Re: Database for Software List

[Bill Tihen -- TECHNOLOGY <bill@mail.tasis.ch>]

Hi,

By preschool, I was actually thinking about a
Kindergarten teacher in the US -- she doesn't teach
"academic" material as we define it in say Grade 1 where
student learn to read or do math or whatever they learn. 

I was thinking of the preschool level where the kids
learn about colors, tying shoes, sharing, or what ever
they learn.  I would have to ask my friend how she uses
it, but she says she can use it educationally without
being "academic."  Basically, I just think we need a
category where the emphasis is not exactly "academic,"
but still educational -- to satisfy the needs of my
kindergarten teacher.

For the other grades I was thinking that it would be
nice to divide the "academic" programs into the areas
that are the most common pedagogical levels (now I am
outside of my range of knowledge -- however, many places
the US included have a grade school (1-6) -- where kids
like to learn, a middle school (7-8) where hormones are
new and the kids must adjust to hormones ruling their
mind, a high school (9 - 13) many place go to the 13th
grade -- many private schools even have a PG year --
anyway here the focus is developing a strong academic
mind and preparing many students for college/university.

Finally there is the college level, which could probably
be broken into undergraduate and graduate level if we
really got into the divisions.

I don't know how many school systems around the world
support a middle school concept, but it would probably
help the teacher in North America and probably other
places too.  Some States in Germany use this concept
others don't.  

In anycase -- no matter how we divide it -- I think it
should be either based on the most standard school
system we can think of or the most standard pedagocial
understanding of learning levels.


Quoting Robert Hopcroft <hopcroft@uswest.net>:
> Bill Tihen -- TECHNOLOGY wrote:
> > I would go a little further and break it down into:
> >         Preschool
> >         Grades 1-5
> >         Grades 6-8
> >         Grades 9-13
> >         University
> > Because each of these grade levels are seen as
> > pedagocally different in many places (not allways
grades
> > 6-8), but in anycase, these teachers can then better
use
> > similar programs.
>
> Thanks Bill, this is a good point. Correct me if my
interpretation is
> wrong. I'm taking grade 1 to mean what we in the US
would refer to as K
> for kindergarten and thus 13 for 12 in terms of our
K12 system. The
> inclusion of preschool is a good idea both for daycare
and the home.
> This has made me think in terms of localization. Local
to myself, we
> have two systems: K-4 (1-5), 5-8 (6-9), 9-12 (10-13)
and K-6 (1-7), 7-9
> (8-10), 10-12 (11-13). We could store things
internally as 0-14, zero
> for preschool and 14 for college/university and
localize the interface.
> Thoughts anyone especially for Chinese, Japanese and
Russian school
> systems. Also what about the UK.
>
> Bob
>
> 


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