One of your final exam study questions asks you to comment on new trends in education, noting what trends you find positive and what trends you think dangerous. What (if anything) did Dr. Meier say that might be worth talking about in connection with this theme?
Bonus: where do you think Dr. Meier and I would most disagree when it comes to American education? Where would we most likely agree?
Well, yes: education should focus on students most of all. But the student population in a school district we more or less take for granted. Hiring the right teachers is something one can work on.
ReplyDeleteI also was put off just a bit by his comment on women being more effective than men and Latinos more effective that Anglos as teachers. The idea that somehow the brightest and best don't teach when they see the other opportunities available is just plain wrong.
I think he talked himself into a hole when he dissed standardized tests and then used standardized tests as an indication of system success and failure. I think standardized tests can be a very effective tool when used by classroom teachers and local administrators. They're a problem when bureaucrats misuse the tests in their carrot and stick approach to education.
ReplyDeleteI think that Dr Marmorstein and Dr Meier probably agree most with the German spelling of their last names. Start with the common ground and work from there. Everyone knows that a test/standardized testing is not an all-inclusive or comprehensive evaluation of one’s knowledge. What is knowledge?? Don’t mean to go all philosophical, but is a 12 year old who does calculus any smarter than a 12 year old who can rebuild a carburetor? On a test in a public high school he sure is, but both demonstrate comprehension and problem solving skills well above what one would expect at that age.
ReplyDeleteI liked his backing…or lack thereof of common core standards. I applaud the effort it takes to develop these standards, the courage it takes to implement them in a school district, but it’ll just cause teaching to the test…like it always does. I still remember test taking strategies from HS, how to properly fill in the circles or, don’t spend too much time on one question. We had classes on how to take test, and that’s not training for the test?
I didn’t see exactly how he felt the Dream Act was going to somehow fix and already overburdened, underfunded public school system? Children born here on US soil are citizen no matter how their parents got here, plus they’re entitled to public education regardless. Rewarding 30 million illegal aliens for not following our immigration policy, with instant access to social welfare programs, doesn’t seem to have much positive influence on the American education system in my mind.
I agree and I can see Dr Marmorstein agreeing with how the Esprit de Corp of the teachers and the administration being highly important to the success of a school/district. That almost seems obvious; I don’t plan on working very long in districts that don’t have a favorable environment. Go Teawork!
That calculus vs. carburetor contrast points to the heart of what I think is a major problem with education. In the community where I went to high school, there were lots of Aerojet engineers. Their kids did lots of build-it projects, projects that combined academic and hands on learning. Hands-on skills were admired as much as "pure" academic success, and top students frequently took things like drafting, auto mechanics, etc. In Aberdeen, we've segregated the hands-on classes and the academic classes. There's almost a stigma to taking vocational classes. That's very, very wrong--and boys in particular are penalized by placing the stigma on courses where many of them tend to excel.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, the ability to do calculus *isn't* going to show up on standardized tests. The math sections typically test general quantitative problem solving ability, not advanced math skills.