Higher education in the U.S. helps to reproduce the dominant social relations and cultural patterns and ideologies of the society, and, yet at the same time it reforms and changes them. Higher Education systems in the U.S. are very vocal about their abilities to be "socially" "culturally" and "racially" diverse. They offer study-abroad programs to and from the school systems, and at Bellevue College in WA, they even offer specific designated parking for students studying abroad to their college (and the parking is closer than most of the parking spots).
Although this is great for colleges and even students (doing the study abroad programs) being so vocal about it almost creates a reproduction of culturally different aspects between students. When there are groups to distinguish one another based on culture, religion, etc, it creates unity AND divisions among students.
B. Classrooms as Ritual-Like Events
Holistically speaking, classes and classrooms are very strange. Classroom teaching is almost more of a religious event. Students sign up for classes (or don't depending on grade or institution) and are assigned a specific room and time to go to these 'meetings'. Each meeting consists of a teacher and their 'followers'. Each student knows that they, in a way, have less authority than their teacher and in turn know not to interrupt, and raise their hand when they want to say something. In some cultures students never talk during class, but rather wait for the very end of class to ask questions or directly speak to the professor. Students also face the professor who is standing and talking at the front of the classroom (showing a level of authority). Classes are ritual in that they take place on a weekly (or more than weekly) basis at the same place in the same time. If you compare class to a church ceremony or a sports event, they are at the same place, same time, every week.
C. Digital Nation- Kids & Technology
The New Digital Technologies in the American culture have greatly impacted the American formal education system. As technology continues to evolve, it brings with it new opportunities and challenges for educators and students. Social networking is a great example that can either help or hinder how teachers integrate teaching plans. In most American Education Institutions Chalkboards have all-together been replaced with projector-screens and in some cases "Smart Boards". Smart Boards (seen below) are interactive touch-screen boards or computer screens that students can work out problems on, draw on, write on, and even highlight stories on. In watching The PBS video, "Digital Nation" it talks largely about the impact technology has on student in college who multitask. Many of these multitaskers were constantly on a technological device, whether it be a laptop, a cellphone, a smart phone, ipod, (the list goes on and on) they personally and wholly believed that without a doubt they could do all of those things and study for tests with no impact to their brain's communication. Much to their astonishment, they were remarkably slower when faced with a task and asked to multitask in comparison to doing the task alone. Technology has changed how students interact with not only one another, but teachers and the world itself.
D. Changing Education Paradigms
In the short film RSA- Changing Educational Paradigms are observed and the current education system is analyzed. There were two main focus' in the video about the education system, HOW students are being taught and WHY students are being taught those things. Students have become a "manufactured date" rather than an individual or person, they come in the factory of school and in 12 years if they 'pass' their courses they leave with a diploma. And even then the education system has become so involved with getting kids in and out it doesn't have the time or money to focus on a child's personal needs. Everyone learns differently, some people learn better in large groups vs small groups, some learn visual or some just by reading a textbook, but all in all, teachers and professors alike don't have the time to teach students how they learn the best. This in turn creates "zombies of learning" where there is only one way of learning and everything is wrong. Creativity is smashed out of our children's lives and they are constantly being told, "no, that's wrong", "there's only one answer", "sit down", "be quiet" etc. The video proposed a study on divergent thinking and the process of it's depletion. They found that in 98% of Kindergarten children have a divergent way of thinking; interestingly enough the percentage dropped by an overwhelmingly large amount as a children went through the education system. A child isn't given a chance to have creative or divergent thinking.
I'm not sure how the way the education system is run can be changed. Money is lacking and the government isn't helpful. I know many parent (including mine) who chose to home school their children either all the way through school or partly. Although this isn't plausible, I think this could help in many situations as far as lack of creativity in classrooms. Another thing that could be done is (unless it's a distinct math problem) teaching children divergent thinking and not putting down creativity, and individualism.
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