Required Reading

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 18, 2009 in Weekly Roundup. 6 Comments

My “Blog About This” list is growing like kudzu, so in the interest of time….

Jay Greene “can’t understand the enthusiasm of education reformers for national standards and testing.”  Jay sees plenty of room for mischief.  I’m inclined to agree.  However, if all we end up with is national testing that allows apples-to-apples comparisons of students from different states, it would help eliminate the clearly fraudulent state testing games we’re now seeing. 

Speaking of standards, Dan Willingham’s latest over at The Washington Post’s The Answer Sheet looks at the emerging math standards.  Dan likes what he sees–with the caveat that setting standards and knowing how to reach them are very different things.  He points out that students need three types of mathematical know-how: math facts, procedures and conceptual knowledge.

It’s great that the Common Core standards acknowledge the importance of conceptual knowledge, but prior documents have done so—sometimes to the exclusion of factual and procedural knowledge. The problem is that this is the most difficult type of knowledge to teach and to learn.

Dan concludes that a recent calls for kids to have specialized math teachers starting in 4th grade are good, but not good enough.  He thinks we should start in 1st grade.

I meant to weigh in on the blog-on-blog violence that has broken out between Checker Finn, Rick Hess and Kevin Carey over saving teaching jobs with economic stimulus dollars.  I’m also long overdue in pointing to this excellent post about rhetorical excesses in discussions about charter schools by Nancy Flanagan over at Teacher in a Strange Land. 

Via Kitchen Table Math comes a post from a mom in Alaska not named Sarah Palin, who complains about how her daughter’s class time is frittered away watching TV and movies.  How many each week? 

She thought a bit, counting up on her fingers and trying to remember. “Oh–I don’t know–five or six, maybe more. We watch t.v. pretty much every day in at least one class and any time we have a sub they put in movies or something. We watch stuff like Mythbusters a lot and call it chemistry.”

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  The post strains my credulity, sounding too over-the-top to be quite credible.  But if even a quarter of what this mother says is true, it’s cause for alarm.  I’d love to hear more about it.

Lastly another one of those wild, wacky yet oh-so-effective teacher stories, this one out of San Diego.  I’m sure the guy is great, but I have to confess I’m getting as tired of attention-seeking behavior in teachers as I was of it in students.

Oh Say Can You C.E.?

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 17, 2009 in Education News. 6 Comments

A Missouri school district has run afoul of some parents for teaching children to identify when historical events occurred by the designations ”C.E.” (Common Era) and “B.C.E.” (Before Common Era) in addition to the traditional B.C. and A.D.   The numbers don’t change one way or the other.  It’s equally accurate to say Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 B.C. or 44 B.C.E.  Still, some parents in the Rockwood School District have objected to the use of C.E. and B.C.E,. which they see as a move toward secularization. 

In a post on his blog, District Superintendent Craig Larson argues that the schools aren’t favoring one over the other, but both have begun appearing in textbooks and other publications.  Students, he sensibly argues, need to be aware of both designations “so they are literate when they encounter either notation.”

The best advice we can give to social studies teachers is: Help students understand the dating systems they may encounter in whatever source document they may be using. Rockwood teachers do explain the origins and meaning of BC (Before Christ) and AD (Latin phrase, Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of our Lord”) as appropriate, so students understand why BC and AD are in use. We certainly realize that even in our global world, BC and AD are used as the primary dating system.

I’m not aware that C.E. and B.C.E have gained a lot of traction at the K-8 level, but Larson’s argument sounds right to me.  Kids should be familiar with both.

Neologism Watch

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 17, 2009 in Education News. 1 Comment

The New Oxford Dictionary has named “unfriend” as the 2009 Word of the Year. 

Unfriend (v.)  The act of “remov[ing] someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.”

An unlovely word, unfriend (wouldn’t “defriend” be more accurate?) beat out other tech terms for Word of the Year, including sexting, hashtag, and intexticated–defined as driving while distracted by texting.  Other runners-up: funemployed, teabagger and death panel.

Purists and pedants may blanch, but next time a student uses the word in an essay and claims, “It’s in the dictionary!” you will have to cede the point.  As one of my former English teachers used to say, “A dictionary is not a rule book, it’s a history book.”

Core Knowledge Quiz: Springsteen Study Guide Edition

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 17, 2009 in Core Knowledge Quiz. 4 Comments

When you’re 60-years-old and living on the road it’s easy to get disoriented.  Surely that explains why Bruce Springsteen shouted out “Hello, Ohio!” to the crowd at the Auburn Hills Palace in Michigan last Friday.  He mistakenly referred to the Buckeye State from the stage several times before one of his bandmates set him straight.  Even if you’re born to run, it’s good to know where you are.  To prevent similar faux pas over the rest of his tour, here’s a handy quiz to help The Boss—and you– test your knowledge of the next ten cities on his tour. 

1.        Known today as “Music City,” this state capital was an important river port long before it became the home of the Grand Ole Opry in 1925. 

2.       Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner describing an unsuccessful British attack on this city during the War of 1812. It is also the hometown of Edgar Allan Poe and Babe Ruth. 

3.       Located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, this city grew rapidly after the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.  At the beginning of 20th century, it was the 8th largest city in America, however today there are fewer people living there than in 1900. 

4.       The first capital of California, this city must now content itself to be known as The Capital of Silicon Valley.   

5.       By reputation the most politically liberal city in one of the nation’s most conservative states, it is home to the headquarters of Dell Computers and Whole Foods Supermarkets.

6.       First settled in the 1830s by the Creek tribe, it was once known as the “Oil Capital of the World.”  Today, however, this city on the Arkansas River in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains has a diverse economy in energy, education, finance and aviation.

7.       Located just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, this city was originally settled as a gold mining town.  It really is 5,280 feet above sea level. 

8.       Chicago may be nicknamed the Second City, but its population makes it #3.  This city is actually the second largest in the United States. 

9.       Founded by Puritan colonists in 1630, this city had America’s first public school, and first subway system. 

10.   One of America’s best known poets, Wallace Stevens, spent most of his career working as a lawyer and insurance executive in this city, still known as “The Insurance Capital of the World.” Other famous authors who lived there included Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Answers, scoring guide, and Springsteen tour dates below:

Continue reading ‘Core Knowledge Quiz: Springsteen Study Guide Edition’

Ed Blogger Named to Common Standards Panel

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 16, 2009 in Education News. 3 Comments

A name familiar in edublog circles will serve on the newly announced “work groups” charged with developing K-12 standards in English Language Arts and math.  Diana Senechal, who contributes to the Core Knowledge Blog and pinch-hits at Joanne Jacobs’ blog has been named to the panel authoring the ELA standards.  Matt Davis, who along with Souzanne Wright is leading the development of the Core Knowledge Early Literacy Program, is also on board. 

Diana, who until recently taught at a Core Knowledge school in New York City, made waves recently when she showed that it was possible to pass New York State ELA and Math tests by simply guessing.  She was also interviewed recently on EdNews.org. 

The complete list of panel members is here.  The draft K-12 standards are expected to be released by early 2010.

Congress to Consider Expanding Troops to Teachers Program

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 16, 2009 in Educational Policy. 0 Comments

Under a bill pending in Congress, 98% of U.S. schools would be eligible to hire retiring military personnel who will then be trained as educators under the federal “Troops to Teachers” program, McClatchy Newspapers reports:

As currently designed, the program offers troops up to $5,000 to help them pay for their education. And then they can get a $10,000 bonus by agreeing to teach in a school with a majority of low-income students for at least three years.  The program has strong backing from the Obama administration. At a hearing of the House Education and Labor Committee in May, Education Secretary Arne Duncan promised to “push very hard” to sell the program.”I’m a huge fan of Troops to Teachers,” Duncan said. “I think it’s a phenomenal pool of talent.”

However to date participation in the program has been restricted “far beyond what Congress ever intended,” says Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI).  For example only 13 of his state’s 420 school districts qualify for the program, which is also restricted presently to veterans with six years of service or more. 

The brainchild of a Washington University history professor who wanted to help inner-city schools find qualified teachers and help large numbers of retired military personnel find jobs, the program could nearly quadruple in size under the pending legislation from $14 million to $50 million a year,

“There may be opponents of this legislation out there,” Arizona Senator John McCain said. “I just don’t know who they are.”

Are You Meeping Kidding Me?

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 16, 2009 in Students. 1 Comment

The town of Danvers, Massachusetts can now claim prideful ownership of two great overreactions in American history.  The first was the Salem Witch Trials.  The second?  Banning the word “meep” at Danvers High School. 

Read it and meep.

Winston Churchill, Developing Writer

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 12, 2009 in Literacy. 7 Comments

We shall fight on the beaches,
we shall fight on the landing grounds,
we shall fight in the fields and in the streets,
we shall fight in the hills;
we shall never surrender.

A computerized program aimed at assessing student writing skills for English “A levels” deems passages by Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway and other titans of prose lacking.  Churchill’s rousing WWII speech was too repetitive for the computer’s tastes.

(H/T: Will Fitzhugh, Concord Review)

Give It Away

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 12, 2009 in Education News. 1 Comment

Tout le blogosphere is high dudgeon over a North Carolina middle school fundraiser offering an extra 20 points on two tests for a $20 donation.  All of those schools that have instituted “No Grade Below 50″ policies must be kicking themselves for leaving money on the table.

Dan Willingham’s Hall of Shame

Published by Robert Pondiscio on November 11, 2009 in Education News. 8 Comments

Dan Willingham has debuted a new feature over the the Washington Post’s Answer Sheet blog aimed at debunking scientific claims made on behalf  of educational products.  The first case on the docket is a computer program called eyeQ, which purports to improve reading speed by teaching kids to use both hemispheres of the brain during reading.  A recent article about eyeQ in a Salt Lake City newspaper quotes company officials saying the product offers “strength conditioning for the eyes and the brain.  Willingham found nothing in research literature about eyeQ, and takes a dim view of the science on which the company bases its claims. 

The website makes much of the fact that only the left hemisphere of the brain is active when you are reading. It neglects to mention that the left and right hemispheres are both active in inexperienced readers. The coup de grace for me is the website’s claim that the left hemisphere is associated with scientific ability and logic, whereas the right brain is associated with intuition and artistic ability. This cartoon characterization of the brain was discredited 30 years ago.

eyeQ, which is currently in use in 750 schools, claims to be based on a “revolutionary information process” developed in Japan by Dr. Akihiro Kawamura, who has “conducted extensive research and has authored 72 books related to brain function, reading and learning technology,” according to the company’s website.   Heard of him?  No?  Well, Google him then. Still nothing?

The books do not show up in a web search, says the company’s president, “because they are in Japanese.”