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EDUC 200 - SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT

Task 1. Big Picture Questions
Question 1 – Name 4 countries that have a great educational system. Based on what you learned in this course, what are 3
similarities that these countries have in common? What are some factors that have helped these countries to excel in the area
of education? 
There are many countries that have phenomenal educational systems: Finland, Korea, Poland, and China (more specifically
Shanghai). One big thing that these countries all have in common is their lower poverty rates (Poland being a slight exception).
Where poverty rates are lower, the PISA scores and the education systems tend to be better. Parents are also differently
involved when it comes to educating their children: instead of being their cheerleaders, they were more of a mentor/coach for
the school. Lastly, they all made sure to teach rigorous higher-order thinking by creating a serious intellectual culture in schools.
Each country did have a different method. Finland had a system built on trust. Children were trusted to learn high-order thinking
without a lot of parent involvement or competition. China and Korea, on the other hand, had a “pressure-cooker” type of model,
where competition was a huge motivating factor. Lastly, there is Poland which used a metamorphosis model to increase the
intelligence of its students.

Question 2 – Based on what you’ve learned in this course, do you think the top performing countries are influencing other
countries? Describe how the countries which are listed highest in terms of PISA scores are having an effect on other
countries. 
Yes, I do believe that top-performing countries are influencing other countries. I think Finland is setting a great example with
zero dropout rates and how high their education rates are. This can encourage other countries to focus on improving their PISA
scores. I think most countries are always going to want the top spot to show that they are “superior.” Other countries are also
able to see what improvements and how advanced these top countries are. This will continue to push other countries into
fighting for these top couple spots. We need this type of competition to try and ensure our education keeps improving.

 Question 3 – Do you think that countries who pay little or no attention to educating their citizens can/will have a negative
impact on the world in the future? Support your answer.  
I think that countries that pay little attention to educating their citizens will have a negative impact on both their citizens and the
world in the future. Their citizens will have a severe disadvantage if they ever choose to leave their country and may struggle to
find jobs and make a life for themselves. This may discourage other countries from continuing funding and focusing on educating
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its citizens. This can cause less evolved cities and countries that have lower amounts of critical thinking. If countries start to
lower their focus on education, this will reduce or halt how they evolve and the technological advancements that these countries
may make. However, on the other hand, it is possible that other countries will see the problems with the poorly educated
countries, and it could encourage other countries to increase their pay and focus on education.

Question 4 - How does education in other countries compare to the system of education in the U.S. from your observations?
I think that the United States is on the higher end when it comes to the education system. A great thing about the United States
is that it invests a lot of money into the education system, and in a public school people do have a decent education. Compared
to some rural villages in South America or Africa, the United States tries to allow for everybody to get an education, no matter
your pay stance, gender, or color. While the United States does invest a lot of money into its educational system, the money is
not exactly going into the right things. When we look at countries such as Finland, we can see that they have a fluid working
education system. Finland does not focus on test scores of the students and try to make sure that the students keep the
meeting. Instead, the end-of-year tests (the matriculation exams) just help the students, parents, and teachers all work towards
one goal, and see it outlined. The United States, on the other hand, gives a lot of tests and they rarely have meaningful effects on
students’ lives. Overall, I do think that the United States does have a pretty good education system.

Question 5 - Name some populations that are denied a good education? For example, we all know based on experiences in
this class that women and girls are denied a good education in parts of the world (sadly). What are the other groups of people
that are denied a good education?
People of color and children from low-income families are some of the populations that are unable to get a good education.
People of color have always been discriminated against and unfairly judged, while it has been minimized over the years, the
discrimination is still present. This can subtly deny them a good education, especially when looking at post-secondary education
or private schools. A decent amount of the colored population is also low-income; this can make it even more difficult to try and
obtain a good education. Low-income families do not have many choices when it comes to school, they usually must sign up
their children for public school, with little money to even get supplies for school. They tend to choose the school as close to
home as possible, so that their children can either walk or ride the bus. This is very bad because most schools in low-income
areas get even worse funding than other public schools, and can struggle to get good teachers, curriculum, and supplies for the
children. They also struggle to get a full secondary education, especially post-secondary, as they usually cannot afford to not
have a job.
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Question 6 - Reflect on the topics we've discussed throughout EDUC 200 – name some things you could now do differently in
your future class because of the information learned in this course.
I want you to be self-reflective (think about your thinking) – tell me what you could do in your future class to make it better
based on items we've learned about with regard to different educational systems around the world?
It could be things like helping diverse learners, or perhaps being more aware of students who may live in rural areas of your
district and don’t have access to technology (these are just some ideas I had).
I believe that when I become a teacher in the classroom, I will focus the most on two things: treating everyone equally (try to
give them equal opportunity) and focusing less on test scores and instead focusing on the outside application of the things we
learn in a classroom. While we like to think that everybody is equal and has equal opportunity, this is not necessarily true. People
from minority communities tend to have to fight harder to get a good education. I think it is important to try and create an equal
opportunity atmosphere in a classroom; an example of this is providing community calculators, pencils, or pens so children from
families who cannot afford these items can still use them. Then I would focus on the outside application of the knowledge that
you learn in school. This can help students who struggle testing-wise, due to personal reasons, but also allow those who cannot
afford post-secondary education to have some knowledge on how to apply what they learn in school to their work life.

(Questions 7a through 7e) Let’s say that you are the ruler of your own country - think about some of the factors/conditions
that go into having a great educational system. And please have a little fun with these questions, too.

Question 7a - What would be the name of your very own country? What would be the name of the capital of your country?
Make something up! Have fun, be silly.
The name of my country would be Alvah, and the capital would be named Veda.

Question 7b – What would the population of your country be? Big or small? Come up with a number. Why did you choose
that number? For example, would you want an incredibly large population, say over 1 billion or perhaps you want a very small
population, under 1 million? Tell me why you chose the population size you decided on.
I would choose to have around a two million people population. I think it is near the lower end, but still big enough to create
beautiful cities and be able to fend for ourselves. We would be able to have technological advancements and would not have to
be fully dependent on others around us. However, I still would want a smaller country to keep a good community and still have a
close-knit country feel.
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Question 7c - Do they have access to technology (very briefly tell us about technology in your country)?
Yes! My country would have as much access to technology as possible. They would still be able to create advancements and
wonderful places to live. There would be internet and access to decent technology, but the reality would probably be that they
would have to somewhat rely on other countries for some other technological advancements.

Question 7d – Would your country be mostly rural? Urban? Suburban? A combination? Why?
I think my country would be mostly suburban. While there would be urban and rural areas throughout the land, most of the
towns would be suburban. I think this is how most countries are, while you always hear about the big cities, the countries
themselves are mostly suburban and rural. I think suburban is a perfect mix of a “traditional” household, where there tends to
be a couple with a few kids, around a working to middle-class pay mark.

Question 7e- Come up with at least 4 more facts/factors that would have an impact on your country’s educational system.
Think about conditions/factors that have led to the creation of great educational systems around the world. Now, what
condition/factors would you like to see in your very own country?
I would like to think that my country would have a low poverty rate; this can be very beneficial when it comes to giving students
the best opportunity of success. I would hope that my country had an education-based culture, that finds light and benefit in it
(despite the fatigue that it may cause). This will help people view school as important and take it seriously. My country would
also have one official language: English; however, most schools would also have German-speaking teachers too (I envision my
country as an island near Europe). Lastly, I would like my country to focus on the mental health and well-being of others. This
can help people stay healthy with a clear mind, without all the extra debris fogging up the mind. Mental clarity is a huge success
when it comes to the basis of education.