Educators and Administrators are watching intently how this next experiement upon learning methods will effect graduation rates and the meeting of standards. This experiment by the Adams 50 district will remove age-based, developmental-based, grade levels and exchanged them for academic, achievement-based levels. At first glance this could be a “small step, giant leap” scenario, the reality is that this could be nothing more than “rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.” Why might I say this, well let’s examine how the old system was supposed to work.
Posts Tagged ‘Future’
Elimination of Age-based Grade Levels… repost
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009Is Web 2.0 the Future? by Özge Karaoğlu
Saturday, March 14th, 2009– a great post I came across by Özge Karaoğlu, thought I’d share it with you –
“I believe as teachers, we are about to have the biggest discussion on education: How do we learn? Some of us have already explored the potential of social networking, media-sharing and other Web 2.0 tools though they are not designed specially for learning; and it’s getting more popular everyday among our students. They have been using Web 2.0 for a long time. They write on blogs, upload photos and videos, build personal profiles and interact with each other everyday. They all have their Myspace and Facebook accounts and this makes it easier for us to use this technology at schools because our students are already familiar through their own experiences and they are already motivated to use them.
Here are some reasons why to use Web 2.0 in our classes…
Read More Here
Educational Foundations: The Learning Process
Saturday, March 7th, 2009This entry is part of a series, Educational Foundations»
In education we would like to think that every academic subject synthesizes together into a final product that the student “needs” to be successful in our world. In reality only grammar and math are the “needed” subjects. This is not to downplay other areas that lead to a fulfilling and “successful” life, but if a student is to succeed in work, academia, and anything else, the ability to speak and write well, in addition to the capacity to do math, are essential to the successful life. Yet, this is precisely what the schools have missed, due to the movement towards societal enginneering that has been occuring since the 1900s and John Dewey. If we are to move into the future, how should the educational process adapt to truely meet the needs of the students of the future?
Entries in this series:
- Educational Foundations: Meaning in the Process
- Educational Foundations: The Learning Process
- Educational Foundations: Societal Introductions
- Educational Foundations: Societal Engineering
- Educational Foundations: Freedom
- Educational Foundations: Public Schooling
Obama puts spotlight on education…
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-na-obama-education25-2009feb25,0,2871040.story?track=rss
Los Angeles Times, by Frank James
“Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma,” Obama said. “And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish.”
Here’s a difficult question… “Why?” Why might it be the case in the United States that we have 2 large issues with dropout rates at the secondary and collegiate levels?”
The Case Against Nationalized Standards: A Response to Randi Weingarten
Friday, February 20th, 2009Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501257.html
Author: Randi Weingarten, President of the AFT
“The countries that consistently outperform the United States on international assessments all have national standards, with core curriculum, assessments and time for professional development for teachers based on those standards… But there is little outrage over the uneven patchwork of academic standards for students in our 50 states and the District of Columbia. And the federal government has tacitly accepted this situation by giving a seal of approval…” She reneges on her affinity for nationalized control, stating…
“I am not talking about federal standards… nor am I proposing that state and local education authorities lose all say on curriculum. I certainly am not suggesting that teachers be forced to provide instruction in a scripted, lock-step manner, unable to tailor lessons or draw on their own expertise…. Education is a local issue, but there is a body of knowledge about what children should know and be able to do that should guide decisions about curriculum and testing.” Then she proposes only what already exists, stating…
“I propose that a broad-based group — made up of educators, elected officials, community leaders, and experts in pedagogy and particular content — come together to take the best academic standards and make them available as a national model. Teachers then would need the professional development, and the teaching and learning conditions, to make the standards more than mere words.”
The Latest in Tutoring Technology: A.I.
Sunday, February 1st, 2009Source: http://www.quantumsimulations.com/
“Quantum develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring, assessment and professional development software for K-12, higher education, distance learning and adult education… Quantum is the only AI company capable of integrating cutting-edge technology for textbook publishers, educational software providers or distance learning organizations…. AI learning products [are] scientifically proven to increase test scores by as much as 50%.”
What is interesting about this “movement”, I say that because Quantum isn’t the only company moving this direction, is that technology in this sense isn’t being used to reduced the disconnect in society; rather it is being used to maintain the divisions between person-to-person interactions.
Changing the Face of Education
Friday, January 23rd, 2009Earlier today I ran across this fascinating article by Thomas Frey, “The Future of Education.”
He notes in his introduction that numerous elements are missing from contemporary education; elements which he believes will be implemented in the coming years. What really piqued my interest was his solution, “these missing pieces will be a participative courseware-builder that allows the general public to create courses on any conceivable topic.” How will this shift occur? Are the beginning facets of of Frey’s vision already seeing light?
How Should We View the Current Influx of Tutors?
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009This entry is part of a series, Education and the Role of Tutors»
This article is a response to Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers research: “How to Interpret the Growing Phenomenon of Private Tutoring: Human Capital Deepening, Inequality Increasing, or Waste of Resources?”
Dang and Rogers explore the rise in private tutoring companies over the past few year and the significance of this occurrence. They explain that private tutoring helps specifically because it is a more flexible form of education. In countries such as Japan, students who utilize tutors to supplement their education nears 60%. Additionally, Dang and Rogers note that in the more affluent sections of America parents are sending their preschoolers to private tutors in order to give them an edge.1»
Entries in this series:
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 1
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 2
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 3
- How Should We View the Current Influx of Tutors?
Hai-Anh Dang and F. Halsey Rogers, “How to Interpret the Growing Phenomenon of Private Tutoring: Human Capital Deepening, Inequality Increasing, or Waste of Resources?,” The World Bank Development Research Group Human Development and Public Services Team (February 2008, http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/02/25/000158349_20080225153509/Rendered/PDF/wps4530.pdf), 3-4. Interestingly, they also note some indicators show “that private tutoring is more popular in countries with weak and deficient public education systems” (Ibid., 7).Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.3+
Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 3
Saturday, January 17th, 2009This entry is part of a series, Education and the Role of Tutors»
It is my contention, as presented in previous articles, that a distortion presently exists in the role tutors traditionally held. Furthermore, I would suggest that this distortion has been caused due to the watering down of American educational system (but lets save that discussion for another time), and the generalization of the tutoring profession. Tutors need to refocus and become more specialized for education to stop its downward spiral.1
Entries in this series:
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 1
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 2
- Education and the Role of Tutors: Past, Present and Future; Part 3
- How Should We View the Current Influx of Tutors?
The Chicago-ization of America’s Schools
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008This week President-elect Obama, moved to nominate Chicago Public School’s CEO, Arne Duncan as the Federal Government’s Secretary of Education. While he has been heralded as a bi-lateral type of reformer in Chicago Public Schools, that school system still lags far behind the nation, and is only in the middle of the pack for urban education environments.
Some concerns of those in the field of education, may stem from the fact that Mr. Duncan has neither a degree in education, nor has he ever been a teacher in any sort of capacity. His base degree is a B.A. in sociology from Harvard, and as many educators would readily admit, a sociology degree does not lend itself to an accurate view of the issues facing the world of education. Mr. Duncan’s noteriety was recieved as the Director of the Ariel Education Initiative, a non-profit on the south-side of Chicago. Unfortunately, this post was most likely gained due to his life-long relationship with the foundation’s founder John Roger’s Jr. From their he gained the post of the Deputy Chief of Staff for the CPS in 1998, and then rose to succeed Paul Vallas.
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