Judging Teaching By Its Results

Judging Teaching By Its Results

What children should learn, defined in the new world of school reform

Even before the blistering report A Nation at Risk detailed the decline of America's public schools in 1983, educators, politicians, and parents had found many to blame for wrecking the nation's schools. A whole generation of school children have come come and gone since then with little evidence that the finger pointing had much effect. Now, educators and policy makers seem committed to honing an approach called outcomes-based education, based on the idea that education should be judged by results, or outcomes, rather than inputs such as money or « seat-time, » which is how teachers sometimes refer to the time their students spend in the classroom.

Federally sponsored efforts to identify what every student should know by grades 4,8, and 12 have been a cornerstone of various educational programs, for example Goals 2000, which was approved by Congress in 1994. In the legislation, Congress set up a National Educational Standards ans Improvement Council to “certify” the standards being developed by leading professional associations in each field with funding from the Department of Education. But the administration's effort comes under attack by those who fear too much federal meddling in the classroom. And the details, particularly of the history standards, have been enmeshed in politicking.

Most action today is in the states: Over 40 are in the process of adopting curricular content standards, drawing on a wide variety of sources, including the federally developed benchmarks. As states and school districts consider what standards to adopt, several related trends that could affect your child have emerged. They include:

New forms of assessment : Essay writing replaces multiple-choice exams. Teachers keep examples of the students' progress throughout the year. The new techniques are designed to better measure a student's critical skills and performance.

Few families understand how the college financial aid process works. Most people are just gambling. (Kalman Chany, author of the Princeton Review Student Access Guide to Paying for College). Toronto University Campus. Photo by Elena

Privatization: In an effort to break bureaucracy, private firms are now running schools in California, Connecticut, Maryland, and Missouri. These companies are claiming success in cutting waste in maintenance services and administration, but their impact on academic achievement has received mixed reviews. In a variation on this theme, several well-known educators have formulated school improvement plans that have been adopted across school districts. The work is under the auspices of the New American Schools Development Corp., a nonprofit corporation founded in 1993.

Teachers as coaches: Teachers lead students to solve problems on their own rather than serving as dispensers of information. Teachers' colleges are revamping courses and adopting alternative certification to attract talented individuals who don't necessarily have an education degree.

Writing across the curriculum: A growing group of teachers, working through the National Writing Project, are promoting writing as the key to understanding all subjects. School administrators also stress writing skills since such skills figure prominently in the kinds of open-ended assessment that are being used in lieu of traditional testing.

Will any of these new approaches really make a difference? For some perspective on the question, consider this call to arms: “The obvious fact is that our social life has undergone a thorough and radical change. If our education is to have any meaning for life, it must pass through an equally complete transformation.” The speaker was educational philosopher John Dewey. The year: 1899.

Men of Good Will

Men of Good Will

By Ben Bova

“Americans and Russians,” the UN man went on, “have fired at each other from orbiting satellite vehicles. They have exchanged shots at both the North and South Poles. Career diplimats have scuffed like prizefighters in the halls of the United Nations building -”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Oh, yes. We have kept it quite, of course. But the tensions are becoming unbearable. Everywhere on Earth the two sides are armed to the teeth and on the verge of disaster. Even in space they fight. And yet, here on the moon, you and the Russians live side by side in peace. We must know how you do it!”

Patton grinned. “You came on a very appropriate day, in that case. Well, let’s see now… how to present the picture. You know that the environment here is extremely hostile: airless, low gravity.

“The environment here on the moon,” Torgeson objected, “is no more hostile than that of orbiting satellites. In fact, you have some gravity, solid ground, large buildings – many advantages that artificial satellites lack. Yet there has been fighting aboard the satellites – and not on the moon. Please don’t waste my time with platitudes. This trip is costing the UN too much money. Tell me the truth.”

Patton nodded. “I was going to. I’ve checked the information sent up by Earthbase: you’ve been cleared by the White House, the AEC, NASA and even the Pentagon.

Remembering men of good will. Photo by Elena

“So?”

“Okey. The plain truth of the matter is…” A soft chime from a small clock on Patton’s desk interrupted him. “Oh. Excuse me.”

Torgeson sat back and watched as Patton carefully began clearing off all the articles on his desk: the clock, calendar, phone, IN/OUT baskets, tobacco can and pipe rack, assorted papers and reports – all neatly and quickly placed in the desk drawers. Patton then stood up. Walked to the filing cabinet, and closed the metal drawers firmly. He stood in the middle of the room, scanned the scene with apparent satisfaction, and then glanced at his wristwatch.

“Okey”, he said to Torgeson. “Get down on your stomach.”

“What?”

“Like this,” the colonel said, and prostrated himself on the rubberized floor.

Torgeson stared at him.

“Come on! There’s only a few seconds.”

Risk Asessment

Risk Asessment

By Ben Bova

“What’s thirty tons of antiprotons equal to in energy potential?” Flagg asked.

Instantly, Alphe One calculated, “Approximately one million megatons of energy.”

“And if that much energy explodes?”

Alphe One was incapable of showing emotion, of course. But it hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. The silence was awesome. Then the robot’s head swivelled slowly toward Delia, levelling its dark glassy optical sensors at her.

“An explosion of that magnitude could perturb the orbit of the Moon.”

“It could cause a moonquake that would destroy Clavius, at the very least,” Flagg said. “Smash Selene and even Copernicus, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed,” said Alpha One. The single word stung Delia like a whip.

“Now do you see why she’s got to be stopped?”

“Indeed,” the robot repeated.

Delia shook her head, as if to clear away the pain. “But there won’t be any explosion,” she insisted. “I know what I’m doing. All the calculations show -”

“The risk is not allowable,” Alpha One said firmly. “You must stop your experiment.”

“I will not!” Delia snapped.

Risk Assessment. Photo by Elena

It took Alpha One less than three milliseconds to check this new data once again, and then compare it against the safety regulations that ruled every decision-making tree, and still again check it against the consequences of Delia’s project if it should be successful. Yet although it weighed the probabilities and made its decision that swiftly, it did not speak.

Alpha One had learned one thing in its years of dealing with humans: the less they are told, the less they have to argue about.

And the tow humans already had plenty to argue over.

Running a hand through the flowing waves of his golden hair, Flagg grumbled, “You’re not fit to be a triumvir.”

“Running a hand through the flowing waves of his golden hair, Flagg grumbled, “You’re not fit to be a triumvir.”

“I was elected just the same as you were,” Delia replied tartly.

“Your father bought votes. Everybody knows it.” Delia’s own temper surged. Leaning across the triagular table to within inches of Flagg’s nose, she said, “Then everybody’s wrong! Daddy wouldn’t spend a penny on a vote.”

“No,” he snarled, “he spent all his money on this crazy starship, and you’re spending still more on an experiment that could kill everybody on the Moon!”

To Touch a Star

To Touch a Star

By Ben Bova

Aleyn’s heart nearly stopped.

« That’s not a star! » he shouted.

« Scorpio 18881R2434, » said the comm screen, after a hesitation that was unnoticeable to human senses.

« It can’t be! »

« Navigation and tracking programs agree. Specturm matches. It is our destination srat, » the screen insisted.

Aleyn stared at the image a moment longer, then bolted to the hatch and down the short corridor that led to the ship’s bridge.

The bridge screens were larger. But they all showed the same thing. Optical, infrared, radar, high-energy, and neutrino sensors all displayed a gigantic, perfectly circular metal sphere.

Aleyn sagged into the only chair on the bridge, oblivious to the slight chill against his naked flesh until the chair adjusted its temperature.

« We thougt it was a star, » he murmured to no one. « We thought it was a star. » Aleyn Arif Belierophontes, son of the director of the Imperial Obseervatory and her consort and therefore distrusted by Admiral Kimon, the emperor’s chief of astroengineering; betrayed by Selwyn, his best friend; exiled to a solitary expedition to a dying star – Aleyn sat numb and uncomprhending, staring at a metal sphere the size of a star.

No. Bigger.

« What’s the radius of the object? »

To touch a star. Photo by Elena

Numbers sprang up on every screen, superimposed on the visual display, as the computer’s voice replied, « The hundred seventeen point zero nine eight million kilometers. »

«Two hundred million kilometers,” Aleyn echoed. Then he smiled. “A metal sphere four hundred million kilometers across.” He giggled. A sphere with the radius of a water-bearing planet’s orbit.” He laughed. “A Dyson sphere! I’ve found a Dyson sphere!”

His laughter became raucous, uncontrolled, hysterical. He roared with laughter. He banged his fists on the armrests of his chair and threw his head back and screamed with laughter. Tears flowed down his cheeks. His face grew red. His breath rasped in his throat. His lungs burned. He did not stop until the chair, reating to an override command from the computer’s medical program, sprayed him with a soporific and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

A thousand lightyears away, scientists and engineers of the Hundred Worlds labored heroically to save the Earth from doom. The original home planet of the Empire was in danger from its own Sun. A cycle of massive flares would soon erupt across the Sun’s normally placid face. Soon, that is, in terms of a star’s gigayear lifetime: ten thousand years, give or take a few millennia. Too feeble to be of consequence in the lifespan of the star itself, the flares nonetheless would casually boil away the air and oceans of Earth, leaving nothing behind except a blackened ball of rock

The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights

Iceland has plenty of natural attractions – glaciers, waterfalls, and black sand beaches – but one of the most popular sights in Iceland is not even on land, it's up in the sky. The aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights are wisps of colored lights that sometimes stretch across the arctic sky and if you get to see them, watching these sheets and ribbons of light glide slowly around the winter night sky is an ethereal experience.

The lights may look magical but the science behind them is even more fascinating. These soft lights we admire here on earth are caused by great solar storms, tearing across the sun's surface. Particles released from the sun during these massive storms travel through space and when they hit earth's atmosphere, they burn up.

The colour of the lights depends on where in the earth's atmosphere the particle's burn up and they can be purple, pink, or even red, although the most common shade of the Northern Lights is green.

The Northern Lights only appear around the magnetic poles of the earth so Iceland and Northern Scandinavia are the best places to see them. It's not the only places to see them though, the Northern lights have a southern counterpart known as the Southern lights or aurora australis.

Tips and Tricks to See the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and they don't appear on a fixed schedule. Also, because the lights appear high in the sky, they can be covered by clouds. A Northern Lights sighting is never guaranteed but if you follow these tips and tricks, you can maximize your chances to see them.

Wait until dark

The Northern Lights are not very bright and certainly not bright enough to outshine the sun. You have to wait until it's dark to go out and hunt for the Northern Lights, but the good news is, during winter in Iceland, you don't have to wait that long.

(… and that means no Norther Lights in the summer)

Icelandic winters are long and dark but during the summer, the sun hardly sets. This means that during the summer, it never really gets dark enough for the Northern Lights to appear.

Iceland. Photo by Olga

Get out of town

As we've mentioned, the Northern Lights aren't bright at all, so if you want to see them at their best, getting out of the city lights is key. On a good night, you can still see the lights within the city limits but the light pollution from the city will always dull their brightness a little.

Make sure the sky is clear

The lights appear high in the sky, which means that clouds can cover the view of the lights from the ground. It's best to look for them on a clear, or at least partially clear night, just like the stars.

Check the aurora forecast

If you want to avoid disappointment, check out the aurora forecast published by the Iceland meteorological institution. They predict the cloud cover and the level of aurora activity. They're not infallible but the following the forecast is a good rule of thumb.

Consider taking a tour

If you don't have a car, taking a tour can be a convenient way to get out of the city lights. Most tour companies offer Northern lights tours by bus, boat or jeep and if you don't see any lights you can take the tour again the next night for free.

Bring a camera

The Northern Lights are unforgettable but you still might want to take some photos as souvenirs of your trip to Iceland. Don't forget to bring your camera but be aware that taking great photos of the Northern Lights can be tricky. Ask your guide for help.

Wear warm clothes and be patient

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon so they're not dependable. Sometimes they come out early in the evening, clear and bright, but sometimes they don't appear until the middle of the night or just appear as a blurry fog of lights. Bring a jacket and some mittens and have patience.

How to Photograph the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are faint and far away, so even if you see them clearly with your own eyes, they probably won't show up on a photo unless you follow these tips and tricks. A good camera is the best tool to get the photo you want but if you've got a smartphone, it'll do. Most newer smartphones have an advanced option, allowing you to adjust the settings for your aurora photo shoot.

Bring a tripod

A tripod or something to keep your camera level is essential to get a clear photo of the Northern Lights. You need a long exposure time to capture as much of the lights as you can and if your camera moves even a little, your photo will be blurry.

Set your aperture low...

The aperture dictates how much of your lens is covered. You want it as open as possible to capture as much of the lights as you can.

… Your ISO high

The ISO dictates how sensitive the camera is to the light. Usually if you set it too high, the photo will be grainy but in the darkness of night, it's essential. Start at 800 and adjust it until you find the setting you like.

… and set a long shutter speed

This controls how long the lens is exposed, taking in light. You need some time to capture the elusive Northern Lights, so try 10 sec to begin with and then adjust it to your liking.

Try out these setting to begin with.