Imagine a life without any technology. That means no computers for school, no cell phones, and no writing papers like I am doing right now. If our schools didn’t allow us to use these tools school would be possible, but much different and not nearly as convenient. America prides itself on being a leader in technology, a key component of the 21st century school system. Nearly every classroom has the new “Smart boards” in them, modern furniture, and bright colored motivational posters, all components of this modern school system that so many are trying to establish in every school in the United States.

Then on the other end of the spectrum is the Italian culture. They pride themselves on being traditional and cultural people. This applies to all aspects of their life. From traditions that they carry on at home, such as meal times, to the way that they run their schools. Italians are not in a rush to try to keep up with technologically advanced countries like the United States or Asia. The culture is content moving at a pace that is considered to be slowly by other countries standards.

Chalkboards are used in place of whiteboards, old wooden desks are used in place of modern plastic desks, and the students stay in one classroom while the teachers more around to them.  If you were to walk into an Italian school building it would look like you went back in time. Even the textbooks used are old versions by a significant number of years.

Why would a school want to stay this way? What makes either side think that there way is truly the one that works?

Looking back at my second assignment I realized that going to the writing center benefited me much more than I thought it would. While I had started the paper with what I thought was a strong understanding and outline,in reference to the information, I discovered that I truly did not have a grasp on what exactly we were suppose to do. My biggest struggle was with my format and connecting points. During my meeting with my Professor I learned that it benefits me to discuss what I am thinking out loud with someone.  This is a technique I have not tried in a long time. This is what we did in my meeting with the writing center. We read the essay out loud and edited it paragraph my paragraph. I then went back on my own time to go over it multiple times and change the format and sentence structure. Something I would change in my approach to this paper is adding more days to my editing process. This way I am able to step back with a clearer head than I was able to this last time.I felt like I had a better grasp on this assignment, as opposed to the last paper we submitted as was more proactive in answering questions that I had.

Since I have moved back stateside, a common question I come across is about not only the italian culture but how the school system differs. The sources, as well as my own personal experience, confirm that while there are many differences between the two countries’ education systems, there are also many similarities that connect them. The first two articles I selected are written specifically with the Italian system being superior. These articles are by Rebecca New and Tullia Musatti. Both articles present a very one sided view on why the Italian system is the way it is and why they believe it is superior to all others  Victor Katz presents a more neutral view in his piece, Using history to teach mathematics: An international perspective. This is partially due to the fact that only a small segment of the book itself is actually dedicated to Italian education and culture, it has the sole purpose of sharing information, the good and bad.  The last article by Herbst, Jurgen specifically focuses on the American system and what a 21st century school should be like. He believes that they way the school system should turn out makes it more productive than all others.

The first articles chosen were chosen with the purpose of being biased towards Italian education. Both articles; Italian Early Education, and Early Education in Italy believe that a large part of why Italian schools are the way they are is due to the wanting of young italian students to embrace their Italian culture. Rebecca New states in Social competence in Italian Early Childhood, that a school should not just teach arithmetic and spelling but life skills that will benefit a child forever. Both sources agree that a child should have a strong base at home and it should be continued on at school. A strong family based environment is taught in both atmospheres as well as strong male leadership within the families. A strong base connection is also made between parents and schools. In Tullia Musatti’s article she mentions ECEC ( The ministry of Education in Italy) being extremely involved with the parents and schools to make sure that the experience the students are receiving is the best that it can be, not to mention that the students are being taught what and how the parents want them to be. Again, the cultural connection and tie between the schools and families is shown here.

Secondly is the writing by Victor Katz,Using history to teach mathematics: An international perspective, is written about many different countries and not just Italy, this makes it the least biased out of all my sources. One section in the book is dedicated to Italy and rather than preaching on why the modern system is the best, it shows us the steps leading up to the modern system.  Katz’s work has information based off of the renaissance, information with no “hidden agenda” but just old basic facts. It also shows a difference when it comes to what subject is viewed as most important. Math is an extremely important subject to the Italians. All students regardless of their paths in life, must practice a very high level of math, something that United States does not. The American education is focused on writing and english . This book helps to further elaborate on this fact.

The last article is the antithesis of my first two sources, this a source that solely focuses on american schools and how they have developed to become what is best for students in this “21st century” school system. Herbst talks about what is expected and always has been expected as America has grown older and wiser. While it may be outdated at this moment it shows the progress and steps that have lead to this particular system. It shows what technology was developing, different teaching techniques, and what negatives needed to be changed, showing good growth.

As stated before, the  biggest separation between the two education structures of the United States is the cultural involvement. Italians lead towards forming citizens with the same traditions and values, they do this by practicing even the smallest of customs, such as reposso. The italian lunch break at midday for two to three hours. This is seen as the big meal of the day and dinner is something small.  This custom takes place at all Italian schools of all levels. This is opposite of the American 45 minute lunch periods. Americans lead a much more active and cram filled lifestyle, demonstrated in the packed school schedules and lack of breaks. Neither of these is better than the other, however they are different. All sources produced evidence towards their cause, but also helped me to realize that while the systems may have large differences, they also both stand strong to their own purpose. Both are working to provide children with the chance for a better future,  despite having different methods the same thought is there.

Annotated Bibliography

New, Rebecca. Social Competence in Italian Early Childhood Education in Italy:Research and Practice, New York: Springer and Wiley Company, 1998. Print.

This book by Rebecca New discusses how early education and child care converge into one. The cultural values the education systems incorporated into a childs education and learning are meant to teach more than just arithmetic. Their belief is that a school should not simply be focused on teaching from a book but rather leaving an impact in the lives of those they are teaching in other ways. The educational practices of Reggio Emilia Preschools is the main focus and examples throughout this writing. This source offers an insight into the Italian cultural connection to schools and why they run them the way that they do. For example, it is custom for Italians to have a two to three hour long lunch break in the middle of the day. This is called “reposso.” In our American culture we are accustomed to having 45 minutes to eat lunch in the afternoon and then going straight back to class. This is just one example of the cultural differences in the school system not related specifically to education itself.

Musatti, Tullia. Mariacristina Picchio. Early Education in Italy: Research and Practice, New York: Springer, 2010. Print.

This article by Musatti and Picchio was published in the International Journal Of Early Childhood education. A key point that helps to make this source seem reliable is is the database which is comes from; The U.S. department of Education. This article discussed themes such as the connection between the ECEC ( the ministry of Education in Italy) and the parents of the students they are trying to connect to in their public schools. The connection between this ministry and the parents was determined as one of the key problems in making the education system the best it could be. According to this article, Italia education has already improved dramatically simply based off of the improved communication and evaluations by the ECEC. Throughout this article the reader will see the different changes and improvements made throughout italy’s education systems. A reader should be slightly hesitant while reading due to the fact that the article may have some bias because the largest contributor is the ECEC whose agenda is to make Italy’s school systems seem as productive and refined as possible.

Katz, Victor J. Using history to teach mathematics: An international perspective. Washington: Mathematical Association of America, 2000. Print.

While this is a book that covers many broad topics of history and their different connections to mathematics around the world, I am using it for the specific section solely dedicated to Mathematics, humanism and planning in Renaissance Italy, by Ulve Gellert. Because the topic of this section in the book is written based off of information dating back into the time of the Renaissance, it shows the origin and reasoning behind why parts of the Italian system are the way that they are today. Having personally lived in Italy for four years of my life I have witnessed first hand how important mathematics is in European cultures. It is one of the main focuses, if not the main focus, of all levels of schooling. The math that students in italian high school were doing greatly surpassed the basic levels we completed in our DoDDS (Department of Defense Schools) program. This is one example of the structure difference between our two countries. Katz is another reliable source who has the backing of a reliable publisher, the Mathematical Association of America. I would not describe it as being biased seeing as it is not just focused on Italy, rather many countries and their connections to history and math.

Herbst, Jurgen. The once and Future Schools: 350 Years of Secondary Education. Routledge, 1996. Print.

The once and Future Schools: 350 Years of Secondary Education, written by Jurgen Herbst discusses how he believes the American school systems should be different in the 21st century. This article may seem outdated but its purpose is clear. It is meant to depict the American education system and the mindset behind how it is today. Herbst presents a general overview of this. This book explains how proper schooling, done in this particular way decided in the United States, can lead to a more successful future and careers for students, in the opinion of those who have contributed. Herbst is a professor of education policy and studies and history at the University of Wisconsin, showing he has the utmost interest in making sure that students receive the education needed to get them wherever they hope to be as adults. As a reader this leads me towards being more inclined to believe what I read that is written by him.

Since I have moved back stateside, a common question I come acrossed is about not only the italian culture but how the school system differs. The sources, as well as personal experience, confirm that while there are many differences between the two countries’ education systems, there are also many similarities. Two articles I selected are written specifically with the Italian system being superior. These articles are by Rebecca New and Tullia Musatti. Both articles present a very one sided view on why the italian system is the way it is and why it is superior to all others  Victor Katz presents a more neutral view in his piece on Using history to teach mathematics: An international perspective. This is partially due to the fact that only a small segment of the book itself is actually dedicated to Italian education and culture, it has the sole purpose of sharing information, the good and bad.  The last article by Herbst, Jurgen specifically focuses on the American system and what a 21st century school should be like, .

Both articles; Italian Early Education, and Early Education in Italy believe that a large part of why Italian schools are the way they are is due to the wanting of young italian students to embrace their Italian culture. Rebecca New states in Social competence in Italian Early Childhood, that a school should not just teach arithmetic and spelling but life skills that will benefit a child forever. Both sources agree that a child should have a strong base at home and it should be continued on at school. A strong family based environment is taught in both atmospheres as well as strong male leadership within the families. A strong base connection is also made between parents and schools. In Tullia Musatti’s article she mentions ECEC ( The ministry of Education in Italy) being extremely involved with the parents and schools to make sure that the experience the students are receiving is the best that it can be, not to mention that the students are being taught what and how the parents want them to be. Again, the cultural connection and tie between the schools and families is shown here.

The writing by Victor Katz,Using history to teach mathematics: An international perspective, is written about many different countries and not just italy, this makes it the least biased out of all my sources. One section in the book is dedicated to italy and rather than preaching on why the modern system is the best, it shows us the steps leading up to the modern system.  Katz’s work has information based off of the renaissance, information with no “hidden agenda” but just old basic facts. It also shows a difference when it comes to what subject is viewed as most important. Math is an extremely important subject to the Italians. All students regardless of their paths in life, must practice a very high level of math, something that United States does not. The American education is focused on writing and english . This book helps to further elaborate on this fact.

Lastly is the antithesist of my first two sources, this is a source that solely focuses on american schools and how they have developed to become what is best for students in this “21st century” school system. Herbst talks about what is expected and always has been expected as America has grown older and wiser. While it may be outdated at this moment it shows the progress and steps that have lead to this particular system. It shows what technology was developing, different teaching techniques, and what negatives needed to be changed, showing good growth.

The  biggest separation between the two education structures of the United States is the cultural involvement. Italians lead towards forming citizens with the same traditions and values, they do this by practicing even the smallest of customs, such as reposso. The italian lunch break at midday for two to three hours. This is seen as the big meal of the day and dinner is something small.  This custom takes place at all Italian schools of all levels. This is opposite of the American 45 minute lunch periods. Americans lead a much more active and cram filled lifestyle, demonstrated in the packed school schedules and lack of breaks. Neither of these is better than the other, however they are different. All sources produced evidence towards their cause, but also helped me to realize that while the systems may have large differences, they also both stand strong to their own purpose. Both are working to provide children with the chance for a better future,  despite having different methods the same thought is there.