the return of Exo!

Synchronicity is real.

Heck, maybe ESP is real.

I can't tell you how many times, now, I've thought "WHERE is so-and-so," so-and-so being a ktm Commenter who hasn't commented in a long time. The next thing I know, I read the site and there s/he is!

Just this week, I was thinking, "I miss Exo."

And presto chango, here is Exo!

Math in Ukraine - some impressions from my trip

I spent July in Ukraine, visiting my family and friends. My son (now almost 9) finally realized that mom and dad are not the only relatives he has. Anyway, from our observations of life of kids (school age) and interactions with people, a few things really stand out. And math is one of them.

First, for my son, the trip was educational in many respects. Learning to multiply two- and three-digit numbers in his head seemed easy for him. My husband's grandmother, 73 years old, a teacher for 50 (!) years and still going - taught my son the method of mental multiplication in less than an hour. And mind you, she teaches high school language and literature (both Russian and Ukrainian). My son loved it!

Second, one really needs to calculate fast there...(I forgot that in all these years in the states). Food is bought primarily at the farmer's markets. And any "sales person" (most often, a farmer's wife or a kid), will calculate the price for "2kg and 400g of tomatoes" in their heads. And you'd better be as fast as they are, or you may be cheated. I felt pretty safe sending my son to do shopping - at least I was sure he can calculate the right change.

Third, my son played with some random kids - in the streets, on the beach, -some were younger, some were older. But even the younger kids act and look more mature then my son. All of them could do multiplication, division, addition, subtraction fast and efficient in their heads. And most of the kids are really physically fit. They run, climb, walk. My son could not compete with them (and comparing to his classmates here, he is pretty skinny and well trained!)

Fourth, Ukraine changed the years of schooling to 11 (they tried 12 for at least 5 years); kids still can officially finish their schooling after 9th grade. Those who do not want to continue being in school, can go to vocational/technical schools or start working as they are.

Fifth, the official workload of a teacher (full-time position) counting the time in-from of the students is... 18 hours a week! The rest of the time is for planning, meetings, collaboration. The workday ends "as soon as everything is done". Kids are in school usually until 1 or 2 pm. No more than 7 periods a day (and that's more than I had when I was in school - never more than 6!) .

Schedule is different for every day of the week; the courses are still taught in vertical strands - physics begins in grade 6 and continues until grade 11, twice a week etc. Algebra begins in grade 6, along with geometry ( but taught as separate subjects) . I think they added more of calculus to 11th grade, but kept the earlier grades with the same sequence/pace as I had.

By any means, I was glad to learn that elementary/middle grades education is still solid in Ukraine. Because later -well, it too late!

(By the way, Ukraine does standardized testing - in 11th grade, math and language/literature. The results are submitted to colleges/universities. The results count for kids, but not for teachers. As my husband's grandmother put it, in the last grades, it is too late to teach things that were supposed to be learned earlier. But for the promising kids, the kids who showed that they want to continue their educations - the teachers ensure that the test are passed well (if you know what I mean).

As we returned to the US, unfortunately (or fortunately), I keep seeing and comparing. My son wanted to take karate classes. But I do not see the instruction/learning. I see "Mommy's treasure" - Good job! Did you have fun, my dear? And I look at that "dear" and at my son and I see them doing a lousy kiba-dachi and fooling around. And I really wish that instructor would yell or better hit my son (well, it's karate, you do things for a reason!) so he learns fast and effective - humility, obedience, and the right position. Well, we'll get home and my son will owe me 40 push-ups.

exo attends a professional development presentation

We recently had a PD which was called "Differentiated Use of Textbook". The presenter, former elementary school teacher from PA, started withe following: "The textbooks are boring, they contain too much dry information and too littl pictures and connections to technology".

Mind you, she presented to a high school teachers. Especially in math and science, it's common among us to be annoyed with extremely heavy textbooks with TOO MANY pictures and TOO LITTLE of information so we rarely request that kids carry textbooks to class relying on lectures and for homeworks they use online versions.

Now, this whole differentiated textbook talk can be summarized a s following: sorry, kids can't read. So let's group them together and do this activity, and that activity, and this one activity so they will not need a textbook at all! And everyone will feel better, because stronger kids can go and research more online! And weaker kids can be assigned points for participation!

Grrr........

Temple Grandin would say this is an example of "the bad gets normal."

Thoughts on teaching Physical Science

As of now, I am preparing to leave Catholic School for Girls and move back to teaching in public high school. I feel sorry for the students who will see another change in the teaching staff (in the last four years, this school saw 3 Biological Science teachers, 3 Chemistry/Physics Teachers, and 4 Principals come and go).



When I got the position there and was assigned to teach Physical Science, Biology, Anatomy, and Environmental Science, I realized that I came to an empty well - there was no curriculum plan (the list of objectives for science courses found in the office binder belonged to another school and was so vague that it could not help me), no teacher manuals for disciplines - nothing except the textbooks and a lab supply room full of 20 -year old "supplies". I knew the curriculum for biology but had no idea what should be taught in physical science (I don't think NY schools teach physical sience at all!), anatomy, or environmental science. So I worked from scratch and created my own curriculum maps. And as I did it, I understood that perhaps the most important course of all in this sequence, the one that required the most effort from me was Physical Science. So I wrote a letter to whoever will take my position to save that teacher some effort and prevent some common (as I saw in upper grades) problems growing from students not knowing the basics.



Here is the excerpt from this letter:

Dear fellow teacher:
As you are getting ready to teach sciences at xxxxx, even if you are a seasoned sciences teacher, please take few minutes to read this - it may help you to understand the major goals of the science courses sequence used in this school as well as to organize your planning and instruction. Also, it is some practical advice based on my experience of teaching here. Even though you will find the curriculum objectives (not really re-worked) and my syllabi, this may be still useful.

The sequence of science courses is as follows:
1) Physical Science – 9th grade
2) Biology – 10th grade
3) Chemistry – 11th grade
4) Physics – elective for juniors/seniors with pre-requisite of 85 in math.
5) Anatomy – elective, no pre-requisites
6) Environmental science – elective, no pre-requisites (not offered in 2009-2010)

PHYSICAL SCIENCE.

Textbook (oldie but goodie!) – Focus on Physical Science by Heimler and Price. It is the best around, with great review exercises and good explanations and examples. I have ordered more through Amazon, but if they don’t come – make photocopies of the units for students. It also has a good lab manual.


As you can see, Physical Science is the first course in the sequence. It lays down the foundation for taking other science courses and, for majority of students, serves as a substitute for the physics course they don’t select to take. In addition, the freshmen come here from a variety of institutions – and many lack basic mathematical and logical reasoning skills not to mention the fuzzy middle school science that leaves them with no clear idea what science disciplines are and how to learn and study for science courses. That simply means that this course will require the most organized, structured, and clear instruction that you can deliver. It must give the students not just an understanding of methods of science, but provide mastery with basic chemistry and physics as well as logical reasoning and mathematics.

Overall, the advice is – leave the “discovery” for later and teach as directly as possible! Use the labs to practice and apply, not to introduce. Based on the attained mastery of Physical Science concepts and skills, the students (and you!) will have it much easier in upper courses from the sequence , where the student-designed and conducted investigations can be used.

Aligning with math.

Physical science involves mathematics. Shall we say that math used is on almost the elementary level, though you will see many students experiencing problems with applying math. And if these problems are not resolved now, they have little chances of experiencing success in chemistry and physics!. Understanding of concepts is absolutely inseparable from the ability to justify the reasoning with mathematics.

So, here are some “obstacles” that require more work on your part. It is also a good idea to ask the math teachers how they explain a particular math concept and skills to students, so you use the same language.

• In the very beginning, the decimal/fraction/exponent relationship must be reviewed.

Example: 100 = 100/1 = 10² and 1/10 = 0.1 = 1x 10-¹

• Metric system is based on 10. Ensure the mastery of conversions.
• Rounding to the nearest tenth, hundredth etc. should be reviewed as necessary (most likely – should)
• Fractions – basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of simple fractions.
• How to treat proportion as a fraction. (Absolutely essential for stoichiometry and some physics problems! ( If X relates to Y like this, then X1 relates to Y1 like that.)
• Simple algebraic equations (review before teaching oxidation numbers) as well as adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers.
  Example: x +12 = 24
  x = 12
  
  12/x = 3
  x= 4
  
  +5 – 7 = - 2
  Note: have them write fractions in the standard form – with the horizontal line between numerator and denominator.
  
• Transforming formulas. a=b/c Find b. Find c. and so on.
• Practice treating units as numbers in calculations. It helps to see where the units of a variable come from and aids in remembering the formulas (and concepts).
  
  Critical: Introduce the format for solving problems and stick with it. Require it even for the easy problems – then the students WILL definitely benefit when solving more difficult and multi-step problems in this course and in further courses. The format allows extracting and organizing information from the word problems clearly so the possible solution routs are easily predictable. I followed the format taught in soviet schools, which is this:
  (I do it in the form of a table: divide the page in 3 columns
  
  

Column 1:

WHAT IS GIVEN in the problem:

Use appropriate variables and units provided in the texthat is asked (variable, units)

Column 2:
Basic formula(s) connecting what is given and what is asked + necessary derivatives

Column 3:

Solution (complete with units)

Answer, with units

Examples:
From physics – Find the work done by gravity force when a 2-kg rock falls from the height of 1.5 m to the ground.

Given:
m rock = 2 kg
d = 1.5 mg=a = 9.8 m/sec­²

Asked:

W - ? (J)

Formulas:

W = Fd
(we were not given F, but we can find F if we know mass and acceleration)
F= ma
Substitute ma for FW = mad

Solution:

W = 2kg x 9.8 m/sec² x 1.5m = 29J

Answer: W=29J

Example 2 (From Chemistry)

Find the masses of salt and water needed to prepare 300g of 10% solution.

Given:

V solution =300 g
% Conc. = 10%

Asked:

m water -? (g)

m salt-? (g)

Formulas (Reasoning)
1)10% means:
10g of salt in 100g of solution
then
x g of salt are in 300 g of solution

2)m of solution = m of salt + m of water, therefore

m of water = m solution – m salt

Solution:
1) 10g/x = 100g/300g
x = 3000g/100g = 30g of salt

2) 300g – 30g = 270g of water

Answer: to make 10% solution one should take 30g of salt and 270 g of water

In terms of planning the program, I have found it more useful to clearly separate Chemistry part of the course and Physics part of the course. My syllabus reflects that. Chemistry part (including oxidation states, balancing of chemical reactions and stoichiometry problems) is done in the first semester, and Physics part - in second semester. It correlates with concept sequence taught by math department, so you can arrange the use of problems from your course in math classes and arrange with math teachers to provide more attention to necessary math skills.. It usually works well, and science and math are mutually reinforced.

Of course, you may choose to follow the sequence in the textbook or introduce physics first.

You will find the list of topics to be taught in the syllabus (in the Main Office, Science binder). However, let me emphasize the topics that will require more of your attention – the concepts and skills that usually cause problems for students in biology and chemistry courses if not mastered.

Metric System conversions
Symbols and names of major chemical elements; names of major acids, bases, and salts
Electron configurations and creation of bonds
Calculation and use of oxidation numbers to write the formulas of compounds
Balancing of chemical reactions
Simple stoichiometry – mass to mass problems
Calculation of concentration of solution; preparation of solutions
Properties of water
Neutralization reactions
Reading and creating the graphs - speed, acceleration etc.
Light and Sound – electromagnetic and mechanical waves
Energy transfer, especially heat.

(End of excerpt)

exo on Power Teaching

Knowing a bit about exo, I consider this a very strong recommendation:

Hey, I used it.))) I modified it and called a "Power Learning". (Also found it online).

I introduced as an experiment into all four of my 8th grade advanced classes, which I taught the Living Environment Regents to in the 2nd Marking Period. I used couple of things: The initial call "Oh, sweet mama, how exited I am to learn... (whatever the aim says)", "WoW" for correct answer, and "It's cool" for incorrect; "class"-"yes" call was used to get the attention during the lesson. I also used the points system (+ point for timely and uniformed call, and - for lost attention). 5 pluses added to 1 percent up in everyone's marking period grade, 5 minuses brought everyone's grade down.

We also set up a chart, where we compared the unit quizzes results (using power learning system - experimental group, prior to this - control; all four classes also were compared to each other based on the plus points collected and avarage test results. In addition to averege, we check for number of students in each class whose results were above 90. I used the same tests for all classes and taught the same material at almost the same pace.)

Now, discipline improved drastically. It was much easier to get and maintain their attention. I dropped "Wow" and "It's cooL" responses pretty soon, since it seemed to direct their attention from the actial answer to just joy of saying "Wow."

Most of the students greatly enjoyed this experiment and even tried to make other teachers to use this method. Some (the most advanced kids, who can keep their attention on the subject without "dog training" complained in the beginning, but we agreed that at least it was beneficial since this method allowed other students to be attentive and the whole class could move along faster. (The hypothesis for our experiment was that "Power Learning" allows students to pay attention better, and thus increases retention of the material as demonstrated by increasing number of students who can achieve 90 and above and increase of avereage grade on tests).

I kept the system even after the experiment was completed (we collected data for 2 marking periods) because the students insisted. And results did clearly demonstrated that more students in each class were getting 90 and above, and almost everybody's results improved as compared to when I did not use this method. Of course, the results were better for classes who collected more pluses, than where students still manage to loose attention.

Which simply shows, that discipline is important for learning, and this system is just a tool. There are other tools, too. But in many cases they are not achievable in our public schools, where administration does not support teachers, and students have no consequences for their actions.

I believe it. Engelmann uses choral responses (I've forgotten his term for it); KIPP uses call-and-response, Protestant churches have always used responsive readings. These things work.

Exo -- if you're still around -- what do you think, specifically, about the gestures & the peer teaching?

Are those elements important?

Or would the approach work just as well without?

This is exciting.


Power Teaching
exo on Power Teaching

spiraling in the Ukraine - from Exo

In Soviet schools the content with building-on spiraling was set across a number of years. Lets say, biology would start in grade 5 and it will be Botany (2 times a week), then Zoology (grades 6-7, twice a week), then Human Anatomy and Physiology (grade 8, twice a week), then General Biology (grades 9-10, twice a week). Of course, topics were studied in logical order according to evolution theory, and concepts of cells, tissues, organs, functions were coming up again and again. It was allowing for understanding of complexity and patterns in living things and processes.

Here I have to teach general bio (Living environment) to students who have no idea of plants stuctures, animals, or human's anatomy and functions; I have to mix it all together with emphasis on molecular biology (that requires knowlege of chemistry) and genetics, that heavily connects with evolution. Many of my honor students don't know that insects pollinate the plants!

When I was in school, by the time we had general bio, we knew evolution of plants, organization of animal kingdom, anatomy of humans, and were up to organic chemistry in chemistry class and nuclear physics in physics class that was well alligned with molecular bio and gene engineering. Oh boy... And when in vet school, we took the entrance exam in bio (covering everything in curriculum from Botany to General bio) and didn't have a general bio class ever again.

BTW, from my trip to Ukraine: the school curriculum is still in place the way I had it - still logically built, but spread over 12 years now. However, there is no school that would have students sitting 8 periods per day. The maximum number of periods students can have is 6 in grades 6-12, and 5 in grades 1-5. A period is 45 minutes. The school year starts September 1st, and ends May 25th, with final exams in higher grades scheduled from May 28-to June 12.

I'm angry...

Yesterday I picked up my son's report card. He was rated "above standard" in math and science (of course! Kindergarten, and we completed the 1st grade in math already at home! Russian math, not a fuzzy one). OK, but he was placed in class 105 for the next year.

Let me explain a little. I work in middle school - and I hate heterogeneous placement... I tried to ensure that my honor classes are as homogeneous as possible. Honor classes in each grade are numbered 01.

So today I went to my son's school to clarify the issue: do they track? What is 05 class? Can I place him in class with accelerated math (if they have it)?

The answers were (and since they know that I am a teacher "from across the street" they were a little more clear than a moment before on the phone obviously answering a similar question):

-District demands heterogeneous placement - we follow. There are no difference between the classes by number.
-well, we don't know who is the teacher in that class for sure (that's true, nobody knows anything for sure in the schools until September!)
-if he is recommended by his teacher he will be pulled out for enriched math no matter what class he is in

After I left the office, the secretary ran after me:
-She just looked up and found that 105 is an inclusion (CTT) class! So my son was placed there for good balance and this is fair to other students and teachers! (Sure, I know inclusion classes! He will be there to help the teacher teach slower students instead of LEARNING himself. And that "fair" talk drives me nuts - I heard it in my school from the teachers, too. I don't see too much good in heterogeneous placement, sorry. Especially, when it concerns my child. And I don't care if it's fair for other children. Life is a competition after all).

-Well, she understands... but she can't advise anything. If I have any other reservations, I shall feel free...

Now, Add to that Everyday Math curriculum and Balanced Literacy with Social Studies focused on the "Neighborhood" - I will start my search again. The worst - most public schools (all as I was told) use EM in Brooklyn, and I am restricted by many things such as who and how drops him off, picks him up from school etc. Oh... And I planned to relax this summer!

Living Environment Regents in 8th grade - Results

Probably, I do lack a middle school mentality. After all I never experienced "a lay back" attitute from my teachers nor exhibit it myself.

My students from 3 honor classes took the REgents exam in Living Environment on Wednesday. Since I followed the rules accepted in HS (a student who passed the class with 65 or higher, completed 2000 minutes of laboratory work and 4 state mandatory labs are allowed to take the exam), only 2 students from all 3 classes were not allowed to take the examination due to absences (both were suspended many times during the year, and didn't pass my class). So, out of 77 students who took the exam, 81% passed it. The rest will have to repeat the class over in HS.
Comparing to citywide percentile, we did great. This exam (though difficult because of the phrasing of questions and answers) was a perfect final point for my class, there was no concepts that we didn't study in class! Students who studied and worked all year - passed it, students who were slacking off - didn't.
But what did I get from admins (not from Science AP though) - 14 students failed, that's bad, very bad! You should have selected before the test, they will have an F in their record untill they pass this exam...
This attitude kills me. Oh, poor child will have an F... That child is given a second chance in HS, and should work better next time. (After all, I told them that they have a right not to come for the exam this year - they still will have to take it in HS.
Oh, well. My AP defended me (thanks!), blaming the inappropriate placement in the first place. Will anything be done about it? (As I learned recently, in my school parents have no say in their childrens placement, and I was advised not to tell the children what class they will be in next year!!!)
The only calming thought in this is that the students who passed my class and my exam LEARNED biology well, and can proceed to other science classes in HS.
(In the 8th grade yearbook, I was named "Ms.Quiz", and the advice to future students in my classes read "Hold on, you are going to STUDY!")

on charts and word problems in math and science

I just went back to read the article by A. Toom , in which he explains how he taught word problems to Algebra class students. He gives an example of the chart and stresses the importance of organized and clear writing.

When I was in school, I was taught to organize all problems in chemistry and physics in a chart. This skill is extremely useful when dealing with word problems.
Our teachers taught us to use the following chart (in math, physics, and chemistry alike):
Given:

Asked

Formula:

Solution:

Answer:

Consider the following problem: A block of unknown material weighs 100g and has the volume of 25 cm3. What is the density of the block?

Given:
m=100g
V=25cm3

Asked:
d=?

Formula:
d=m/V

Solution:
d=100g/25cm3=4g/cm3

Answer:
Density of a given block is 4g/cm3

So I used this type of chart routinely and could see clearly what is given in the text, what I have to find, what formula will suit my purpose, check if the units are correct, and a teacher could easily check my reasoning on each step.

When I went to a Community College in NY (confession - I didn't show my DVM diploma so I could be allowed to take undergraduate courses in English and get the financial aid in the beginning), I observed many students struggling with simplest chemistry problems because they could not organize them , and were lost in words. I tutored at least 20 Chemistry students during my years in college, and all troubles were gone as soon as they got the habit of using the chart.

When I started teaching physics to my 7th graders and, recalling my own physics classes in school, started giving them word problems, I faced the necessity of teaching them an organized manner of analysis. Yes, using the chart can be considered an analysis of a problem. It took me a month and 3 quizzes until they got it. I modeled the chart on the board for every problem we did (again, since American textbooks in physics do not have problems!, I had to make most of them myself or translate from the Russian text), I took points off for absence of the chart of absence of steps in solution, but we did it. By the end of physics part (oh, I hate general science! nothing is complete!), ALL 31 of them could solve word problems using the chart. Their math teacher told me that some of them were using the chart in math HW problems (obviously, she was giving some word problems, too)

I still didn't beat their sloppy handwriting, even though I had some students' works returned with F because I couldn't read it... It takes consistency and discipline. And math is the great helper in disciplining the mind.

The End is Near....

Almost the end of the school year... Why almost though? a month and a half, considering the official last day be June 27.

However, students are off the walls, teachers cannot (don't want?) to teach any more. I struggle trying to lecture my students on last two units left in Living Environment curriculum. Yes, I didn't manage to finish the curriculum, mistaken by the calendar from DOE. Well, the Regents exam is on June 20th, I should be able to finish the whole program and review, should't I?
Guess what? I have to turn the 4th marking period grades by May 25th. And what exactly am I supposed to do for another month? And since my students are scheduled to take two more quizzes before June 20th, what should I do with those grades?

And what was all the talk about EXTENDING the school year?

Well, that me, spoiled with my schooling in the Soviet Union... We studied until May 25th. The 4th marking period grades were given on May 26. The year grades were given after final exams (each year, in all subjects, starting in grade 5!) The time from May 25th to June 6 was devoted for finals - no classes. After that - summer break. Back to school-September first. 2 weeks breaks between marking periods. How were we able to cover ALL the programs and finish in time? And do it in 10 years?

What is the point to go to school when the grades are given and noone teaches anything new, and it's hot, and no a/c? I can understand my students who are rebelious these days. I have to remind them constantly, that we still have a bigger goal - Regents... And 12 instructional days left for everything, becauseour school will also hold millions of trips and project weeks before the REgents...

On slow and fast learners, uniformed curriculum and more in Sovied education system

Centralized education system has its disadvantages for a individualist. However, in my opinion (and in opinion on my husband's grandmother who spent 47(!) years being a teacher and who I consulted on this topic) the benefits for a student were quite balancing it.
First, of course, was the funding of the schools - the schools in the capital city(at that time - Moscow) were financed and equipped better than schools in the province and country sides. The principals had nothing to do with the budget. All textbooks, supplies, materials, furniture etc were approved and provided from "the top". The teacher's salary was uniformed with differentiated pay with the increase of the years of service. Retirement started at 55 (and it's still so) for women, 60 - for men.

Second, the centralized control over curriculum was strict and a teacher could not work as she or he pleased. Everything was scripted, outcomes of the lessons approved. (For examples, there were lists of books the literature teacher could not even recommend for extracurricular reading - banned).

Third, there was no choice in terms of electives and so on the students could take. There was no choice in anything.

Fourth, no differentiating was done for students with different abilities.

Fifth, no students with disabilities (of any kind) were in general schools. Such kids were attending special internats (institutions) with medical personnel and other specialists available.


Though I understand the disadvantages of former education system in USSR (it doesn't exist any more!), I still feel nostalgic and therefore may be rather subjective.

Centralized funding - at least the BOOKS were available and provided for free for everybody. The last days in school year after the exams were taken, students were returning their books to the library and receiving complete sets of books for all subjects for the next year.

Scripted programs -The weak or inexperienced teachers were able to actually teach. New teachers were coming to school equipped with complete set of lesson plans for the subject they teach, by grades. They all had taken a class on TEACHING their subject and wrote (under strict guidance of their professors and chairs) the scripts for teaching each unit. The teachers in early grades had scripts (aligned with textbooks used) for teaching reading step by step, writing, and math. There were no social studies before grade 4 (in grade 4 History started), and no science (in grade 4 we had "Observing Nature" class in which we kept Nature observation logs.

All classes were mandatory and scheduled for the whole class. No choice. One would be moving through the school years with the same 30 people he started 1 st grade.
This type of scheduling ensured that ALL students had physics, chemistry, geography, biology despite their personal preferences (I still don't get it - how can you come out of high school and never take chemistry or physics, and then in colleges the professors start from the stuff that is SO basic!). So it was a kind of common knowledge. The literature you studied in grade 7 was also studied by the person you talk to, so you could be safely referring to and citing the authors and lines you memorized , and have the common ground of understanding.

Differentiated instruction - the school program was created for an average student with satisfactory marks (somewhat up to 75% in a 100% scale). So everyone, if not completely brain-damaged, could master it. Here we often hear about different pace of learning. I was the fast one. My prize was the amount of free time after school. I didn't have to read the chapter twice (and since most HW was oral, I always did my reading quickly or briefly looked up the notes), or spend much time on trying to understand the concept. The lessons were structured very close to direct instruction model, with clear and direct explanations, and guided practice,, so just to practice 10 problems in math was good enough.

Slow students had to spend much more time practicing at home, reading and re-reading the chapters, and memorizing rules and definitions. My cousin had also all excellent marks but it took her three times the amount of time I spent on the same material.

This way, the fast students could spend more time on extracurricular activities (as I did) provided for free by many culture centers. I was in the theater studio, I danced, I sang in a choir, I drew, and I did science research without harming my learning but rather enriching it.
Please, also note - in most cases parental involvement was in terms of checking with the teacher if the child behaves and what are the grades. If something was not "great", the kid would be spanked. But nobody had to re-teach anything. My parents, both engineers, paid attention to my HWs up to grade 4. After that, they could help me with resources (my mother works in research) but never had to explain or teach any topic to me.

I am not going to say anything about "special" students - I didn't see much of them while in school (BTW, the colleges could also refuse to accept a student based on the health issue - I was almost rejected by the vet.school because of the bad vision : - 9 is not a joke!)
However, now they mainstream kids based on parents' demands. My husband's grandmother is a homeroom teacher of an autistic child (a son of my mother's co-worker), but she also works with him individually after school.

As of now - there is still some remaining centralization, but the schools are moving toward the western (read - american) model. Workshop models are introduced, teachers are mandated to write activities and projects for students, private schools operate by "individualized approach to each students abilities" and work on "development of creativity", students cannot write properly, and the History as a subject looks like a twisted and deformed stick - no curriculum at all. My husband's grandmother still checks and corrects all spelling mistakes in essays, but most teachers don't. Education lost the value for average people becoming elitarian

P.S.: After talking to my husband's grandmother today I don't feel like sending my kid over there to school anymore (even though it's still cheaper to find the Math-English school with traditional instruction there). At least they didn't damage the science curriculum yet. And this Summer I'll go there and will bring myself sequenced and organized books in Physics (6,7,8), Chemistry, Geography...

Let me introduce myself: Exo

Let me introduce myself - I'm Exo.
Catherine was very kind to invite me to blog on KTM, the blog I read and comment on quite often. Thanks, Catherine.

I live and teach in Brooklyn, NY. I came to the US 7 years ago -seems like a century now.

Since my education experiences are all pretty fresh in my memory, and I still follow the trends in Russian education system, I will try to provide some insights on the education abroad comparing it to the education in the US public schools.
I am not promising you a lot of official data, rather some personal experience in both systems of education: I went to a soviet grade school (10 years) and graduated from a vet school there, then graduated from a college here, landed a job in a middle school as a science teacher, and my son is in Kindergarten in a public school. ( And, as most parents, I re-teach him at home!)




Truly yours,
Exo