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GratefulCitizen
03-12-2013, 20:21
An explosion of learning and knowledge is coming.
This will be seen as a threat by many governments.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teachers-ethiopian-children-teach-themselves/

From the article:

Earlier this year, OLPC workers dropped off closed boxes containing the tablets, taped shut, with no instruction. “I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch … powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android,” Negroponte said. “Some idiot in our organization or in the Media Lab had disabled the camera, and they figured out the camera, and had hacked Android.”

Elaborating later on Negroponte’s hacking comment, Ed McNierney, OLPC’s chief technology officer, said that the kids had gotten around OLPC’s effort to freeze desktop settings. “The kids had completely customized the desktop—so every kids’ tablet looked different. We had installed software to prevent them from doing that,” McNierney said. “And the fact they worked around it was clearly the kind of creativity, the kind of inquiry, the kind of discovery that we think is essential to learning.”


Also: http://www.technologyreview.com/view/429206/emtech-preview-another-way-to-think-about-learning/

Dozer523
03-12-2013, 21:18
What amazes me, is that anyone finds this surprising.
Kids, open a box, mess around with what they find, and master it.
Goes to prove (anecdotally) the 'problems of education' are not learning problems.

Actually those who are surprised by this are the problem of education.
But it was a great post, tho.

BRAVO Kids!

BOfH
03-13-2013, 11:17
Actually those who are surprised by this are the problem of education.


Bingo! On the topic, a personal anecdote: My 2yr old son had made note that I keep my personal tablet in my backpack(which I take to work, it is also my last bastion of things that always seem to disappear around the house, like pens - so I take care to keep it and it's contents out of sight). Wanting to watch something, he went into the coat closet, took the tablet from my bag, turned it on, unlocked it, opened the Hulu app and chose the desired kids show. My wife, who was in another room, was concerned because he had been too quiet for too long: she found him sitting on the couch, watching, and quite pleased with himself.

Children can learn almost anything quite well on their own, they just need the interest, tools and occasional challenge. No spoon feeding or indoctrination required.

My .02

Felix87
03-13-2013, 12:04
There was another similar article I found while reading about the TED conference. A professor in India set up a desktop in a booth located in a poorer district. Kids slowly flocked to it and began using it. They got online, conversed in chat rooms, etc. I forget the time frame, but not soon after the setup the kids complained they needed a new mouse and a better processor to keep up.

It's amazing to me that they could go from little to no knowledge/experience, to being able to comprehend an upgrade path.

Felix87
03-13-2013, 12:06
I realize it's CNN, but the article is sound.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/27/opinion/ted-prize-students-teach-themselves/index.html?iref=allsearch

Trapper John
03-13-2013, 12:08
Goes to prove (anecdotally) the 'problems of education' are not learning problems.

Actually those who are surprised by this are the problem of education.

BRAVO Kids!

Dozer, I want to add to the anecdotal evidence. Daughter #1 is a teacher in the the Head Start Program. Over half of her class is labeled as having a learning disability or behavioral problems. Rather than stick to the administratively directed program she started engaging the kids in learning programs. She has 4-year old kids understanding the concept of gravity, they can identify the planets in the solar system, they can count, the know the letters of the alphabet, the can write the letters. Her class from last year (the first year that she tried this) placed way ahead of the other kids in their Kindergarten class. What's new is that she challenges the kids to learn, they eat it up, they pay attention, no behavior problems because they are not bored and they are engaged in something that is fun. THEY HAVE LEARNED THAT LEARNING IS FUN!!

The other teachers were very skeptical and said that these kids could never grasp such advanced concepts. Now they are amazed and are wondering how she does it. It's simple, curiosity is innate. Our education system with all its prescriptive, mandated assessments and boilerplate lesson plans simply drives the curiosity out of the majority of kids. Hence they are bored and when they are bored behavior problems emerge. Just another case study in the ills of micromanagement IMO.

Oh, BTW, Daughter #1 is way behind in her assessments and the admins are regularly giving her shit and bad evals for it. :mad: I keep telling her continue doing what she is doing - it is working!

Razor
03-13-2013, 13:04
Figuring out button combinations on a touch screen is one thing, but concepts of trigonometry, calculus, plantary gravitation, and fluid dynamics aren't topics one generally just "picks up" on one's own. Recall that in an advanced (post-industrial) economy, STEM-type subjects are the basis for continued success.

Trapper John
03-13-2013, 13:09
Figuring out button combinations on a touch screen is one thing, but concepts of trigonometry, calculus, plantary gravitation, and fluid dynamics aren't topics one generally just "picks up" on one's own. Recall that in an advanced (post-industrial) economy, STEM-type subjects are the basis for continued success.

STEM :lifter One of my colleagues is doing fund raising (he's on the BoD) for the Challenger Foundation and they are promoting STEM programs. My issue is that long before STEM is even applicable, we lose a large number of children through poorly designed (over designed IMO) curricula that emphasizes assessment metrics more than actual nurture of the innate curiosity that is there. By the time these kids get to the point that STEM is applicable it's too late. Just my 2-cents worth.

Richard
03-13-2013, 13:48
The impact of science and technology on learning (acquiring, retaining, imparting, sharing) and its creation of an "Informational J-Curve" (similar in concept to the global population J-Curve) has been a richly diverse and dynamic on-going topic of discussion amongst scientists, medical professionals, technicians, parents, students, and educators for over several decades now.

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin

Streck-Fu
03-13-2013, 14:05
I realize it's CNN, but the article is sound.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/27/opinion/ted-prize-students-teach-themselves/index.html?iref=allsearch

I think the only detractors from that concept is the validation/verification of learning and teaching of advanced concepts...At some point, their learning will plateau.

After a certain point, at least a proctor would be needed.

Felix87
03-13-2013, 15:08
I agree, but I don't think the point of the experiment was to completely replace the need for a learning system, rather to show that children of any background/prior knowledge possess the innate desire to learn. Once they begin the path they can be guided and taught the higher disciplines.

Streck-Fu
03-13-2013, 15:34
I agree completely and was commenting on any notion that the learning is limitless. I know that didn't claim it to be limitless specifically in the article but they did not define any potential limits.

I also wonder what he meant by this:

Traditional education stresses tests and punishments, two things that Mitra said causes the brain to shut down its rational processes and surrender to fear. Adopting a method closer to that of grandparents, who shower children with admiration, is "the opposite of the parent method," which relies on threats, Mitra said.

Do we really need to shower kids with admiration? It is one thing to encourage and reward success but what punishments and threats is he referring to?

BOfH
03-13-2013, 15:43
Figuring out button combinations on a touch screen is one thing, but concepts of trigonometry, calculus, plantary gravitation, and fluid dynamics aren't topics one generally just "picks up" on one's own. Recall that in an advanced (post-industrial) economy, STEM-type subjects are the basis for continued success.

QP Razor,
Agreed. IMHO, while the advanced concepts of STEM aren't something one will just pick on their own, the idea is that by playing with/consuming the results of STEM, it will pique their interest to learn the concepts behind them, albeit guided by an educator who can assist when necessary. Like QP TJ pointed out, we are losing them before this point.

My .02

Sigaba
03-13-2013, 16:10
I agree completely and was commenting on any notion that the learning is limitless. I know that didn't claim it to be limitless specifically in the article but they did not define any potential limits.

I also wonder what he meant by this:



Do we really need to shower kids with admiration? It is one thing to encourage and reward success but what punishments and threats is he referring to?Why speculate when one can reach out and ask?

www.ncl.ac.uk/ecls/staff/profile/sugata.mitra

sugata.mitra@ncl.ac.uk

https://twitter.com/sugatamitra

GratefulCitizen
03-13-2013, 21:28
STEM :lifter One of my colleagues is doing fund raising (he's on the BoD) for the Challenger Foundation and they are promoting STEM programs. My issue is that long before STEM is even applicable, we lose a large number of children through poorly designed (over designed IMO) curricula that emphasizes assessment metrics more than actual nurture of the innate curiosity that is there. By the time these kids get to the point that STEM is applicable it's too late. Just my 2-cents worth.

What can't be discovered by the individual will be learned through tutoring in the peer networks which are growing exponentially.
Centralized instruction is long since obsolete in this area.

The dirty little secret among many who pursued studies in STEM subjects is that peer tutoring was the rule, not the exception.
Many would consider some of the methods "cheating", but you can't fake this type of knowledge/understanding on tests or on the job.

Trapper John
03-14-2013, 07:36
What can't be discovered by the individual will be learned through tutoring in the peer networks which are growing exponentially.
Centralized instruction is long since obsolete in this area.

The dirty little secret among many who pursued studies in STEM subjects is that peer tutoring was the rule, not the exception.
Many would consider some of the methods "cheating", but you can't fake this type of knowledge/understanding on tests or on the job.

Interesting and encouraging, IMO. Knowledge gained no matter the method is knowledge gained - there is no cheating in the process. If innate curiosity is nurtured in the earlier years and the STEM basics are included then the next step, IMO, (middle school) is to teach critical thinking skills. Best accomplished through the liberal arts, IMO. This will certainly put a greater emphasis on the individual educators (tutors, teachers). In the ideal world these teachers and tutors would have a great deal of latitude to customize lesson plans. Administrators would then need to redesign how educational outcomes are measured - standardized testing is not the answer either IMO.

My point is that pedagogical paradigm needs to be redesigned from the ground up and looks like, from what you said, that is happening - at least in some places. This is encouraging.

A question for you and the other professional educators on this site: Several months ago I saw a program describing the Blue Man School. I was impressed and intrigued by their methods and the apparent results. Could this be modeled elsewhere, public schools for instance?

Love to read your thoughts on this.

Richard
03-14-2013, 08:00
Several months ago I saw a program describing the Blue Man School. I was impressed and intrigued by there methods and the apparent results. Could this be modeled elsewhere, public schools for instance?

TJ et al,

From what I know and have experienced as a life-long student both in America and overseas, as a parent seeking a quality education for my children, and as an educator in both the public and private sectors, being able to recognize one's individual learning style(s) and needs, combined with access to the broadest educational opportunities to fit those needs, is important to our society's future.

Seeking a proverbial "one size fits all" solution to those needs is tantamount to prescribing a self-fulfilling "dumbing down" treatment for a symptom we fear, and a malady we hear so much about from the numerous pundits clamoring for an audience.

MOO and YMMV, and so it goes...

Richard :munchin

FlagDayNCO
03-14-2013, 09:00
Trapper John and Richard,

I thank you for your comments, as I take note of the education system local to me. I have three boys, two of which are enrolled in the local elementary school. One of my boys has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS and receives some specialized instruction from Central Bucks School District. This is a great school district, when the various testing and placement numbers are reviewed.

This can also be a hazard, as the bar is set higher for children within the system. The expectation is that the students must keep up with their peers. Many of the better students are those that are afforded (can afford?) additional mentoring/ tutoring. I would like to think it is typical of many schools, that enough individual teachers are very dedicated to teaching the children, and identify which children may need help in certain areas.

What we have also observed is the "boiler plate", "one size fits all" in some applications. The school district limits itself to what it may do for certain children, as the criteria are not met (funding?!?!), and programs are consolidated or done away with. It appears that if the school district can maintain their 98% goal whether the 2% succeed or not, then less emphasis is placed on the 2%.

As an aside, my wife obtained her teaching certification and student taught within the school district. What is noteworthy are that there are several different models of teaching being practiced within the district at the elementary level. One elementary school has an open communal type of setting, where there are no walls/ rooms. This "experiment" has been going on for decades, and the students are tracked throughout their learning process to determine how effective this is. Add to this the varying sizes of the elementary schools (some very small, some large) and the further individual techniques/ personalities of the teachers.

What we have seen as parents is that our own elementary school has two different kindergarten teachers, and one is noted for being very difficult. As a very senior teacher, her opinion is that if the children are not immediately immersed in the curriculum, they will suffer through their future years within the school district. I have to say she may be onto something, as she was a proponent that the children are very eager to learn and will amaze everyone as they develop their ability to problem solve. Her students place consistently higher through the years in the district.

Though the school district strives to maintain the ratings, there are enough teachers that identify with individual students must develop problem solving skills, not just mastering the ability to use a computer application.

Trapper John
03-14-2013, 13:46
Just got this from a Brother and had to share it here.:D

"I don't always talk to liberal arts students, but when I do, I tell them 'Big Mac and hold the onions!' "

GratefulCitizen
03-14-2013, 21:10
Interesting and encouraging, IMO. Knowledge gained no matter the method is knowledge gained - there is no cheating in the process. If innate curiosity is nurtured in the earlier years and the STEM basics are included then the next step, IMO, (middle school) is to teach critical thinking skills. Best accomplished through the liberal arts, IMO. This will certainly put a greater emphasis on the individual educators (tutors, teachers). In the ideal world these teachers and tutors would have a great deal of latitude to customize lesson plans. Administrators would then need to redesign how educational outcomes are measured - standardized testing is not the answer either IMO.

My point is that pedagogical paradigm needs to be redesigned from the ground up and looks like, from what you said, that is happening - at least in some places. This is encouraging.


There will be resistance.
The internet has proven to be massively deflationary for any industry involved in distributing information.

Affected industries will go crying to the government to save them.
The proposed solution will effectively be forced consumption of approved material (just like healthcare...).

Keep the government out of it for as long as is possible.


It's hard to say how this revolution, if left unregulated, will ultimately manifest.
I find these unknown aspects to be a source of great hope.

Bill Burt
03-15-2013, 12:35
In the ideal world these teachers and tutors would have a great deal of latitude to customize lesson plans. Administrators would then need to redesign how educational outcomes are measured - standardized testing is not the answer either IMO.


A question for you and the other professional educators on this site: Several months ago I saw a program describing the Blue Man School. I was impressed and intrigued by their methods and the apparent results. Could this be modeled elsewhere, public schools for instance?

Love to read your thoughts on this.

As a high school teacher I'm sad to say that teachers have almost zero latitude in my current school system. The system currently strives to ensure that all teachers of a particular subject are teaching the same thing on the same day, in the same way. Interestingly enough the same 'experts' who advocate this approach also advocate 'differentiated instruction' for each student. In a nutshell they want us to all teach exactly the same way on the same pace, while teaching every student differently. :confused:

I'm fortunate that my principal is focused on results, which I provide. She therefore ignores my failure to adhere to whatever 'flavor of the day' pedagogy we're employing.

ZonieDiver
03-15-2013, 14:22
As a high school teacher I'm sad to say that teachers have almost zero latitude in my current school system. The system currently strives to ensure that all teachers of a particular subject are teaching the same thing on the same day, in the same way. Interestingly enough the same 'experts' who advocate this approach also advocate 'differentiated instruction' for each student. In a nutshell they want us to all teach exactly the same way on the same pace, while teaching every student differently. :confused:

I'm fortunate that my principal is focused on results, which I provide. She therefore ignores my failure to adhere to whatever 'flavor of the day' pedagogy we're employing.

It always amazed me - prior to retirement... now almost nothing 'amazes' me - that administrators insisted we teachers differentiate for student abilities and learning styles, yet insisted on a 'one-size fits all' method for dealing with THEIR 'class' - their teaching staff.

I retired just in time.:lifter

Trapper John
03-15-2013, 14:50
Zonie and Bill- while reading your responses I was reminded of Ayn Rand's novella "Anthem". It looks like that day has arrived :(

Grateful Citizen has been saying that the internet and personal computers will be liberating if not the tools of an educational revolution. Could be and I am inclined to agree.

One thing is for certain, we cannot continue along the path we are following. Well, I guess we can, but the outcome is predictably disastrous, IMO

Richard
03-15-2013, 17:49
Zonie and Bill- while reading your responses I was reminded of Ayn Rand's novella "Anthem". It looks like that day has arrived :(

Grateful Citizen has been saying that the internet and personal computers will be liberating if not the tools of an educational revolution. Could be and I am inclined to agree.

One thing is for certain, we cannot continue along the path we are following. Well, I guess we can, but the outcome is predictably disastrous, IMO

From those comments, I don't think you're aware of all the "paths" being offered and followed out there today - everything from homeschooling to a classic late-19th C. industrial model to a variety of dramatically innovative and highly individualized programs, to include programs in which demonstrated and potential performance allows students to finish their last 2 years of high school at a college, earning simultaneous high school and specified associate degree (primarily STEM focused) diplomas and then continuing on as college-level Juniors at the ripe old age of 17-18. And then there are the many adjunct programs such as solar powered vehicle technology, SMU's Project Infinity, etc.

I think you should check into it - you'll be surprised at the breadth and depth of learning opportunities being offered throughout America today.

Gutes lesen.

Richard :munchin

Trapper John
03-15-2013, 18:44
:lifterDanke Richard. Sie haben recht, ich wusste über diese Wahlen nicht. :D

Sometimes I think that I have been living under a rock. Very enlightening Brother. A big THANK YOU for the post.

Bill Burt
03-15-2013, 19:03
From those comments, I don't think you're aware of all the "paths" being offered and followed out there today - everything from homeschooling to a classic late-19th C. industrial model to a variety of dramatically innovative and highly individualized programs, to include programs in which demonstrated and potential performance allows students to finish their last 2 years of high school at a college, earning simultaneous high school and specified associate degree (primarily STEM focused) diplomas and then continuing on as college-level Juniors at the ripe old age of 17-18. And then there are the many adjunct programs such as solar powered vehicle technology, SMU's Project Infinity, etc.

I think you should check into it - you'll be surprised at the breadth and depth of learning opportunities being offered throughout America today.

Gutes lesen.

Richard :munchin

Hi Richard,

There are certainly a lot of promising things being done in education today. Homeschooling is a very appealing approach. My wife homeschooled my middle son and my younger daughter using support provided through our local school system and achieved fantastic results. He's currently several grade levels ahead in both reading and math and she's way above grade level as well.

There are some legitimate concerns too unfortunately. The educational 'establishment' is very much opposed to homeschooling, charter schools, or any other approach that they view as a threat to their income stream, which is union dues. Trust me I know, I'm a member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the biggest teachers 'union' in the state. I'm privy to all the emails they send out to their members and they oppose (by lobbying the state legislature) virtually anything innovative that comes down the pike. I don't much like being a member, but I need the personal liability insurance and legal perks that come with it. It's pretty hard to survive in my school system without either those things or connections which I don't have and am not interested in cultivating.

Another disturbing trend is school systems encroaching on what I view as parental responsibilities. Trying to teach, not exemplify, value systems, morals, and ethics, and not necessarily ones that parents would agree with.

My last concern is that many students and their parents are unaware of the choices that are available to them to help educate their children. The parents are caught up in their nine to five responsibilties and trust the schools to educate their children. Quite often it doesn't happen. I saw a senior in high school just this month struggling to read a Harry Potter novel, the same one my second grader just finished in about a week.

Wait till you see the impact of the new 'Common Core' standards.:mad:

I for one hope the government 'monopoly' on public education can be broken up via school vouchers and charter schools.

Richard
03-15-2013, 19:22
...the government 'monopoly' on public education...

Yep - we experienced the GA Ed system in Texas when a local district hired a new superintendent from Georgia who, as it turned out, was involved in the cheating scandals there and was subsequently fired before she was formally sworn in by the Board. :mad:

OTOH, my oldest son received an excellent preparatory education from Hardaway High School in Columbus, GA, prior to earning a BS in Environmental Chemical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. ;)

Richard :munchin

GratefulCitizen
03-15-2013, 19:24
Another disturbing trend is school systems encroaching on what I view as parental responsibilities. Trying to teach, not exemplify, value systems, morals, and ethics, and not necessarily ones that parents would agree with.

My last concern is that many students and their parents are unaware of the choices that are available to them to help educate their children. The parents are caught up in their nine to five responsibilties and trust the schools to educate their children.

Parents have been conditioned to defer to "authority" and "expert opinions".
Those authorities and experts subsequently recommend that parents have their children similarly conditioned.

Neat trick.

Richard
03-15-2013, 19:50
Parents have been conditioned to defer to "authority" and "expert opinions".
Those authorities and experts subsequently recommend that parents have their children similarly conditioned.

Neat trick.

IMO, that's overly simplistic bunkum.

From what I've experienced, such 'conditioning' runs the gamut among parents from the wholly incapable and uninvolved to the overly involved and just as hindering so-called "helicopter" parents...and everything in between.

Seeking the advice of 'professionals' is one thing and, IMO, always advisable; however, rejecting, denying, accepting, or pursuing such advice remains a parental responsibilty with expectedly broad variations in the results of those decisions.

As I used to tell parents, you can buy a car and there is an owner's handbook in the glove compartment that will, if you follow the instructions, pretty much guarantee that car will perform almost exactly as expected. A similar handbook on how to educate a child, on the other hand, can only be written with the same degree of certainty in retrospect - and only for that particular child.

Complicated it is; simple it is not. Never has been, never will be...nor should it.

However, YMMV - and so it goes...

Richard :munchin

GratefulCitizen
03-15-2013, 20:04
IMO, that's overly simplistic bunkum.



True.
But it succeeded it drawing out the critical point.



Seeking the advice of 'professionals' is one thing and, IMO, always advisable; however, rejecting, denying, accepting, or pursuing such advice remains a parental responsibilty with expectedly broad variations in the results of those decisions.



And there it is.

Expertise and authority are not the same thing.
Delegation of parental authority isn't the same thing as abdication.

Dozer523
03-16-2013, 07:19
True.
But it succeeded it drawing out the critical point.
.
like the 'moth to a flame'. Oh, we'll played.

Trapper John
03-16-2013, 07:33
Expertise and authority are not the same thing.
Delegation of parental authority isn't the same thing as abdication.

I LIKE that a LOT:lifter I will be using that often. Like everything else it all comes down to personal responsibility and choices.

Very well put :lifter

Richard
03-16-2013, 08:06
Parents have been conditioned to defer to "authority" and "expert opinions".
Those authorities and experts subsequently recommend that parents have their children similarly conditioned.

Expertise and authority are not the same thing.
Delegation of parental authority isn't the same thing as abdication.

Pure newspeak.

Richard :munchin

FlagDayNCO
03-18-2013, 11:19
An Education, is what I had these past few days, thanks to you Gentlemen :eek:

I did some research and dived a little deeper into the local school district's info page. The SEARCH function opened up many documents that were on their network, but hidden from general search functions due to the items being placed on secure servers. Since I have children in the district, I accessed most of it through the Parent Portal.

What I learned is that Common Core is not just the future, but NOW. This has been so for the last several years, in an effort to gear up to the coming STANDARDS. My children are young (ten and under), but the SIGNS of the rewritten American history and progressive values are already present.

Taking the comments written by Richard, my wife and I fell into the two working parents model, to a certain degree. My interest in the last year and attending of school board and PTO functions has demonstrated that the school machine does not like ANY resistance. NONE. My wife learned of the severe internal politics at play when parents question and/ or fight the school system, when she did her teacher's certification. Thankfully, she regained a position with the pharma/ medical device business after her previous job was eliminated. The politics of being an educator was not to her liking.

Though the school district follows State guidelines, there is enough traditional value in our local schools to keep the children on course. So far, our plan and operation is to maintain an interest in what our sons learn, and bolster it when we can. Sort of home schooling to enhance the public education. This allows us to involve the kids in other learning methods, many of which are funded and available to the public.

It is nice to see that there are additional resources, where the one size fits all model fails to include and excell all of the children. The mind of a child is truely amazing, and though we want them to be tech savy, they need to develop true reasoning skills.

Flag Day NCO

Richard
03-18-2013, 13:47
RE: 2014 Common Core initiatives - why parents must remain actively involved in their student's educations.

Eight problems with Common Core Standards
Valerie Strauss, WaPo, 21 Aug 2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/eight-problems-with-common-core-standards/2012/08/21/821b300a-e4e7-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html

Why I oppose Common Core standards: Ravitch
EdHistorian Diane Ravitch, 26 Feb 2013

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/02/26/why-i-oppose-common-core-standards-ravitch/

Diane Ravitch's Blog

http://dianeravitch.net/

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin

Sigaba
03-18-2013, 14:17
Is the priority finding the optimal learning environment for young students, or is the priority parents showing their kids, educators, and The Man who is in charge?

:munchin

Bill Burt
03-19-2013, 07:28
The Common Core standards were developed with very little input from professional educators. The states were enticed into accepting them via the promise of federal funding through the "Race to the Top" program. This was the Department of Education's way of getting around the fact that it lacked the authority to impose standards on the states. Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education gives the CC his seal of approval. That's the same Arne Duncan who did such a great job with Chicago Schools. We know how great they are.:eek:

Richard
03-19-2013, 07:53
I think the 'common core' movement developed as an expansion of the several decades old 'core curriculum' programs being utilized by a number of larger urban school districts, especially those with greater numbers of 'low performing' or 'migrant' student populations, as a means of leveling the educational playing field within the district as far as curriculum, pedagogy, etc goes.

It seems to have worked fairly well (to a point) with their targeted student populations, but even then the districts offered alternatives for the more motivated and academically capable students with competetive programs such as magnet schools or learning academies, honors and AP classes, IB and dual credit (HS + college credit simultaneously) programs, etc.

I would hope the 'alternative offerings' trend will continue even if all the states adopt a national 'common core' crriculum.

However, I am of the Diane Kravitch mindset when it comes to this "common core" movement combined with a struggling economy and bureaucratic sloth - I don't think it's a good idea and fear it may do more to stifle the many on-going, creative ed programs which are the backbone of our futures (although that's yet TBD).

This edu-bandwagon is one of the reasons I moved to the private, non-profit sector of education and one of the reasons we (our school and many other private schools in the metroplex) neither sought nor accepted any form of govt (local, state, national) funding - it's those 'strings' which can hang you.

And so it goes...

Richard :munchin