May
9
What does ‘normal’ look like?
Filed Under Educational Theory, The Profession of Education | Leave a Comment
In a recent article in “Wired” magazine, an article about medical research and the need for more autopsies caught my attention. In medicine, the rate of autopsies has declined to below 10%. This is significant because in predictive medicine, the screening test is vital to distinguish between what is a normal range of parameters and dangerous risk. The use of technology, lack of time and costs of research were cited as the main reasons fewer examinations through autopsy are performed. Bottom line, doctors are too quick to treat an abnormality as a disease indicator, when it really may be within the range of ‘normal’.
It seems to me that this is what we do, too. We take a student who is having a certain level of frustration and failure, and instead of allowing the student to work their way out of the predicament, we may step in and try another activity that may confuse their thinking. Or, the parent may insist that they be tested for a learning disability, prompting more inquiry that takes focus from the original problem. Or the student, with little teacher support, becomes so frustrated they percieve no reason to continue. In each case, their struggle for learning may have been within the range of ‘normal’ behavior…behavior we just don’t study enough.
May
5
A good teacher is a good leader
Filed Under Educational Theory, Leadership, The Parent-Teacher Team | Leave a Comment
“The object of teaching is to enable the young man or young woman to get along without their teachers…To provide them an independence of mind and soul, without an arrogance of spirit or self-deceptive sophistication.” Creighton W. Abrams, circa 1970.
Leaders make the biggest impact when the people they lead say, “Look what I’ve done!”
May
4
5-Year Plans Don’t Mean Much to A 2nd Grader
Filed Under Technology in the Classroom, Thoughts & Opinions | Leave a Comment
Trends in
According to the Center on Education Policy, lack of money and delayed guidelines are undermining states’ efforts to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002. In
Class size is growing through immigration from many directions, not only via
A heterogeneous population is, by itself, a challenge to teach. Most countries and a good portion of the
The teacher population, both the number of current teachers and the number of potential teachers is declining. The current population is getting older, nearing retirement age. Combine this with their substantial (comparative) salaries, and districts are under pressure to meet budget goals. The alternative, to hire younger, less costly teachers, is also a struggle, since fewer teachers are entering the profession. A single positive trend is the increase in alternative certification candidates, although the numbers will likely fall short of the actual need.
The economic gap between families, as well as the basic makeup of those families, indicates more splintered families with little economic alternatives other than those offered through government programs, like public school.
These trends indicate that public education in