Science in Pictures: 2010

Popsci has put together "The Most Amazing Science Images of 2010."  Take a look through and tell me which one you find most amazing.

Pressure in high school

The New York Times, prompted by the documentary "Race to Nowhere," looks at the mounting pressure high school students face to accomplish more in order to achieve "academic" success and recognition.  In their section Room for Debate, they have invited a number of people to weigh in on the issue.  Please link to their section Stress and the High School Student and read at least two of the essays presented.  When done, please choose one to post a comment to.  When finished we will discuss in class.

How Does America Rank?

In an article from the December issue of Atlantic Monthly, Amanda Ripley looks at the growing gap between the U.S. and other nations in academic excellence.  In her article, Your Child Left Behind, Ripley looks at the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment where America scored far below a number of Asian and European nations. 

 In the past these types of results have been explained away by differences in who gets tested and the types of tests administered.  However, this article shows that the PISA not only is a more accurate measure of critical thinking and reasoning, but she goes on to break down the comparisons state by state.  Please take the time to look at the interactive graph that is included with the article.  The conclusions are troubling to me as an educator and I would welcome your thoughts on how it relates to you as students. 

When finished reading her piece, please offer your comments and we will also discuss in class.

Lincloln and Pericles

Over the weekend students in the English III class were to read Abraham Lincoln's The Gettysburg Address.  While hopefully being familiar with this document from History class, we will be analyzing it rhetorically.  Obviously it is historically significant, but we also recognize it as Lincoln's greatest speech.  In looking at his oration we should note the tone of the speaker as well as the cadence of the words and phrasings.  In addition, the power of the wording should be recognized, and students should look for particularly strong imagery, juxtapositions, repetitions, antitheses, and parallelisms.


While in class please read Pericles's funeral oration, recounted in The Pelopnnesian War by Thucydides (Good luck pronouncing that name).  That speech was given  more than 2,000 years before Lincoln's.  Questions you will answer in class include:

How does the tone of the speakers compare?

How does the language contribute to the sense of authority?

How are the shifts in tone and subject executed?*

In addition you may choose to look at Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address for further comparison.


*Ideas for discussion and questions for comparison taken from Teaching Non-Fiction in AP English by Renee H. Shea and Lawrence Scanlon

College versus career?

From The New York Times comes an interesting discussion on the value of a college degree in China.

If you are in my English III classes, please read the four articles included in the Room for Debate section entitled What is a College Degree Worth in China?  When finished reading choose one to post a comment about.

You might have to create an account to access this section, but I don't think being able to read The New York Times online is such a bad thing.

Workers at a toy factory in China

Running For His Life

From Texas Monthly: "Ten years ago, before he came to Texas and established himself as a world-class marathoner, Gilbert Tuhabonye cheated death at the hands of tribal warriors by running for his life. Now he wants you to run for yours."

For my English III classes, please read the article Running For His Life by Michael Hall.  Originally published in August of 2003, it provides an account of the genocide in Rwanda as seen through the experience of Gilber Tuhabonye.  Please read and be ready to discuss.  I would like you to focus on appeals to pathos and logos, narrative pacing, and organization.  Please feel free to add any comments before class.

Amazing 11 year old

From Ted.com, 11year old Birke Baehr gives a five minute presentation that amazes me for several reasons. 

Birke Baehr

First, he provides an amazing commentary on the problems with industrialized farms, challenging our views on food production. 

Second, I find it remarkable that someone at his age shows such passion and knowledge about a complex subject that escapes the grasp of most people. 

Third, he goes beyond just pointing out the problems and provides a vision of what agriculture should look like.

In teaching students on how to do persuasive speeches and problem speeches I am confronted with presentations that are lacking energy or creativity.  Its not a question of modeling as students know and have seen what effective speeches look like.  They have had practice that familiarizes them with being in front of an audience.  They get to choose their topics and can find any number of subjects that are of interest to them.  Yet, seldom do students demonstrate the passion that Birke shows in his talk.  What makes him so passionate and insightful, even at what we might consider a young age?

The potential resides in each student to do amazing things, but often the people I teach are hesitant and even resistant to extending outside their comfort zone.  It strikes me that inherently they avoid being creative and passionate regardless of the prodding and encouragement I give.  I would welcome any thoughts for what creates a disparity in, not abilities, but personal expectations among students.