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[h=3]Myth #1: Teachers Are the Most Important Influence on a Child’s Education[/h]
[h=3]Myth #2: Homework Boosts Achievement[/h]
[h=1]8 Myths That Undermine Educational Effectiveness[/h]
Read the other six along with the explanations here.
What do you want to bet that the myths will continue to be believed and be a major influence on educational policy?
[h=1]8 Myths That Undermine Educational Effectiveness[/h]
Read the other six along with the explanations here.
What do you want to bet that the myths will continue to be believed and be a major influence on educational policy?
My biggest problem with the public school system today is that it is being torn apart by "political correctness". Instead of concentrating on the basics of teaching, the school systems are more into a form of brainwashing. Example: Little Johnny brings a miniature toy soldier to school, draws a stick figure of a character holding a gun, or simply bites a pop tart into the shape of a gun, can be suspended or expelled. That is taking zero tolerance on guns to an insane level.
My greatest gripe against schools is the buildings. Communities keep putting big dollars into school building projects instead of teacher salaries. When the Community suffers an economic depression, it lays off teachers and staff because you can't lay off buildings. I may be jaundiced because, as a parent of a successful home-schooler, I realize that it is the motivating force behind students that creates achievement, not expensive buildings.
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My biggest problem with the public school system today is that it is being torn apart by "political correctness". Instead of concentrating on the basics of teaching, the school systems are more into a form of brainwashing. Example: Little Johnny brings a miniature toy soldier to school, draws a stick figure of a character holding a gun, or simply bites a pop tart into the shape of a gun, can be suspended or expelled. That is taking zero tolerance on guns to an insane level.
It is. So is bringing an aspirin to school. Etc. But my real concern is what the children are demonstrably not learning. I am NOT blaming teachers; I'm blaming "the system" and also the parents. Hardly any of them are prepared for college-level work. They don't have the foundational knowledge that preceding groups of college students have had over the years. They lack critical thinking skills.
What they don't lack is helicopter parents and an educational system that falsely rewards them, socially promotes them, and leaves them with unreasonably high/entitled expectations for themselves.
Don't blame the teachers (most of them, anyway)--they're tasked with complying with administrative orders. Surely, nobody thinks a math teacher wants to give a 50 to a student who turned in no work at all, but in my school district, there is no such thing as a zero. The mantra is "student success," and this is code for "grade inflation." Too few parents are active in their students' education. Oh, they want results, the finest results, and they talk the talk. But they themselves don't walk the walk. I don't understand why more teachers don't burn out.
Actually, a lot of them do. After putting in the time and money it takes to get a credential, only about half make it to the five year mark.
My point is we shouldn't compartmentalize knowledge. That's so Enlightenment. We shouldn't have a summer vacation. That's so agriculture. We should put the education in the hands of the students, not to people who knows "best." You would be surprised how smart kids get if you let them play. If you took group A of kids, and they didn't get to play but study, and you took group B of kids, and you let them play - who do you think would score better on the intelligence scores? Sure, the kids playing wouldn't have a clue about the revolutionary war. But having kids in their early years just play, makes their brains into these monster sponges.
Playing is a mental exercise, like our current educational system. Video games do what school does. It just doesn't deal with the facts of life. Use video games, physical playing to exercise the mind, and then use reading to fill up that empty cup with whatever interests the student. This will increase the likelihood that whatever they are reading about will be remembered. And knowledge is inter-connected. If reading enough, they will have questions about chemistry, biology, physics, math, writing. You wouldn't have to teach grammar from all the reading they would be doing. They could read their books in groups, or whatever makes the student respond the most.
I'd like to see supporting data on the link between playing video games and IQ if you have any.
And, sadly, I think you're assuming an intellectual curiosity that doesn't necessarily exist and also an interest in reading.
My greatest gripe against schools is the buildings. Communities keep putting big dollars into school building projects instead of teacher salaries. When the Community suffers an economic depression, it lays off teachers and staff because you can't lay off buildings. I may be jaundiced because, as a parent of a successful home-schooler, I realize that it is the motivating force behind students that creates achievement, not expensive buildings.
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Thank you for this information. But how is IQ measured? Is the key assessment creative problem-solving, and so does cognitive flexibility lead necessarily to a higher IQ?
My biggest gripe is that there seems to be no connection between teacher performance, the academic achievement of their students, and their compensation. Seems to me that if you connected the two that student performance would be elevated, rather than the US academic achievement lagging behind most of the rest of the developed world.
It is? Not in one state in the US. Florida is the Petri dish for merit pay. I would be more concerned about cut throat competion rather than teacher collaboration which is practiced in my state. It seems to be working quite well. IMHO, cut throat doesn't belong in education.
Massachusetts and Connecticut mathematics literacy average scores were 514 and 506, respectively. Massachusetts’ average was higher than the OECD and U.S. averages and Connecticut’s was higher than the U.S. average but not measurably different than the OECD average. Florida’s average score (467) was lower than the OECD and U.S. averages. Key PISA test results for U.S. students - The Washington Post
American Schools vs. the World: Expensive, Unequal, Bad at MathThe U.S. education system is mediocre compared to the rest of the world, according to an international ranking of OECD countries.
More than half a million 15-year-olds around the world took the Programme for International Student Assessment in 2012. The test, which is administered every three years and focuses largely on math, but includes minor sections in science and reading, is often used as a snapshot of the global state of education. The results, published today, show the U.S. trailing behind educational powerhouses like Korea and Finland.
From my reading of the article, the US is below OECD average (click the graphic for a larger view showing this).
My biggest gripe is that there seems to be no connection between teacher performance, the academic achievement of their students, and their compensation. Seems to me that if you connected the two that student performance would be elevated, rather than the US academic achievement lagging behind most of the rest of the developed world.
Now granted, there are a lot more factors and influences in the student academic achievement than just the teacher, but you have to admit that it's one of the most important.
The most significant variable is socioeconomic status, followed by the neighborhood, the psychological quality of the home environment, and the support of physical health provided.
There's a wide difference between cut-throat competition and no connection between results and compensation and reward. I'm not advocating cut-throat competition, which is an extreme, but do believe that some sort of connection between student results and the teacher's compensation needs to occur.
....and I was simply giving you additional information about those PISA scores. If you look at specfic state results, only one state in the US was above the OECD average. That should speak volumes about that state. I suppose it could be argued MA does better based on a whole host of factors. Merit pay NOT one of them.
Without introducing the crucible of competition and accountability , the education system won't improve and it's results won't improve, in fact, as it's a bureaucracy, so it'll likely stay exactly the same, and continue it's flagging performance.
Your dismissing merit pay out of hand surely is an example of that.
What's your position on charter schools? Dismiss that out of hand as well?
Doing the same things the same way and expect different results . . . .
How do you propose to link the two?
Did you read the linked article? It seems not because the article states that teacher performance, though important, is less important than several other factors. Complaining about the relative low ranking of teacher performance is like complaining about the rain - it may make you feel better but it doesn't change the weather
My biggest gripe is that there seems to be no connection between teacher performance, the academic achievement of their students, and their compensation. Seems to me that if you connected the two that student performance would be elevated, rather than the US academic achievement lagging behind most of the rest of the developed world.
Now granted, there are a lot more factors and influences in the student academic achievement than just the teacher, but you have to admit that it's one of the most important.
The most significant variable is socioeconomic status, followed by the neighborhood, the psychological quality of the home environment, and the support of physical health provided.
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