New Skills Needed to Face the World?

In Tony Wagner’s article,”Rigor Redefined”, he talks about how he thinks kids are not learning the skills they need to succeed in twenty first century careers. He thinks we need to start teaching new skills. I agree with him on most points. He says, “It’s time to hold ourselves and all of our students to new and higher standards.” I similarly blogged about the same thing two weeks ago. Tony Wagner suggests many different skills that we need for these twenty first century careers. He says that these are new and different skills, but I disagree. I think that we need skills such as problem solving, flexibility, and verbal teamwork skills, but I don’t think that any of these skills are new. All of these skills are useful and needed, but these are skills that have always been needed. People still had to problem solve in older times, but for completely different issues. The only difference between now and then is that we have different problems to solve. We can still use the same skills that we have always used, just apply them to a new and different situation. In general I like Tony Wagner’s article because it reinforces the skills that we need to learn, but I think that students are being educated in a standard way. We need to raise standards on everything, but we don’t need to change our skills. The simple solution is to raise standards on our skills and make sure everybody is learning them. The problem is that we are not learning them. These skills are not new. These skills are old, and have stopped being taught. All we need to do is start teaching them again and at higher standards.

How Taste is Affected With Old Age

I read the article, "Does Taste Decrease With Old Age?" by Fred Cicetti.  This article was prompted by a question a reader asked.  It talks about how taste is affected by old age.  The reader asked, "I have a bet with a friend that you start losing your sense of taste as you get older. She says that her taste is as strong as ever and thinks I’m wrong. Who wins the bet?"  The author responds as neutral to who wins the bet because there are so may factors.  In the article he says,"In general, sensitivity to taste gradually decreases with age. But there are some whose taste isn’t affected by getting older...While taste is important, we recognize flavors largely through our sense of smell."  This was very interesting to me because I thought it was only taste that made us know different foods.  My friend has no sense of smell because of a medical condition and it makes me wonder if we taste the same thing?  How does she preceve different foods?  Do we all perceive foods the same? 

In this article he also talks about how sometimes people can lose their sense of taste.  He says that sometimes you can lose your sense of taste in only one area such as the area of your tongue that preceves sweet foods.  Does that mean that things that would be sweet would taste bitter or does it mean they would have no taste at all?  Do things with multiple taste come out like only the things you can taste?  This article made me question alot of things and wonder alot about the scientific reasons behind this.

Obama Wants to Add More Time In School: Quantity vs. Quality?

I read the an article, "More School? Obama could trim summer break..." from msnbc.com.  This article is about how Obama feels like many people, that we need to spend more time in school.  The article states,"Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe." I think this is partially true.  I agree that time is an essentialy ingredient to learning, however, high standards and effective strategies are needed to make that time valuble.  I think that we need to improve our standards, so that students can focus on acomplishing more.  We do need to learn more because we are competing for jobs around the globe, but I think the solution is to take the time we do have and make it more meaningful.  By improving standards you set a higher goal for the kid to reach. To help us reach that goal we need to improve stategies.  When we start using these different strategies, then we can reach and exceed our standards.   I think its not the amount of time you spend doing something it is the quality of effort and work you do during that time.  I think we spend enough time in school.  We spend six hours a day at school and we have homework after that too.  I think adding more time in school will take away from other things that are valuable.  The United States has a large obesity problem, so it makes you wonder if we spend more time in school not being active will those numbers go even higher? Obama has good intention when he talks about extending time in school, but I think he needs to become more open to other strategies.