We educate children of the next generations in the belief and hope that the knowledge and skills they learn will support their future success in times when our generation cannot. We pay now for rewards anticipated in their tomorrows. Continue reading
Teaching Critical Thinking Is Essential Education
“One scarcely needs to emphasize the importance of critical thinking as a desirable ingredient in human beings in a democratic society. No matter what views people hold of the chief function of education, they at least agree that people need to learn to think. In a society in which changes come fast, individuals cannot depend on routinized behavior or tradition to make decisions, whether on practical every day or professional matters, moral values, or political issues. In such a society, there is a natural concern that individuals be capable of intelligent and independent thought.” Hilda Taba Continue reading
Master Teachers Know How to Correct Errors in Student Learning
Teachers are craftsmen in causing children to learn. Teachers do not need to be effective 100% of the time in their instruction, but 100% of the time teachers need to correct errors in student learning. Continue reading
If test scores are that important, eliminate all else in public education but testing and test scores
To the annual critics of public education who whine about the status of academic test scores, I propose that we give them what they want. Let’s strip everything out of our public schools but academic test preparation, academic testing, and make this the singular public education program of every school. If test scores matter that much, schools should be all about test preparation and test results. Continue reading
If Learning Gaps Were Important, We Would Teach Differently
It is like seeing a picture of a smiling person missing two front teeth and wondering how that person chews food. Gaps in learning, like missing teeth, make it hard if not impossible for children to “bite into” more complex instruction. Continue reading