From Intellectual Takeout. https://intellectualtakeout.org/2018/08/why-education-is-the-fraud-of-the-age/ There’s always something thrilling about the start of a new school year or semester. New clothes to wear. Fresh books to explore. New teachers to meet. It’s all become a part of what we call back-to-school and the education experience. Of course, many of us will quickly agree that the new books and clothes aren’t really what matter. It is the ideas we learn and the schooling we get that make the real difference both in the present and in the future. But what if that schooling isn’t as wonderful as we’ve thought? Given stagnating test scores, the decline of thinking, and the rise … [Read more...]
Veteran Teacher: Here’s What’s Wrong With Traditional Schooling
The original article can be found at Intellectual Takeout For 19 years, I was a master of time. Down to the minute, I controlled time for others and used it to meet my and others’ ends, irrespective of the desires of those in front of me. In short, I was a public-school teacher, and controlling time was my talent. Although I and other adults often talked about helping students reach their potential and grow as learners, what we really did each day was control their time and force upon them ideas and subjects in which most of them had little to no interest. What if there were a better way? A way to help each student learn the way he or she learns best, develop autonomy, explore … [Read more...]
Children learn more quickly than adults
Today we bring you an article published in Science Daily which you may find interesting and worth considering. Overview If you've ever had the feeling that your elementary school kids were 'smarter' than you -- or at least capable of picking up new information and skills faster -- a new study suggests you're absolutely right. The new study also offers a reason: kids and adults exhibit differences in a brain messenger known as GABA, which stabilizes newly learned material. Full Story If you've ever had the feeling that your elementary school kids were "smarter" than you -- or at least capable of picking up new information and skills faster -- a new study in Current Biology on … [Read more...]
Painless Homework Strategies Start with Your Child
Today a guest article from Emily Graham at mightymoms.net If you like what she writes stop by her website and leave a note...she'll love to hear from you. Have you ever wondered why getting your child to do homework is such a struggle? As a parent, you may look at homework as just another parenting battle, like eating vegetables or making the bed. You expect conflict. But, is conflict really necessary? Most parental advice on homework struggles is considered from a parent's perspective. Create a schedule. Take a break. Reward positive behavior. The advice centers on getting homework done as painlessly as possible for the parent, and by extension the child. Maybe that … [Read more...]
Homeschooling during the Covid shutdown Part 1
We went looking to see if we could find some more homeschooling resources. At this point, in Washington State, school has been out since the end of February with the possibility that schools won't reopen until January of 2021. That's what the "authorities" are saying. Is homeschooling better than public schools? What are the latest resources for parents to take over the education of their children? Read on... In Part 1 we'll focus on articles and studies addressing the question: Is homeschooling as good or better than public schools? Is homeschooling as good or better than public schools? Answer: The Daily Signal says homeschooling is better - Eleven of 14 peer-reviewed studies … [Read more...]
Top 7 Ways Technology Stifles Student Learning in My Classroom
If you follow our articles you've seen us express concerns about overuse or inappropriate use of technology in the classroom. In today's post we share an article originally published at Gadfly on the Wall written by Steven Singer. The perspective: a middle school teacher. Give it a read. Side note: Study after study shows that taking notes on a computer reduce retention and lower test scores. Hand written notes increase retention and test scores. As a middle school teacher, I have real concerns about the ways technology is used in the classroom and the effects it’s having on students. That does not make me a technophobe. The fact that you are reading this article on a blog – … [Read more...]
Social Emotional Data. The new Cash Cow in the Corporate Assessment Industry
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the current darling of K-12 education. The schools feel compelled to train your children in how to act, behave, interact with other children, think and how to manage their emotions. This is being done in the name of learning. It's being done because they say there are so many behavior problems they must take charge. They say that bullying needs to be stopped and that to do that they need to teach the children how to "act" and control their emotions. We came across an article at Peg with Pen that we thought you might enjoy. Give it a read and then stop by their website if you have a moment. Recently I was asked to allow my son to participate in a … [Read more...]
9 Elephants in the (Class) Room That Should “Unsettle” Us
From the Huffington Post ... At a recent morning workshop for school leaders at a fairly small New England public school district, about an hour into a conversation focused on what they believed about how kids learn best, an assistant superintendent somewhat surprisingly said aloud what many in the room were no doubt feeling. "When I really try to square what I believe about how kids learn and what we practice in our classrooms, it unsettles me," she said. "And it frustrates me." As it should. One of the things I've come to realize in my many discussions with educators from around the globe is that there are a number of practices in our current systems of schooling that … [Read more...]
Does Early Academic Training Produce Long-Term Harm?
From an article at Psychology Today > > > Many preschool and kindergarten teachers have told me that they are extremely upset—some to the point of being ready to resign—by the increased pressure on them to teach academic skills to little children and regularly test them on such skills. They can see firsthand the unhappiness generated, and they suspect that the children would be learning much more useful lessons through playing, exploring, and socializing, as they did in traditional nursery schools and kindergartens. Their suspicions are well validated by research studies. A number of well-controlled studies have compared the effects of academically oriented … [Read more...]