I absolutely agree with you.  The cultural element perhaps is the most 
important consideration for understanding and perhaps improving the 
educational experience.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gerhard Fiedler" <lists@connectionbrazil.com>
To: <piclist@mit.edu>
Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2007 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: [OT] Units rant


> Rich wrote:
>
>> I don't know about the US having the worst education system in the world.
>
> Definitely not. I also think that this trend is not so much related to the
> educational system than to the culture as a whole.
>
>> I have been teaching college for some years and the students that have
>> come to me in the last decade are an embarrassment.  Most of them have
>> not developed basic reading and writing skills.  The can pronounce the
>> words they read (for the most part) but they have some difficulty in
>> ascertaining the meaning of what they have read.  The essay assignments
>> are in general a disaster.  But in every class there are a few students
>> who are brilliant and that is the redeeming value of teaching.
>
>>From what I hear and experience, this seems to be a widespread trend. I
> don't know why and how, but it seems that many such trends are almost
> global, transcending many different cultures. (I'd expect, without much
> knowledge, that e.g. China is different, though. But then, I'd expect that
> in some decades they eventually get caught up with this, too :)
>
> Gerhard
>
> -- 
> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
> View/change your membership options at
> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist 

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist