The Fins!

Over the past month and a half of research I have completed, I have been stopped by a rather odd fact. The World Education Index is compiled from the Mean Years of Schooling Index and the Expected Years of Schooling Index - Creative names, I know - which also take into account educational performance. The United States has an index of 0.968, according to the most recent data, and this ranks it at #21 in the world. Finland has an index of 0.993, ranking it at #1.

Why all the success? Well, with some research, it's actually not a surprise. In Finnish counties, teachers and other professionals in schooling are selected from the top 10% of the nation, and are required to have a Master's Degree in Education. Becoming a teacher in Finland also happens to be very well-compensated, so much so that elementary school teachers often carry the prestige of an M.D. - On the other hand, they're also required to go through the nonstop rigors of both student and faculty assessment.

Besides a well-trained and well-equipped teaching staff, Finnish schools also contain a number of elements crucial to early childhood development. Students are expected to help one another, and all of them go through the same program, due in part to the freedom districts allow teachers. Many schools are small enough so that the teachers know every student personally. After secondary school, students can either attend an upper secondary school or vocational school to learn a trade.

As it turns out, it is no surprise to why Finland is leading the race in education. Now, the question is - How do we do even better?

Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?

My working essential question is "What is the most effective way to promote education to socioeconomically disadvantaged teenagers in Los Angeles?" What a mouthful!

2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format. 

EQ: What is the most effective way to promote education to socioeconomically disadvantaged teenagers in Los Angeles?

• To provide educational assistance in the form of entertaining, satirical, and thoughtful graphic media.

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

The most important source I have used so far is an article by Belinda Zimmerman, entitled "The Fluency Development Lesson Gets Graphic." It addresses the importance of another medium within schools - One which acts as an intermediary between societal and educational values.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Mr. David Bower, a local stock broker. He has had several years of training outside of his current position, in business organization and administration. This is relevant because I plan to compose a form of graphic media, and the first topic I am going to tackle is Personal Finance, which he happens to be an expert in.

Independent Component 1 Approval

Content:

1.  Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

 

My topic is currently the promotion of education to the socioeconomically disadvantaged. My goal was to provide something affordable, rewarding, and interesting to my target audience. What better way to promote education than through a comic book? For my 30 hours, I have planned to go through the complete production of a medium-sized comic book - from beginning to end. The comic book, the first of its kind, will feature multiple lessons on a select topic, and present them in a humorous, engaging way. Printing itself is expensive, but the goal of this component would be the production part of it. A single comic book production is itself quite large, and will involve storyline production, thorough research of the topics in question, management of a small to medium-sized team, and potentially, an excellent opportunity for students to learn from one another.

 

2.  Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

 

I'm a big fan of photos and video production, and will use these to support my Independent Component Work Log.

 

3.  Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

 

 In order to ensure the success of this project, I am also going to be gathering the opinions of the target audience for maximum effectiveness. In this, I will get to learn and address the audience of my project better, and also complete a project that could potentially help thousands if completed effectively.