- 63% could not find Iraq on the world map
- 90% could not find Afghanistan
- 75% could not find Israel or Iran
- 70% had no clue where to look for North Korea
- 20% thought Sudan is in Asia and 10% thought it's in Europe
- 50% could not tell the exact location of Ohio or even New York
- 30% could not locate Louisiana and Mississippi
- Although 69% could find China, 75% thought English was a predominant language in the region (natives, not tourists, of course)
Given these appalling numbers, I am determined to include facts about other countries in all of my courses. For example, in Word Processing, they learn how to format a basic report by researching a country of their choice and then organizing information according to my guidelines. In Business Math, we talk about exchange rates, trade policies, etc.
Do you do anything similar in your courses? I would like to expand assignments and any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
1 comment:
Sadly, but yes, I once asked my students "Who is Condoleezza Rice?" They did not know. In fact one student, which a straight face, asked if that was something from a Chinese restaurant!
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