FIXING DYSTOPIA:
Students WorkED In Teams To ADRESS The Following
FUTUrISTIC SCENARIO
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Dear Future Problem Solvers,
Thank you for registering for the 2050 National Conference on the State of Education. Please turn on your holograph machine to join this morning’s virtual seminar and hear from our first speaker.
Sincerely,
The U.S. Department of Education
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Dr. Learner, Illinois Senator: “Good morning American citizens. Today, I have the privilege to address you as we come together to celebrate our hallmark achievements in the field of education. We would like to begin our 2050 conference by taking a look at the tremendous progress we have demonstrated in the past 50 years.
The early 2000s were a tumultuous time when teacher strikes, budget crises, and the great debate over standardized testing rocked the nation. Today, we are happy to declare that we find ourselves in a new era of productivity and educational harmony. While we once argued for reform and a quality education for all, our schools have achieved that dream. Our public school system has been standardized and uniformed, and now, all people have access to one successful school model and a chance to achieve the American dream of wealth, success, and achievement.
Let us look at some of the practices and procedures that have paved the way as a model for schools across the nation. At the heart of these reforms are the shining principles of surveillance, uniformity, and productivity.
Surveillance: Security cameras are now everywhere in schools. Not one inch of a school goes unseen. This has increased accountability for student behavior. Each student wears an implanted tracking device, so that the principal and security officers knows where students are at all times. With a wonderful new camera system in place, parents can tune in to their child’s classroom while they are at work. They can see what is happening in their child’s class, and monitor their child’s behavior and work. School nurses can also monitor the system for any irregularities. If children show any symptoms of illness, the nurse can immediately intervene and send help. Due to our high-tech surveillance systems, we now have healthier and safer schools.
Uniformity: We now guarantee that we graduate students who are ready to join the workforce. Across the nation, all students take the same classes and receive the exact same instruction to ensure fairness. Our robo-teachers can deliver high quality instruction, and have reduced the need for government spending. There is no longer a need to pay teacher salaries. Instead, these cheaply manufactured robots are programmed to offer high-quality instruction. And of course, with the advantages of modern day technology, if robo-teacher is ever too busy with another student, students can always whip out their iPhone13 to look up the answer for themselves.
Productivity: Thankfully, classrooms are no longer chaotic places to learn. They are sterile, clean environments free of decoration and distraction such as the bulletin boards and motivational posters that use to crowd classroom walls. Students are now free to focus on the workscreen in front of them. In contrast to the antiquated desks used in the early 2000s, every student receives their own workstation in a cubicle set apart from their peers. Students no longer waste time collaborating on group projects- they are allowed to focus on their own work.
Classroom environments are free from disruptive peers. Students know that if they misbehave, they will be removed from their school and sent to behavior modification classes. We are happy to note that 100% of our students have come back from these modification classes ready to learn.
These are just a few of the many reforms we have made within the field of education. We are proud to celebrate our progress, and we cannot wait to see where the next year takes us.”
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Dear 5th Grade Future Problem Solvers: Consider the speech above and the state of education in 2050. With your problem solving team, use the six-step problem solving process outlined in your packets to identify one key issue facing students in 2050, and develop an action plan to address it.
Thank you for registering for the 2050 National Conference on the State of Education. Please turn on your holograph machine to join this morning’s virtual seminar and hear from our first speaker.
Sincerely,
The U.S. Department of Education
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Learner, Illinois Senator: “Good morning American citizens. Today, I have the privilege to address you as we come together to celebrate our hallmark achievements in the field of education. We would like to begin our 2050 conference by taking a look at the tremendous progress we have demonstrated in the past 50 years.
The early 2000s were a tumultuous time when teacher strikes, budget crises, and the great debate over standardized testing rocked the nation. Today, we are happy to declare that we find ourselves in a new era of productivity and educational harmony. While we once argued for reform and a quality education for all, our schools have achieved that dream. Our public school system has been standardized and uniformed, and now, all people have access to one successful school model and a chance to achieve the American dream of wealth, success, and achievement.
Let us look at some of the practices and procedures that have paved the way as a model for schools across the nation. At the heart of these reforms are the shining principles of surveillance, uniformity, and productivity.
Surveillance: Security cameras are now everywhere in schools. Not one inch of a school goes unseen. This has increased accountability for student behavior. Each student wears an implanted tracking device, so that the principal and security officers knows where students are at all times. With a wonderful new camera system in place, parents can tune in to their child’s classroom while they are at work. They can see what is happening in their child’s class, and monitor their child’s behavior and work. School nurses can also monitor the system for any irregularities. If children show any symptoms of illness, the nurse can immediately intervene and send help. Due to our high-tech surveillance systems, we now have healthier and safer schools.
Uniformity: We now guarantee that we graduate students who are ready to join the workforce. Across the nation, all students take the same classes and receive the exact same instruction to ensure fairness. Our robo-teachers can deliver high quality instruction, and have reduced the need for government spending. There is no longer a need to pay teacher salaries. Instead, these cheaply manufactured robots are programmed to offer high-quality instruction. And of course, with the advantages of modern day technology, if robo-teacher is ever too busy with another student, students can always whip out their iPhone13 to look up the answer for themselves.
Productivity: Thankfully, classrooms are no longer chaotic places to learn. They are sterile, clean environments free of decoration and distraction such as the bulletin boards and motivational posters that use to crowd classroom walls. Students are now free to focus on the workscreen in front of them. In contrast to the antiquated desks used in the early 2000s, every student receives their own workstation in a cubicle set apart from their peers. Students no longer waste time collaborating on group projects- they are allowed to focus on their own work.
Classroom environments are free from disruptive peers. Students know that if they misbehave, they will be removed from their school and sent to behavior modification classes. We are happy to note that 100% of our students have come back from these modification classes ready to learn.
These are just a few of the many reforms we have made within the field of education. We are proud to celebrate our progress, and we cannot wait to see where the next year takes us.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear 5th Grade Future Problem Solvers: Consider the speech above and the state of education in 2050. With your problem solving team, use the six-step problem solving process outlined in your packets to identify one key issue facing students in 2050, and develop an action plan to address it.
Students formed teams of four and wrote team contracts. Students worked in these teams to complete a multi-step problem solving process. First, students identified problems within the scenario and generated a main problem. They then brainstormed solutions and developed an action plan. Teams presented their action plans in a series of posters and skits.