African Education, Part 1

I recently returned from a trip to Kenya, where I spent three weeks teaching music all over Nairobi: a primary school, a secondary school, a university, a church community center, and a military post. 

This is my third trip to Kenya. The first was the traditional safari one: my then 85-year-old mother hosted my kids and I for a three-week Overseas Adventure Travel trip in Kenya and Tanzania. Days and days of bumpy roads (I thought, why aren’t roads paved?) and lots of lions and antelope and beautiful scenery. Yummy food at the luxury camps, with African flavors (rice and ugali and well-done meats and squash and watermelon). But made into Western salads, and with coffee and desserts. 

At the end of that first trip, I stayed for a few days and visited a contact – a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend (literally), who taught music at a Kenyan university. I observed the Kenya National Music Festival and had lunch with my new friend and my daughter, who is also a musician. My daughter had learned Swahili at the university at home -- that was why we were in Africa in the first place! 

At the music festival, the educators complained of the ensemble’s pitch rising – complaints of  music educators everywhere. But I noticed that when the piano was playing with the ensembles, the piano was almost completely ignored by the singers. The pitch might end up a whole step higher than the piano. Why was that, I wondered? The kids were energetic, from all over Kenya (many, presumably from the areas outside of the tourist areas, stared at our white skin). The food at the very bare-bones hotel was all African, and not so tasty to my Western sensibilities. Ah, I thought, now I’m really experiencing Africa.

Anyway, the three of us hit it off, and we made plans for me to come visit and teach. A few months later I returned to Kenya, this time to teach. I went with a colleague and my daughter, and we stayed in a hotel on a university campus. I was blown away by the warmth and welcome of the people I met. They loved having us there! We were treated like royalty. I especially loved the sweet and energetic students.

We visited a school for boys on an old colonial campus, built in the 1920s. At the time I picked up that it was an elite school, and assumed that it was a private school. The students were lovely – passionate, hanging on every word. I halfway joked with someone at home that you haven’t really lived until you have a couple hundred high school students all staring at you, hanging on every word. Seriously, it’s intense! You feel a little like they’re all in the ocean and you’re holding the life raft. It makes you feel like you're really doing something worthwhile.

Speaking of talking to people back home, here’s a quick run-through of the questions I typically get: 
(1) What are toilets like? Well, there are lots of hole-in-the-ground toilets in Africa, but in Nairobi we used all western toilets, except in one location. That’s the same batting average for my recent trip to France!
(2) Were we on a mission trip? Most decidedly no. I used to get a bit offended by this question. We wanted the project to be a collaborative trip. Is that really not possible in Africa? 
(3) Another question: were we afraid? No, not ever. Although that might have to do with how we had a military escort with us everywhere...
(4) Did we see poverty? Yes. But it’s hard to evaluate poverty. I’ve seen poverty in other places – Peru, in particular. The first time I saw the slums in Nairobi, I thought it was the same as the slums in Peru. Now, I don’t think so. I'm no expert, but I think poverty is worse in Kenya. I later read that over 50% of Kenyans live below the absolute poverty level – that’s the $1.25 a day level -- the level where you’re not sure you have enough to eat or a roof over your head. 

On trip number three, I stayed three weeks, and somewhere in there lost my deer-in-the-headlights feeling (brought on mostly by culture shock and jet lag). We traveled through the slum once at night, and I realized, oh, it’s completely dark, and oh, there are still people absolutely everywhere. It’s just like in the daytime, only with cooking fires and complete darkness. Oh. This is much worse than the slums I saw in Peru and Brazil, which had at least tapped into the electrical utilities.  

This led me to some sort-of unanswerable questions. Why is there so much poverty? Is there anything we can do? 

African Education, part 2

As I began to discuss in the first part of this blog post, on my third trip to Kenya I started having more questions than answers. I was particularly plagued by a sense that I was gradually developing a vague sense of how terrible the poverty is in some sectors of society, and plagued by questions of what can be done to help.

I realized that the boys school that I had visited was not a private school, but rather an elite government school. It is a free, or close to free, national school. The boys go there by scoring the highest on national exams, and some travel for three days, sometimes on the backs of trucks, to get there. Wow. 

And why are there checkpoints everywhere, that we get waved through? I realized that they’re places where the average Kenyan driver has to pay money to pass the checkpoint. I guess if you live there you might think of it as a toll, but it sounds suspiciously like bribes to me. And why the bumpy roads? I realized that the government doesn’t seem to be investing in infrastructure. In fact, where roads are being built in Kenya, it seems to be being done by Chinese companies. I started thinking, these bumpy roads don’t just create inconvenience. They stop commerce. Sending packages, for instance, is almost completely unknown in Kenya. You can’t just order something on the internet, because there’s no way to get it delivered.

Speaking of internet, why only slow, cellular-based internet? Same answer. The government doesn’t invest in it. Why no credit cards? Commerce is done completely in cash (and barter). Why is there almost no sheetmusic at the national school, with the best and brightest of Kenya? Again, the government doesn’t invest in it. Oh. 

Although some African countries have tried to improve their higher education institutions, and expand them, they face serious problems. One problem is the lack of academics to staff them. According to a Chronicle article (“Africa’s New Crisis: A Dearth of Professors”), African universities cannot address these problems without the help of Western academics. "Our colleagues need our help, and all ships need to rise in the world," said David J. Skorton, president of Cornell University. Cornell introduced a master of professional studies program in Integrated Watershed Management and Hydrology at Bahir Dar University in Ethiopia. It is now funded by USAID. (See this link).

After my third trip to Africa, I was plagued by the question, why is Africa, and specifically Kenya, like this? Why doesn’t the government invest in roads? Why not, for instance, buy some music for those kids at the boys school? Why not invest in some internet infrastructure and connect with the world? When we were there, the answers seemed to be all over the place: you can download music off the internet, for free, for instance. Adult musicians at one location can teach student musicians at another. But everywhere ordinary people are hobbled by difficulties that are outside their control. It takes time to download music, and a printer, and paper, and you have to pay for that slow internet connection. It’s not easy to physically get people from one location to another. It’s not that these things aren’t doable; they’re just not easily doable. We Americans tend to come in with this sort-of smug, can-do attitude, and we feel terrific! Look what we can do! We just need to show them how to download music! And we throw a great deal of resources toward "helping" people, without trying to understand the complexities of the society and cultures that we're visiting.

Answers are just not simple. In my quest for answers to my “why” question, I read a little book. It was the first of many that have brought up the negative sides to Western aid efforts. I read William Easterly’s “The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good.” He points out that 50 billion dollars of aid have gone to African countries over the last fifty years, and there is essentially nothing to show for it. It’s simply not worked, other than creating a culture of waiting for the West to come in and help. The countries that have improved are the ones who did it themselves – Botswana is a shining example. He particularly criticizes USAID. The same thing happens over and over – Westerners come in and try to fix things, and in the process misunderstand the issues and get mired in (and sometimes prop up) corrupt governments. I’ve talked to several people involved in some sort of aid to Africa, and they all say that’s it’s universal: in order to help people you have to work with these local governments, most if not all at some level of corruption. 

This leaves me with very mixed feelings. I’m trying to help educators and students in Africa, who are hobbled by bad roads, bad Internet, and little supplies. I can’t do much about the bad roads and bad Internet, but I definitely have access to stuff. Heck, I can probably get all kinds of people to donate to a project helping music students in Africa! And notice how the project has shifted. It’s not feeling collaborative any more. It’s feeling like a helping project now. I’m no longer offended by people asking if it’s a mission trip, because, well, it's starting to feel like one. 

After all this thinking, it basically comes down to, for me, do I continue with this project or not? And when I ask myself that question, I think of a secondary school student, we’ll call him Samuel, who plays the piano. There’s an old piano in the little music building – a very old piano, that the music teacher barely saved from destruction during the riots of 2008 (a whole other story). Samuel plays and plays on that piano. I heard him play Liszt’s Liebestraum, and it was magnificent. Samuel gets Skype lessons from an instructor here in the US, that we set up. Before then he was essentially self-taught. He’s brilliant. He can sightread and play by ear – skills that usually don’t go together, trust me. I also heard him play Brubeck’s Take Five, with a saxophonist. He got the style just right, and improvised. He wants to study engineering at an American university, and keep studying piano. We’re trying to help him. How can we not?

Oh, by the way: the next step for us in our quest for funding for this project? USAID.

What to do with the gap?

As an educator at a local community college teaching fundamental math, I see the extreme disconnect between what happens at the jr. high and high school levels in preparation for higher education. The post: Early College (or “Who goes to high school anymore?”) is a prime example of this disconnect. Higher education used to be defined as something beyond high school and not a realistic pursuit for everyone. Compared to world standards, our American education system has experienced a dumbing down. This has definitely affected our K-12 education, but what do we do at the college level? Dumb down “higher education”? Attempt to reteach high school at the college level (my role)? Attempt to collaborate with K-12 education systems (which sometimes results in programs described in the “Early College” post)? Thankfully, the community college at which I teach is a feeder school for the 4-year universities in the area and works hard to not “lower the bar” for those seeking to continue on to a bachelor’s degree. We “raised the bar” at one point for all associate’s degree students by requiring at least one college level math course, but unfortunately this backfired with certain majors in the Health Science, Business, Industrial, and IT Departments. And so, what’s an educator to do? Make a post on a blog with similar-minded educators!

"Those who cheat are only hurting themselves"

Once upon a time (in a galaxy far far away) I took a daylong training session on teaching online classes.  During a break in the training, I asked the trainer, “What do you do about exam security?”  Another trainee (teaching a giant online section of a general education class, History of Rock and Roll) piped up with his answer.  “I find that those who cheat are only cheating themselves.”

The trainer nodded wisely.  “Yes, those who cheat are only cheating themselves.”  

Translated: “We don’t concern ourselves with exam security.”

I had some strong reactions to those comments.  But I was trying to be sociable and friendly and to play well with others … so I kept my mouth shut.  (Others could hear my teeth grinding.)

My thoughts at that time should not be printed.  A much milder version of them was, “That is such --”  

A much much milder version of those thoughts was simply “That is SO WRONG.”  

“Those who cheat are only cheating themselves.”   Think Bernie Maddox.  Enron.  Various political figures.  People who cheat hurt LOTS of other people!

Can you imagine a university president, asked about the authenticity of college’s degrees, answering “Well, we here at State U. feel that those who cheat are just hurting themselves.  That’s the philosophy of my college.”  

How can an intelligent person spout such dribble?

A major difficulty with online education is secure exam testing.  But there are companies that offer secure online (at-home) exam testing.  It's not easy.  It has its problems.  But there are people doing it.  

Here is a story from the Chronicle of Higher Ed.

http://chronicle.com/article/Behind-the-Webcams-Watchful/138505/

Early College (or “Who goes to high school anymore?”)

(Part 2 of 2)

In Part 1 (an earlier post) I told a story of a student who only learned by the “multiplying method”.  But that was only half of the story.  The half I didn’t tell you is that those 65 hours of college credit were also the student’s  junior and senior high school classes.

This was a little confusing to me.  The student is 18.   She just graduated from high school.  But she immediately entered Sam Houston as a college junior with 65 credit hours because all her junior and senior high school classes are also simultaneously community college classes.  Her high school teachers were also, simultaneously, teaching the same class in the same room at the same time to the same students as a cross-listed community college class [1].  

This is called “dual-enrollment.”   

I thought I knew “dual-enrollment.”  Several of my children took college classes during their senior year and high school credit was an option.  But it never occurred to me that a high school could just make all its college-bound junior & senior classes into (simultaneous) classes for community college credit!  

These “college classes” were not at the college level.  The student received a failing grade in one math class but then, after her mother complained to her teacher, her high school (= college?) teacher then let her rework some problems and pull her grade up to a passing grade.  This teacher continued to let her rework problems and pull up failing grades in later “college” classes.  This apparently explains how she achieved a C in “College Algebra” in her high school math class in her senior year.

Her math SAT score was in the 11th percentile nationally, far below college requirements.  But here at Sam Houston she was advised out of our developmental math classes and into precalculus because her high school senior math class (“College Algebra”)  transferred in as our freshman College Algebra class.

This is a new wrinkle in the transition from high school to college.  Community colleges in Texas now certify high school teachers to be community college teachers and then anoint their classes with college credit.  This solves problems with high school budgets and the high school/college transition.  College is now high school.

But wait!  Why stop at two years of college credit for high school classes?!  Why not give four years of college credit?  Students should be able to graduate from high school with a college degree!  And, given our shortage of medical doctors, why not let students graduate from high school with medical degrees?  The possibilities are endless!  

(I get sarcastic when I'm angry.)

In an earlier blog I expressed concerns about removing “education” from “higher education.” In this post I am concerned that we are also removing the term “higher.”

1. Footnote:  Read this webpage on "Early College". Then answer the following quiz question (multiple choice):  To market our new program to parents and legislators, we should describe our program as  A. “friendly,” B. “easy,” C. “rigorous,” D. “supportive.”  (Choose two.)

MOOCs

Everyone loves to talk about MOOCs. Here's an article that I enjoyed reading, again from the NY Times. It's informative and seemed unbiased. Check it out.

MOOCs

Questioning the Mission of College

This is a great article in last week's NY Times about controversy in the Texas system.

Questioning the Mission of College

The "Multiplying" Learning Method

Different students learn in different ways -- we know that.  Students know that too....

The precalculus student I talked to on Friday afternoon failed the class last fall and will fail it again this spring.  (Her current grade is about 200 points of a possible 600; her highest exam grade was 35%.)   Sadly, she will probably fail the class again next fall.  Despite all the class aids (and there are many) she has not reacted to her consistently low scores until I spoke to her after class.

Her science major requires that she complete Calculus 1 and possibly Calculus 2.  Her math SAT score is 380.

We talked a little bit about the class, her performance, where she should go next.  As we talked, the student explained that my class is not compatible with her "learning method".

The student explained that she learns much better with "that multiplying method, you know, where there are letters, A, B, C...."  

I said, "You mean, 'Multiple Choice'?"  

"Yes, that's the one!" she said.    "That's the method where I learn best.  I'm good at figuring out which letters aren't the right ones...."

She elaborated.  She is "very good" at the "multiplying learning method" because she has learned to eliminate wrong answers and get the choices down to 1 or 2 where she can then make a good guess.  She has transferred into Sam Houston State University with 65 credit hours  (TWO YEARS!) of "college" classes, all earned at a nearby community college.  With possibly one exception (part of a math class), ALL of her community college classes used this "multiplying learning method".  She explained, "I don't really learn well with your method." 

I tried to gently explain that "my" method -- where students have to work out the answers themselves -- will be the norm for her (real) college classes.  But I don't think she believed me.  And I could be wrong.  In her current biology classes, "The tests all use that ["multiplying"] method."   "But", she admitted, "one of my botany labs started with the multiplying method but now we have to write out answers."

Those of us committed to higher education claim that college education teaches students to think critically and to solve problems. Yet recent studies (see, for example this study) tell us that we are failing at that task.  The problem with those negative studies, of course, is obvious.  (Angry-sarcasm alert!)  These negative studies don't take into account the "multiplying method."  Our students will be much better at "critical thinking" and "problem solving" if we can tell them exactly how to "think" and "solve".  If we would just lay out the choices (A, B, C, D -- no more than four!) and then tell them that three of the four choices are wrong... if we would just give them the right method ... then they would be better at getting the right answers.... 

(Deep breath.)

Multiple choice exams, quizzes and online homework are popular because they are easy to grade and can be cheaply given in large classes with many students.  They add "efficiency" to higher education.  The only problem with this efficiency is that it leaves out the "education" part of higher education.