Can teachers impact poor students?
Survey on whether teachers can overcome socioeconomic barriers
“These survey results indicate that roughly half of Ohioans think good teachers can make a difference in student lives despite obstacles such as poverty, while the other half holds to the more traditional view that socioeconomics has more weight than teachers when it comes to impacting student learning.”
Do SAT scores define intelligence?
That question was posed to Brian Greene, Physicist at Columbia University. His reply:
“No. They define the capacity to answer questions on an SAT test.”
[via Daniel Pink]
How much math do we really need?
Certainly, not as much as they are throwing at students today.
Checkout this article written by Ramanathan, a professor emeritus of mathematics, statistics and computer science. The column first appeared in The Washington Post.
Some interesting comments:
This is completely in sync with my comments on other articles regarding education — success has a lot to do with motivation. Some people naturally enjoy math, and are motivated to do well with it. But for others, making up phony reasons to try to motivate them is not very effective.
There is a very interesting Catch-22 w.r.t. math. To get into Engineering school and to get a degree in Engineering, you’ve got to do a lot of math, but ironically math isn’t used that much after you graduate. So, it is a hurdle you have to clear to get the job.
Now here’s the fun part: some people in government claim we have a shortage of engineers, and so of course they conclude more students need to study math. But it’s an artificial barrier!!! So, there’s a lot of effort to get people to work hard to clear an artificial barrier that is there in the first place to keep them out! LOL.
And Another (from here):
As I noted in my post, I find it hard to disagree with the professor’s logic, despite having taught math for twenty years. However, this is all part of a larger issue about the curriculum, and about school in general. We don’t seem to want to have a serious discussion about what is school for and what should students be learning in that relatively limited amount of time.Instead, we just assume that the traditional subjects should be taught in the traditional manner. Kids need to learn some math but do they need it to be the huge part of the K12 curriculum (as measured by the amount the subject is tested) as it is? Does every high school student really need four years of math beginning with Algebra? Society says yes to both without even considering other options.
Your Weight Room Sucks!
Came across this article about Lake Travis High School Football. The comments are pretty entertaining. One commenter links to our turf room which isn’t too shabby either!
NFL Stars NOT
I heard a coach from another neighborhood greeted the parents at the beginning of football season with “I want to start out by saying and hoping that all of you parents agree – that none of your boys are going to play for the NFL”.
Is Race To Nowhere critical of school districts?
I haven’t seen the Race To Nowhere documentary movie, only the trailer. I worry that the documentary may not be received well by LTISD administrators so I contacted one of the Texas High Schools that recently screened the movie. This is what the Principle had to say:
We showed the film last night to our community. It made an impact on every member in the audience (parent, student, teacher, counselor, administrator, school board member). The film does not ‘bash’ any particular group and ends with action steps for each group.
I am the principal at my campus and felt this was a message that we all needed to hear. I would be glad to speak to your administration about showing it. I do not see it as critical in any sense but rather makes us reflect on our profession and philosophies.
Good luck. Let me know how it works out for you.
What makes a good teacher?
In a nutshell, the organization’s (Teach for America) definition of a great teacher is as unassailable as it is unsustainable for mere mortals. According to TFA’s model, highly effective teachers: (1) set high expectations, (2) recruit every child and their family in the endeavor, (3) plan carefully, (4) execute precisely, (5) continuously “increase effectiveness,” and, as if this were not enough, (6) “work relentlessly.”
Measures of Effective Teaching (Suppoted by Bill & Melinda Gates)
Current measures of teaching rarely take into account the full range of what teachers do, or the context in which they teach. The Measures of Effective Teaching project is different. It’s informed by the real work of real teachers in real classrooms. It goes beyond the exclusive use of student assessments as a proxy for effectiveness and, instead, is geared to developing a set of measures that together serve as an accurate indicator of a teacher’s impact on student achievement.
Race To Nowhere
I’m THRILLED that this documentary movie was made which will facilitate a national discussion on the important topic of our education system. Click the video above, or Go here and watch the trailer!
From their website:
Director Vicki Abeles turns the personal political, igniting a national conversation in her new documentary about the pressures faced by American schoolchildren and their teachers in a system and culture obsessed with the illusion of achievement, competition and the pressure to perform. Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired.
Should Johnny Learn to Program?
Points and counter points on whether computer programming should be something all kids should learn: Should Johnny Learn to Program?
I’m on the side of no, programming is not a basic skill everyone should learn. I like this counterpoint:
The giant hole in our workforce isn’t entry level developers who can hash out c code and write a compiler from scratch. It is for people with combined skills who can APPLY encapsulated technology (lots thanks to companies has been encapsulated) to specific domains.
The giant hole in our workforce isn’t entry level developers who can hash out c code and write a compiler from scratch. It is for people with combined skills who can APPLY encapsulated technology (lots thanks to companies has been encapsulated) to specific domains.
Let’s stop trying to train the mass of high school students to become preservation carpenters, and instead make them very good contractors.
My reply:
I would recommend a deeper understanding of computing for the USER. People don’t have a clue of the very basics of computing.
How many people click on an attachment to save and can never find it again? People don’t understand the concept of CC vs BCC. Folks don’t not the difference between an Operating System, a browser, and a website. Learning how to program is NOT something everyone should learn. Phillips is right on the mark in suggesting we adjust the education system to teach application of encapsulated technology. A good book on the subject is Daniel Pink’s A While New Mind.