tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post3936528360123548917..comments2024-03-17T04:09:26.074-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: Reading is NOT the goalirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-70881402587176095182010-04-02T00:01:27.199-04:002010-04-02T00:01:27.199-04:00I enjoyed this post and its given me something to ...I enjoyed this post and its given me something to think about as I plan for next year.<br /><br />CarlCarlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10658789659720172661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-14431807009231035302010-03-31T21:09:15.838-04:002010-03-31T21:09:15.838-04:00Once again, you've put it extremely well, Ira....Once again, you've put it extremely well, Ira. It's the ability to communicate effectively, and to use mathematical concepts constructively, that matter most. The tools we use also matter, but the same tools simply don't work for everyone. By one common definition of insanity, it's completely insane to keep insisting that all children use the same tools. We see convincing evidence that this doesn't work countless times every day.<br /><br />It's tragic that we turn so many eager young learners into frustrated performers who are often incapable of meeting unreasonable performance expectations that serve no real purpose beyond the immediate imperative of "doing school"!Paul Hamiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01594007631592685010noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-76461893963009988252010-03-28T04:20:13.171-04:002010-03-28T04:20:13.171-04:00I really enjoyed reading your post. Here in Austr...I really enjoyed reading your post. Here in Australia we are currently embroiled in some absurd back-to-basics approach to education which the government is trying to sell as an education revolution. Our primary students sit mandatory skills tests, and now the school results are published on a MySchool website for all to see. <br /><br />This is supposedly to give parents an idea of what is happening at school, but in reality it sends them into a frenzy of worrying about which school is beating which school and why.<br /><br />In all of this the one thing they are loosing sight of is the kids. Teaching to test is sucking the joy and flexibility out of learning, all in the name of helping kids to read and write. No one seems to listen to the professionals who know how kids learn and develop.<br /><br />Change can happen - my kids go to a small progressive school which has fought hard to be exempt from mandatory testing (one of only two schools in the state) and we develop individual programs of learning for each child which allow them to follow their interests and learn at their own pace.<br /><br />My son, never pushed to learn 10 sight words a week from the age of 5, started to read just before he turned 7 and he hasn't stopped. He reads for pleasure, asks for books for his birthday, loves the library and is reading way above his age level. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't have happened if he had to do it before he was ready to.jennyhttp://progresiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45006854225722922582010-03-27T21:23:40.013-04:002010-03-27T21:23:40.013-04:00Ira, I agree with your overall philosophy of educa...Ira, I agree with your overall philosophy of education, but feel it is very difficult to implement at the classroom level. In my math class students have to take the state MEAP test. I also have to give them quarterly district assessments and each unit has a district test.<br /><br />I can not give students the option to use calculators on the part of the MEAP where they are not allowed. I have a couple of students who struggle with almost every concept in class such as equivalent fractions, common denominators, area, etc. because they do not know their basic math facts. Multiplication facts in particular are the key to understanding so many middle and high school math concepts.<br /><br />With a scripted curriculum and mandatory tests, how can I possible change my classroom to accommodate these children? These changes seem like they have to come from the national, state, or district level.concretekaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03817234454056267050noreply@blogger.com