy.

The article builds the plans of reforms and progress in the Afghan educatrion system as a great thing, using active and emotive words such as “dramatic progress”. This fits in with the goals of the publiucation; who aim to keep scholars and the public updated with advancements in the higher education field.

Nineteen higher education institutions have reopened their doors and enrolment has jumped from 4,000 students in 2001 to 37,000 in the autumn of 2007.

The government, for the first time, has encouraged the establishment of good-quality private higher education institutions with proper incentives and quality control mechanisms.The American University of Afghanistan established in 2006 and located in the Karte Se area of Kabul, is the nation’s first private higher education institution. It offers three undergraduate degrees, as well as intensive English-language preparation courses and professional development training.

The article brings hope to readers when you consider the extent of how war-torn this nation is.

Quality quotes enforce this notion:

“These universities are good steps towards increasing capacity building and encouraging the return of Afghan scientists who migrated to Europe, the United States, and Pakistan during over decades of war,” Halim said. “As well as assisting Afghanistan to re-emerge from decades of war and civil strife.” 

Indian Education Fair

(From left) A K Srivastava, Principal, Birla Public School; Anju Banerjee, Chairperson and Managing Director, EdCIL India Limited; Arathi Obroi, an official of BPS; and Dr Mohan Thomas, President of the Management Committee of BPS, at a news conference yesterday. SALIM MATRAMKOT. Picture from: The Penisula Online

 

The article from the 23rd of April in the online Indian news publication The Peninsula On-line is a classic news story, taking the standard who, what, where, when, why and how form.

Interestingly, the Education Fair (which the article is about) is aimed at prospecgtive international students, looking for a university.

The Indian government has authorised EdCIL for the placement of international students seeking admission in institutions in India. This is first Indian education road show being organised by EdCIL in Qatar.

“India, with its hundreds of top-ranking universities and higher education institutions, offers good opportunities for students worldwide. A wide spectrum of internationally recongnised courses and study programmes are available in the county at a very reasonable cost. This education fair is our first initiative to raise awareness among Indian and foreign students here about the higher education scenario in India,” Anju Banerjee, chairperson and managing director, EdCIL said in a press conference yesterday.

 

I think it would be interesting to see what the government offers for local students; like what opportunities are on offer for INdian students, especially when:

EdCIL will act as the local guardian for the students being recruited through it to various Indian institutions. “All the student’s fees will be paid through EdCIL and the institutions will not be able to levy any additional fees other than those agreed upon during the placement interviews,”

(EdCIL = Educational Consultants India Limited ) .

When religion and education meet

Published on the 23rd of April, this story from the SMH  continues the on-going saga about the Muslim school propposed for Camden.

This story is a hybrid of education and religion, documenting the public out cry when education and religion of a non-western background come against a town with country values.

The article focus more on the conflict between residence and the proppsed school, with the opening paragraph made of an awesome quote form one of the more outspoken residence:

AN Islamic school in Camden would be “a breeding ground for terrorists”, says a resident who gave evidence in support of Camden Council at an appeal against its decision to block the school.

Judith Bond said the school would teach war and how to kill.

“Values of violence will be emphasised. It will be a breeding ground for terrorists … There will be a surge of gang rapes, looting and attacking infidels,” Ms Bond said.

I think this could come into the ‘conflict of what should be taught in schools’ catagory, espcially as education is a tool in shaping the values of individuals.

The remaining bit of article focuses more on the religous side of the debate, with responces from the CDP and other Christian residence.

Schooliness

Something I found interesting from the blog page on Change.com called “On the Evils of Schooliness”

So what is “schooliness”?

I have no idea. But that’s not a problem: I’m a teacher. I’m quite comfortable speaking with confidence on subjects I know dangerously little about. That’s why I don’t believe in computers in my classroom. My students have me. I’m the teacher. And they have the textbook. What more could they need? Pluto’s a planet, the Soviet Union still exists. The textbooks say so in text and maps, and that settles it. Next question?

Fans of Stephen Colbert will note that “schooliness” riffs on Colbert’s “truthiness,” which won the Word of the Year awards from the American Dialect Society in 2005, and from Merriam-Webster in 2006.

Colbert, in a serious interview as himself, instead of as his Bill O’Reilly satire persona, had this to say about “truthiness”:

“Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don’t mean the argument over who came up with the word…”

I think “schooliness” is tearing something apart too: our students’ – and some teachers’ – attitudes toward school. Something about the hell of school at its worst does violence to the heaven of learning at its best.

I know it’s not actually news… But interesting nonetheless

Teach Human Rights

From the SMH.

This article came from a push by human rights lawyer and member of the Queens Council (QC) – Georffrey Robertson in comments made at Canberra’s  National Public Education Forum held over the 27th and 28th of March.

Robertson is advocating teaching a compalsary human rights course in all Australian public schools, similar to that introduced in British schools.

Mr Robertson said the departments of justice and school education had evaluated a trial of the new subject in Hampshire and found it helped energise students and improve their behaviour. It also helped improve their self-confidence. Teachers reported it had made their jobs more enjoyable.

Among the course tasks, students were asked to consider a fictional set of school rules that included statements such as “teachers may hit students at any time”, “students must convert to the head teacher’s religion”, “teachers can go through students’ bags at any time and examine their property” and “anyone who criticises the new rules will be punished”.

Students were also encouraged to call talkback radio programs and write letters to the editor to develop their ability to think critically about world events.

Mr Robertson said the new course would form a solid basis for teaching students about values. He was critical of the approach former education minister, Brendan Nelson, had taken with posting value statements on school walls.

However, it seemed like the underlying motive of Robertson’s comments was to advocate for equality between the public and private sectors of education:

After hearing the Education Minister, Julia Gillard, address the conference on Friday night, Mr Robertson said she had failed to address the need to make public education a first priority.

“A real [education] revolution will come when state schools set the standards,” he said. “Then, and only then, will we have equity.”

The article relies on a conflict and comparison to captivate readers, and is another article in the debate on how and what should be taught in schools.

It seems like topics reported on education to come down into 3 catagories:

• What should be taught
• How should it be taught
• Scandal (teachers with students, cheating etc)

And really; all of these come down to the basic premise of conflict.

Laptops for learners. Vietnam’s Youth Month campaign.

This short article on the editorial page is form the Vietnaese online publication “Thanh Nien” on the 5th of March.

 

Thanh Nien newspaper and PetroSetco Distribution Co. have donated 100 laptop computers to needy school children in the central province of Quang Nam as their contribution to the National Youth Month campaign.

Valued at over VND10 million (US$572.22) each, the laptops were given to twelfth-graders with good marks as enticements to keep studying hard.  Youth Month, which calls on young people to work for the betterment of society, was launched by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union on Saturday. PetroSetco Distribution is a unit of PetroVietnam and engages in a variety of fields.

This publication is an official organ of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth League (Đoàn Thanh niên Cộng sản Hồ Chí Minh) whose main focus is on youth affairs. As Vietnam is a communist nation, content distributed would very likely be a method of encouraging socialist ideas and the media sector is controlled by the government. However, some newspapers remain relatively outspoken. Hopefully this publication is one of them.

This short editorial shows support for their publications assistance of school kids, as well as promoting the ‘PetroSetco Distribution’ who is part of the ‘PetroVietnam’ which is the trading name for The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group who provides petrol and gas for Vietnam.

This is an example of media implanting and encouraging the ideaologies of those who control it. Even though it would be obvious coming from a communist nation, it reflects the workings of other corporations such as the Rupert Mordoch’s empire.