[Rhodes22-list] Critical Thinking Skills...oops forgot....

[elle]

Education is the only 'business' that is expected to
turn out a perfect product with no quality control of
the raw material.

elle



--- petelargo <petelauritzen at earthlink.net> wrote:

> 
> I would like to add one point I do not believe I see
> mentioned here. Between
> my education and my son's education and the many
> trainings I have done for
> teachers (I am a consultant-trainer by profession) I
> have had this
> discussion with several levels of educators.  The
> politics of education has
> the government 'rewarding' schools with money based
> on test scores. 
> Standardized tests are structured towards "fact"
> regurgitation rather than
> critical thinking skills.  The best teachers that I
> had were the ones that
> nourished and supported critical thinking over fact
> regurgitation. But
> critical thinking is nuanced and personal and
> difficult to measure equally
> for all.  Bye-bye critical thinking.
> 
> 
> 
> Elle-3 wrote:
> > 
> > OK, Herb....I'm back...In for a dime...;^)
> > 
> > I was computerless for a day but now all's back to
> > whatever passes for normal in my sphere....
> > 
> > You make some good points....school systems vary
> > throughout the country that one size can't fit all
> > (Hear this, Geo Bush?) 
> > 
> > Again..I can't disagree with much of your last
> > post...most kids will rise to whatever level of
> > mediocrity or expectation that we set. 
> > 
> > As for why the private schools in Tx garner good
> > teachers w/abysmal pay....I'll hazard a guess &
> say
> > working conditions(?)...respectful kids, good
> > parents...strong admin...just a guess...
> > 
> > BTW...what are the public schools like with these
> > students and their resources skimmed off?
> > 
> > I still have to believe that the solution is not
> to
> > 'segregate' kids with vouchers but to use that $
> to
> > improve (and therein lies the rub...!) the schools
> in
> > the district so the resources are concentrated...
> > 
> > But the secret to success is people who care...but
> > caring has physical, emotional and personal costs
> when
> > you are dealing with people...in my experience, in
> > education, it's not "The squeaky wheel..." of
> "Cream
> > rises to the top..."  It's "The nail that sticks
> out
> > gets hammered back down."
> > 
> > elle
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- Herb Parsons <hparsons at parsonsys.com> wrote:
> > 
> >> Ha! As to your last comment, you're in it because
> >> you answered!! Serves 
> >> you right. :)
> >> 
> >> I don't get away from my home area dealing with
> kids
> >> much anymore since 
> >> mine are all grown, but what I see in TX aren't
> >> people asking for 
> >> voucher systems so they can move the schools
> away;
> >> what I see are people 
> >> wanting a voucher system so they can send kids to
> >> schools already in 
> >> existence in their areas. Private schools abound
> >> here in TX. The 
> >> problems are that they are somewhat expensive,
> and
> >> the teachers are 
> >> REALLY under paid. Funny how they can attrack
> >> quality teachers on low 
> >> pay, but they do.
> >> 
> >> I don't think poorly performing students would be
> >> left behind. I do 
> >> believe that there will be schools that offer to
> >> deal with those 
> >> students who were not able to remain in the
> schools
> >> that demand too 
> >> much. Personally, I believe those schools will
> put
> >> out a poorer quality 
> >> of students, but that happens today anyway, so
> it's
> >> no loss.
> >> 
> >> Excellence and mediocrity are both infectious.
> The
> >> problem is that 
> >> mediocrity is so much easier to obtain, it more
> >> easily takes over. 
> >> That's what's happened today. If you pull those
> that
> >> are determined to 
> >> fail no matter what away from those that are more
> >> open to a better way, 
> >> demand excellence from what's left over, people
> >> would be surprised at 
> >> the results.
> >> 
> >> Have you read the story of Ken Carter from
> Riveside,
> >> CA? He was the 
> >> subject of the slightly fictionalized Coach
> Carter. 
> >> Basically, he took 
> >> a baskeball team of students doing poorly in
> school,
> >> had them sign 
> >> contracts stating they would maintain at least a
> 2.3
> >> GPA (the district 
> >> only required a 2.0), and then enforced it. He
> >> cancelled two games in a 
> >> row, forfeiting them, and the players' families
> were
> >> ready to have him 
> >> fired. But the students complied, and in a school
> >> full of kids that 
> >> didn't succeed academicly his players DID. His
> >> actions actually raised 
> >> the academic performance of the entire school.
> >> 
> >> Of course, he's no longer part of the public
> school
> >> system. I haven't 
> >> heard the story of why that is, but I have my
> >> suspicions...
> >> 
> >> 
> > 
> > 
> > We can't change the angle of the wind....but we
> can adjust our sails.
> > 
> >  1992 Rhodes 22   Recyc '06  "WaterMusic"   (Lady
> in Red)
> > 
> > 
> >      
> >
>
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> > 
> > 
> 
> -- 
> View this message in context:
>
http://www.nabble.com/Mo-Gubmint---Politics---Education-tp15887644p15986481.html
> Sent from the Rhodes 22 mailing list archive at
> Nabble.com.
> 
> __________________________________________________
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> www.rhodes22.org/list
> 


We can't change the angle of the wind....but we can adjust our sails.

 1992 Rhodes 22   Recyc '06  "WaterMusic"   (Lady in Red)


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