Twenty-two minutes, under different circumstances, could go by in an instant or so slow it actually feels like time is coming to a halt. We could be surfing the web or reading a good book and not even give much thought to how much time has just passed, yet while we wait in a long line, to get school IDs or lunch, we are constantly checking the time and wondering why the line is moving so slow. However, while twenty-two minutes might not be enough time to do a wide variety of activities, it definitely seems to be enough time to solve a mathematical problem. But would you dedicate an entire twenty-two minutes to solve a single mathematical problem to the point where you fully understand the reasoning behind it? Many of us would probably say yes, but when it comes down to actions, we would probably give up and ask for help or just find the answer without really knowing why that is the answer. This lack of determination is one of the main educational differences between our country and the countries which we are being leveled with due to the flattening of the world. And since this difference puts us at a great disadvantage in a global educational perspective, we need to aim at improving the way we learn in order to improve our chances of success in a flat world.
The reference to the twenty-two minutes needed to solve and understand a mathematical problem is derived from an example in Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. In his book, Gladwell mentions a videotape made by Alan Schoenfeld, a math professor at Berkeley, which clearly demonstrates the importance of determination in solving a troubling problem (239-244). The participant in the video, a woman named Renee, is using a computer program and is given the task to find the slope of a vertical line directly over the y-axis. Failing to recall basic “middle-school algebra,” (240) it takes her a good twenty-two minutes to realize that “a vertical line has an undefined slope” (240) and thus can’t be done. Gladwell goes on to say that while Renee never gave up until finding an answer and understanding the logic behind it, Schoenfeld learned from a group of high school students that they only take an average of two minutes to attempt finding an answer to their individual homework problems (245). Such time differences are an example of how little importance our country is placing on the education needed to maintain the upper hand in today’s world. Realizing the positive impact determination in mathematical problem solving can have on a country, Gladwell concludes by making us “imagine a country where Renee’s doggedness is not the exemption, but a cultural trait” (246-247).
In The World is Flat 3.0, Thomas Friedman also understands the importance of “a very high ethic of education” (212). While we attend school five days a week and are relieved to have numerous breaks throughout the school year, in India, students in an “intensive, seven-days-a-week class” are “rapt…[and] eager” (213). Proof of their hard work is evident through studies that show it “sent more students to college in the United States in 2004-2005 than did any other country in the world” (213).
I can easily recall certain instances throughout my education where I have lacked the determination to fully understand a concept or where I have taken the easy way out, and in certain aspects does provide some disadvantage in the long run as I continue my education. The most recent experience involves the CLA Assessment. Although I knew it was important to a certain extent, the length of the exam ultimately led me to become slightly vague in my responses as the assessment came to an end. I might not see the consequences of such a decision at the moment, just like the United States is currently not being greatly affected by the lack of intellectual determination in many students, yet in the future such carelessness might have a significant impact. Going back to our high school years, many of us could also probably remember those classes in which we would constantly keep our eyes on the time and instead of focusing on the material given by our instructor we would focus our thoughts on the plans we had for the day. I can also recall the times when I would be relieved to know that our high school calculus class, instead of speeding up in order to catch up to the syllabus, would be fine with not covering the more advanced topics later in the semester. Such decisions seemed fine at the moment, but now that I am currently taking Calculus I at Southwestern, I sometimes wish our high school calculus teacher wouldn’t of have been so complacent with our desires.
Overall, I believe the United States needs to implement a solution in order to prevent its students from becoming complacent in their studies. We need to realize we will inevitably need to increase our drive to improve the academic determination of our country. It seems that if we fail to take action right now before it’s too late, we will be at a great disadvantage in the future as countries continue to become part of the flat world in which we live in.
I think the problem is that we, in the US, see public school as a mandatory nuisance while students in developing countries see school as an opportunity to become successful and raise their standards of living. It's all about perspective.
ReplyDeleteAlso, reading the first couple of paragraphs made me think of how our actions might cause other countries to judge and label us. If we give up on a problem and take the easy way out then we're lazy and complacent. But if we finally figure out the solution by taking ten times as long as people from other nations then we're just unintelligent.
I think that we are so spoiled. Well, not spoiled, but we do not see the blessings we have. We are lazy. Oh, America. :) You made some very valid points. I love the introduction. It caught my attention, and it forced me to see how easily I give up. Wonderful paper. :)
ReplyDeleteI think that the saying "time flys when your having fun" truly holds true. We are much more incline to spend more time on facebook or work on iTunes, then to sit down and work on homework. It goes hand in had with dirty little secret #3 the ambition gap that Friedman talks about. Good evidence, you make very good points.
ReplyDeleteYou make a great example of America's ambition deficiencies in your paper. I wonder if there will be some type of "ambition cycle" throughout the centuries. America had little, which bred ambition and success. We now have much and are lazy. Will India, having little but with great ambition also reach a point of wealth and complacency in the long term? And then will this start anew? I'm on top, now you're on top, now I'm on top gain.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that hard work and determination of the type in your examples is what Americans need to succeed. High school students may only be willing to spend a little time on math problems, but time is limited, so you have to look at the trade-off. What if instead of spending all that time on the math homework they are forced to do, they use their extra time doing creative things, like say designing software they can get someone else to do the actual math (or programming) for? If the "flattened world" allows everything like math to be outsourced, isn't it more important for students to be learning things that capture their interest and fuel their creativity (which cannot be outsourced)?
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