1 of 10

Slide Notes

DownloadGo Live

The smartest kids in the world...

Published on Nov 18, 2015

No Description

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

The smartest kids in the world...

And how they got that way

Quick facts

  • Written by Amanda Ripley
  • Addresses education gaps in first-world countries
  • Uses personal accounts to show learning differences
  • Uses PISA scores to rank countries
  • Genre: Non-fiction

NewAmericaFoundaition. "The Smartest Kids in the World and How they Got That Way". Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Aug 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014. >

More boring learn-y stuff

  • PISA scores had a one-one correlation to economic prosperity
  • Math was deemed most important for economic success
  • America's scores on the English section were not very bad,
  • ...but the Math section was abysmal. 
  • Finland ranked first for education. 
Weisenthal, Joe. "Here's The New Ranking Of Top Countries In Reading, Science, And Math". Business Insider. Dec 3, 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pisa-rankings-2013-12#ixzz2zf372nbm

Eric's story

  • Eric moved from the high-performing Minnesota to South Korea
  • Korean students LIVED at school, and went to after-school hagwons
  • Math class was taught at a higher level
  • High pressure for grades - fatigue, airplanes, cheating, illegal schools
  • Eric's personal sexuality struggle
NewAmericaFoundaition. "The Smartest Kids in the World: Eric". Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Aug 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014. >

Tom's Story

  • Lived in small village in Pennsylvania, studied in Poland
  • Was bored in American high school, had no drive
  • Poland has radically improved education despite poverty rate
  • Perhaps technology
  • More of a challenge for Tom
NewAmericaFoundaition. "The Smartest Kids in the World: Eric". Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Aug 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014. >

Kim's Story

  • From Oklahoma to Finland (#1)
  • They don't try to 'make it fun': students see it as an opportunity
  • The entire country reveres teachers, there is more respect
  • Teacher examinations are rigorous - only a 20% acceptance
  • Teachers are 'shadowed' by peers
NewAmericaFoundaition. "The Smartest Kids in the World: Eric". Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Aug 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014. >

Kim's Story 2

  • Kids more dedicated than honors students in the U.S.
  • 8 prestigious teaching unis with a difficult exam, HIGH salary
  • You will never see a school hire a coach for part-time teaching
  • Kim's personal financial issues
  • You'll probably fail. Everyone fails.
NewAmericaFoundaition. "The Smartest Kids in the World: Eric". Online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, Aug 2013. Web. 22 Apr 2014. >

Themes

  • Education/ Quest for discovery 
  • Social mobility
  • Societal and personal struggles
  • Perseverance through hardship
  • Love and family relations

what i liked

  • Circular Arguments/ Appeal to Ignorance - used by administrators
  • Comparison and analogy - Korea and jail
  • Concession - Ripley leaves the answer RE: education to us
  • False Dilemmas - also used by school administrators
  • Points of view
Ripley, Amanda. The Smartest Kids in the World and How they got That Way. Simon and Schuster. 2013. Print. 22 Apr 2014.