A Book Review “The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way” By Amanda Ripley.
Education is the foundation for career development, which is why I decided to review this book as it deals with education. Amanda Ripley the author follows a small handful of students that embark on a student exchange program in various countries. The countries that are discussed in the book have a better or more improved education system and this is based on a test called “Program for International Student Assessment” or PISA https://www.oecd.org/pisa/. It is an assessment or test that challenges students in math, sciences, reading, critical thinking, and creativity.
Amanda follows the students by corresponding with them regularly with interviews to get some insight on how well they are doing, adapting, and are they learning better or more. Amanda also interviews teachers, administrators, parents, local students, and politicians to learn more about the system itself in these foreign countries. She does highlight the pros and cons and with that, in reading this book I became very aware that there is no perfect system and to be able to please everyone is a tall order to fill.
Based on her findings though, the author does make suggestions and things to consider for students and parents in their pursuit of education. Based on my experience working at a university and my post-secondary education, the same principles would apply in searching for a post-secondary institution and/ or program, which again is why I decided to put this review here.
Learning does start at home. We all develop some habits from our home and family life. A good example of this would be parents that may read a lot, the exposure to books will transfer over to their children. Working hard, being tenacious, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity are just some other behaviors that we all have inherited from our parents. So, the very core fundamentals are coming from the home. The skills that the family and home life are instilling into us or younger generations are good key points to consider.
Open houses are not that effective. Do not expect too much and above all try not to use this visit to base a decision to attend or not attend an institution. This would apply to post-secondary and/or high school. To understand what is going on in the school you have to be willing to test drive it just like a car, therefore, spending time on campus and possibly class visits are more productive and effective.
Sitting in a class or classes or better spending a full day on campus with students will enable a person to see if this will work for them or not. In doing so keep these key points in mind. How are students engaged in the classroom, is there a dialog going on between the students and/or teachers/instructors, or do the students seem bored. Quantify the education - ask the students how much have they learned in the past week, month, and semester or school year. Ask the students how the classes run and what pushes them to be motivated to do more and be better. The answers to all these should be solid and clear with examples.
Talk to the teachers, instructors, and yes even the administrators to see what they think of the school or program that a person is considering. Listen to what they are saying. Do they claim that they are setting the student up for success and if so, how? Again, look for concrete examples, they should be able to articulate this clearly.
What is the teacher and or instructor’s background? What is their experience level? This is another issue that the author presents which is that educators are ill-equipped to teach, they lack the formal training that is needed to teach properly. Someone that has pursued a degree or a master’s degree in education wants to teach and is more equipped to do so, they have been taught and trained how to do this. It is a flaw with a lot of schools, colleges, and universities in that they place a person with expertise in a certain discipline in front of the class and expect them to teach with minimal experience and training in teaching. This could be why some post-secondary institutions will have the most senior instructors that enjoy teaching in front of a junior class, the impact can be dramatic. These are points to consider.
Education is a very delicate and heated topic. It is also the foundation to building a career which is why I decided to review this book. In following the students Amanda does write their stories in a personable way making it a nice read. Her tips and advice did resonate with me as I have worked in a university for many years and in doing so, I believe her tips are valid in selecting not just high school but post-secondary as well.