New Trends in Education

Note that one of your potential final exam questions asks you to comment on "new trends" in education. TSSFFAP is over 15 years old now, and some of its "new" trends aren't new anymore--and a lot of recent trends aren't even mentioned. In particular, there's nothing in TSSFFAP about the Common Core.

After reading the TSSFFAP "Madness to their Methods" chapter, take a look at Diane Ravitch's blog and read through some of her posts on the Common Core. You might also find amusing the "Students Last" Ravitch mentions on her blog.

What connection do you see between the Common Core and some of the trends TSSFFAP talks about?  Does it seem to you that the Common Core is a truly new trend, or does it simply take farther earlier trends like those mentioned in TSSFFAP?

Days to Remember: Constitution Day/History Day

Glance through the material on the Constitution Day and National History Day sites (www.constitutionday.com, www.nationalhistoryday.org) and think about how events like Constitution Day and National History Day might enrich the curriculum and stimulate increased student interest in history and government. What kind of activities would you be most likely to use for a Constitution Day celebration?  What would be the advantages/disadvantages of having your students prepare History Day projects?

 

Are you smarter than a Harvard senior?

As our social science for teachers major is being phased out, it looks like we won't need an assessment exam in the social sciences.  Still, I'd like to get a sense of where your students stand in disciplines other than history.

In 2008, More than 14,000 college students took a "Civil Literacy" test sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. According to ISI, students didn't do so well. The average college freshman got about 50% of the questions right. Seniors did only a bit better, averaging 54% on the quiz. Harvard seniors were the nation's best, averaging 69% on the survey. Can you do better? Take the quiz at the link below and find out! Did you do better than the average freshman? Better than the average senior? Better than the average Harvard student? Better than Harry the talking hand? (Harry got 58/60 right, as did Professor Jon Schaff). What do you think of the quiz? Is this stuff students should really know, or does it seem like trivial pursuit?  You can post your score here along with your comments on the exam or you can e-mail me you score separately.

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx