June 2013
3 posts
May 2013
2 posts
The Pedagogy of MOOCs →
edtechfrontier.com
The challenge is this – How can you effectively teach thousands of students simultaneously? I’m fascinated by the contrast between post-secondary faculty and K-12 teacher contract agreements that limit class size and the current emergent MOOC aim of having as many enrollments as possible. What a dichotomy.
MOOC’s have done a great job at creating courses open to massive enrollments from anywhere around the world. But how well are MOOC’s doing at actually successfully teaching those students? Based on MOOCs equally massive dropout rates having teaching and learning success on a massive scale will require pedagogical innovation. It’s this innovation, more than massive enrollments or free that I think make MOOC’s important. Let me explain.
An excellent article, and well-worth the read for the history of MOOCs (can you call less than three years “history?”).
Do you ever think about the fact that the US has created and legitimized a system of institutionalized inequality by funding schools through property taxes? That basically a child’s education is only as good as the value of the property in their neighborhood. Funny how education is so often viewed as an equalizing factor when there is nothing equal about it.
April 2013
6 posts
“[I] was made to feel ashamed of being black. During those long years in Oakland public schools, I did not have one teacher who taught me anything relevant to my own life or experience. Not one instructor ever awoke in me a desire to learn more or to question or to explore the worlds of literature, science, and history. All they did was try to rob me of the sense of my own uniqueness and worth, and in the process nearly killed my urge to inquire.”
—Huey Newton, Black Panther and Socialist, from his book “Revolutionary Suicide” (via malditafeminista)
you can’t spell education without education think about this for a second
March 2013
5 posts
“
After weeks of uncertainty, principals at 54 public schools here officially learned from city officials on Thursday that their schools would close, with 11 more to share space with other schools. The closings represent the largest group of campuses to be shut down at one time by a city in recent memory.
Throughout the day, principals, teachers and parents were notified that their schools were on the closing list, their frustration and anger growing. But until late afternoon, neither the mayor’s office nor Chicago Public Schools officials would confirm the numbers.
Just before 5 p.m., the district released details. “For too long children in certain parts of Chicago have been cheated out of the resources they need to succeed because they are in underutilized, under-resourced schools,” said Barbara Byrd-Bennett, chief executive of the Chicago Public Schools, in a statement.
The district said that it would save $560 million over 10 years by reducing investment in the closed buildings and cut annual operating costs by $43 million.
The closings represent about 8 percent of the 681 public schools in Chicago, the third-largest school district in the country. More than 400,000 students are enrolled in public schools, a large majority black or Hispanic and from low-income families.
After an extensive review, the district said that it had taken 276 schools out of consideration for closing. The final decision came just two weeks after a state commission in Pennsylvania announced a decision to close 23 schools in Philadelphia. Districts in Detroit, Newark and Washington have also closed schools in recent years.
” —The New York Times, “Chicago Says It Will Close 54 Public Schools” (via inothernews)The real elephant in the room with improving educational outcome for students is poverty
Until I see an educational reform movement specifically address poverty - not just “how to teach students from poverty”, but “here’s how we can address the roots of poverty” - i will be skeptical because poverty is the most statistically significant factor linked to school performance
February 2013
7 posts
What's Wrong With the School System? →
bleedingfeminism.com
- Too much emphasis on standardized testing. The core of the modern school system, everything from funding to ratings, relies on the system of standardized testing. Tests of that nature have to be simplified to ensure consistency, so it’s boiled down to facts that can be memorized, which is not necessarily an indicator of understanding.
- Too much emphasis on math and science. While vital subjects, they should not be the only respected fields. This emphasis seems to tie in to the prior point: these fields are emphasized in part because they can be graded more easily than other subjects. As well, the impact of advanced knowledge in these fields is more easily verified. Nevertheless, a balanced approach is best.
- Teachers aren’t paid enough. Arguably, teaching is the most influential profession for a country’s growth. If you want to attract the most talented individuals, you need to offer incentive. Pay should be closer to that of a doctor. On top of monetary compensation, societal respect needs to be much higher.
- There’s a hierarchy that needs to be shaken up. Have you ever noticed that the best, most experienced teachers tend to be given the honors courses? If you excel at school at an early age, you will be given the best education that your area offers. However, if you initially struggle, then it is tremendously difficult to catch up, given that your teachers are just not as skilled as those that teach higher-level courses.
Happy Black Excellence Month y'all
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” ― Marcus Garvey”
—(via shaktipower)
