tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.comments2024-03-17T04:09:26.074-04:00SpeEdChangeirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger2021125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-89776231756724494252016-05-31T02:11:31.219-04:002016-05-31T02:11:31.219-04:00I liked:
"If we were educators we simply can...I liked:<br /><br />"If we were educators we simply cannot afford to live even in the present".<br /><br />And the New New York City is great.Adelaide Duponthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01490123934889071074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-43369015466166419002016-05-28T09:08:56.037-04:002016-05-28T09:08:56.037-04:00You miss a main point.
This is not science (to ...You miss a main point. <br /><br />This is not science (to assume otherwise is to confuse necessity with sufficiency [at a minimum]).<br /><br />It is, at best (and this is questionable), psychological "science". <br /><br />Creating scales to reveal real mental happenings, turning these abstractions into entities that populate the mind (which is exactly what? Psychology is mute), and then assuming one has cut nature at a seam, is a pathetic revelation of the extent to which we credential folk in academia way beyond their abilities.<br /><br />The vacuity of the enterprise (I generalize -- there are exceptions within the discipline) coupled with the appetite of (the increasingly vanishing) reading public for accessible renditions of intuitively appealing junk science has set the stage for a sad reemergence of behaviorist approaches to human nature.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06987545006207221297noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-34587937161790038582016-05-07T23:57:18.881-04:002016-05-07T23:57:18.881-04:00Hey! Interesting post, Ira. I've only been fol...Hey! Interesting post, Ira. I've only been following the "grit" buzzword from afar, but I feel like I'm missing something. Isn't the word just a modern, jargony way to encourage effort?<br />I respect your opinions and experience, but the reaction to grit (as a trendy edu-speak word) seems to be an overreaction, in my opinion.<br />Your point about the history of cultures or classes explaining away societal inequality as attributable completely to "laziness" is well-taken, but wouldn't you agree that effort plays a major role in student (or any other) successes? Regardless of how we teach or assess, from standardized tests to authentic evaluations, from direct instruction to constructivist approaches, trying hard and working to overcome setbacks are good things, no? Am I misunderstanding your argument?George Haineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08423131759598649441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-43140460253238261282016-04-20T03:45:02.348-04:002016-04-20T03:45:02.348-04:00I agree that my dyslexic son possess strengths tha...I agree that my dyslexic son possess strengths that I, as somewhat typical reader, do not. I have read that there was a study that some of these can be lost when taught to read. <br />But our world is full of print. Street signs for example, how can he read these when driving if never taught? <br />Additionally, due to an extreme expressive language and speech delay some of the access to technology does not help him. Voice to text search for example doesn't work well and often causes frustration. He verbally cannot express himself to complete writing assignments. What can he do then? It a double wammy. <br /><br />So how do I help him? I dont think just teaching him to rely on tech is the full answer for him even though he very intuitive and can figure out most any computer game with only reading about a 1st grade level; hes in 4th. Some of the curriculum isnt assessable and not all teachers are good at teaching him to use tech. <br /><br />So I do think we need to get our kids Reading to some degree so that they can function on this world and be happy. They may not always have the technology to help in all situations. So when do I throw in the towel and teach him to fully rely on tech?<br /> <br />Lastly we need to change the educational institution as well (but my son will be long graduated before that happens). We need to see dyslexia as a learning difference not a disability but for now this is how the system is set up. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45812605906116146262016-02-01T04:25:42.166-05:002016-02-01T04:25:42.166-05:00I'm really very sorry to read about Deven. Thi...I'm really very sorry to read about Deven. This is an excellent post.The Goldfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-92051793662532646982016-01-31T10:24:05.929-05:002016-01-31T10:24:05.929-05:00Beautifully said, Ira. Beautifully said, Ira. Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082165658104599959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-17298131433017560452015-12-28T18:25:31.242-05:002015-12-28T18:25:31.242-05:00"The deep problem I have with "the grit ..."The deep problem I have with "the grit narrative" lies in its flawed assumptions that if poor kids just work harder, with more focus, everything will be fine."<br /><br />You write negatively about Angela Duckworth's assumptions but then you write statements like this. If you write something like this you should provide a quote that proves it. Without a quote you are slinging vague accusations with no real standing. She doesn't make assumptions or speak in generalizations or absolutes from anything that I have read and if she does please show me so that I can correct my own views. Her aim seems to be to help others make incremental progress in a quality she calls grit which could be misused by those in power to not help underprivileged but it could also help a lot of kids reach goals and have success. The concept of grit is only a tool and it can be used for good or bad. It seems that you really do care a lot about helping underprivileged kids so I ask you to reconsider your views on this tool. <br /><br />Be objective about this concept and I think you will see that when you teach kids about grit the right way it can truly improve their lives. Please provide me hard evidence of the things you claim or I can not take it seriously and neither should anyone else. With out evidence this comes blog post comes across as subjective and emotional which are not good qualities to evaluate anything with.<br /><br />Chris MerrickAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01207468084602585064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-14178182130138871112015-11-13T15:31:14.733-05:002015-11-13T15:31:14.733-05:00Dear Mr. Socol,
Your presentation is from 2009. D...Dear Mr. Socol,<br /><br />Your presentation is from 2009. Do you have any updates to these lists of tools, etc.?<br /><br />Many thanks,<br /><br />AndyAndy of Atownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-81597031817761033842015-08-08T01:56:23.245-04:002015-08-08T01:56:23.245-04:00Your blog's and videos are really too helpful....Your blog's and videos are really too helpful.<br /><a href="http://www.ciseducation.org" rel="nofollow">Best School in lucknow, School Franchise in UP</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255532868656818787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-87198890342106970322015-08-06T04:27:57.374-04:002015-08-06T04:27:57.374-04:00BEST!!GUIDE!!EVER!!!
I'm a huge fan of guest-...BEST!!GUIDE!!EVER!!!<br /><br />I'm a huge fan of guest-posting! I landed a guest post on NewsX & India News in my first month as a freelance blogger. It was such an awesome, heady feeling, and it was liked so much, that I was roped in the content department of India's biggest news network. Even though my website needs a ton of work, like more authors, more sponsors, more contributors etc (hence generating traffic isn't anywhere in my agenda), I write guest posts just to get my name out there in front of potential clients.<br /><br />I'm going to implement your tips when I start pitching to the bigger guns out there (Huffington post, Forbes, Business Insider). Bookmarking this article!<br /><br /><br />Thanks, <br />RamisRamisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-16722877362413044182015-08-03T09:35:40.767-04:002015-08-03T09:35:40.767-04:00Thanks Goldfish,
There's a nice piece here ht...Thanks Goldfish,<br /><br />There's a nice piece here http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/revisiting-austin-street-death-kitty-genovese-50-years-later-76460 on the fallibility of memory in regards to the Kitty Genovese case. I've long thought we know so little about what actually happened - this was 5 years before the centralized 9-1-1 reporting system and calls would have gone to the main police number, the precinct number, or just the phone operator without any of the tracking we know today.<br /><br />So who might have seen, who might've called, are all lost. I always imagined, knowing the area a tiny bit, that hundreds might have heard, but how many made any connection? I do know that decades later, these kinds of screams - even in neighborhoods of much greater 'disintegration' - would often bring 30-50 9-1-1 calls in, but...<br /><br />What was powerful then was the way the story fed into the underlying sense of the collapse of society. The cops saw it that way, the media saw it that way, I think everyone chose to. It was surely what I learned as a kid. Kew Gardens wasn't a bad neighborhood. It was solidly middle class, and if this could happen there...?<br /><br />So, well, quoting the story I linked:<br />"Were there more than 38 people within earshot of the first attack? Yes. Did 38 of them know what they were witnessing? Almost certainly not. Was the New York Times story geared toward sensationalism? Absolutely. But even in Cook’s conservative assessment, there were two men who were watching and chose not to intervene, and at least four or five other neighbors who were awake and had a pretty good idea. If the story of Kitty Genovese is that her neighbors did nothing while she was murdered, it is not an “intractable urban myth,” as a paper in American Psychologist described it in 2007. There were witnesses, and no one helped her. That’s no urban legend."<br /><br />The story had huge legs at the time because this was less than a mile from the about-to-open 1964-65 New York World's Fair, and thus it created an urban safety firestorm. It remained huge in New York because of the fears of the loss of social fabric.<br /><br />So what's the social fabric in schools? Big question.<br /><br /><br /><br />irasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-36570041510636989932015-08-03T07:18:20.472-04:002015-08-03T07:18:20.472-04:00This isn't a point of pedantry - I only mentio...This isn't a point of pedantry - I only mention this because I think you might find it interesting. Apparently, during the attack on Kitty Genovese, some neighbours did attempt to intervene and the number of inactive witnesses was greatly exaggerated. However, the way it was reported - some weeks later - certainly had the impact you describe. There's an audio segment about how it all came about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n338l#playt=0h09m28s" rel="nofollow">here</a> (11 minutes). <br /><br />It is one of many examples, especially in behavioural psychology, where an observed phenomenon is misunderstood or exaggerated, only to stimulate proper research and observation which betters our understanding (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect" rel="nofollow">The Hawthorne Effect</a> is another famous example). There were certainly witnesses to the Kitty Genovese murder who didn't do anything because they were sure others would have called the police and that sort of thing happens a lot. People <i>do</i> struggle to overcome their desire not to rock the boat, whatever boat that is, even if that boat has a great big hole in it. <br /><br />Really good to see you blogging again. :-)The Goldfishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15213378454070776331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-11067508422704838482015-04-12T23:28:55.192-04:002015-04-12T23:28:55.192-04:00I agree that a stimulating learning environment is...I agree that a stimulating learning environment is important, but I'm not sure that it excludes routine.ggomybabyhttp://www.gomybaby.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-444443600514694512015-03-07T09:17:07.645-05:002015-03-07T09:17:07.645-05:00If you discount grit and say it's all about ab...If you discount grit and say it's all about abundance, what do you make of the layabout trust fund babies who've benefited from a lifetime of abundance, yet are incapable of achieving even what they set out to do and, ultimately, fritter away their lives taking drugs and spending Daddy's money?<br /><br />I am white and went to Spence. My roommate freshman year of college was Asian and went to Stuyvesant -- a much "grittier" environment. Against heavy odds we became pretty good friends, and developed overlapping social circles visible on Facebook to this day. Her Facebook friends are almost universally gainfully employed, which I know is not a success metric you likely put stock in, but for most parents and students it means something, and parents and students are the real stakeholders here.<br /><br />I have a nontrivial number of acquaintances from childhood, meanwhile, who are complete wrecks. If they were not born into such abundance, they'd probably be in jail (and some have spent time there).<br /><br />If we lived in some post-scarcity utopia where we could just heap abundance on everyone, and each of us could pursue an existence of directionless hedonism (perhaps lay around in an opiate haze), then grit would be irrelevant and abundance would be all that mattered. But unless you're very rich, that's not a practical option. And if you are very rich, and pursue that option, your life can end up looking kind of sad.<br /><br />Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45480664059782586362015-02-25T19:18:52.587-05:002015-02-25T19:18:52.587-05:00I thought the first of these pieces was insightful...I thought the first of these pieces was insightful, but then they seemed to go downhill. It seemed to degenerate to a series of personal attacks demonizing the other side and questioning their good will. I am sorry it did not stay with examining questionable assumptions that even people of good will (not colonialists and rich white people) can have. This will no doubt get blocked so I will stop here.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10311852507118886671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-35761614664437540332015-02-17T22:43:32.568-05:002015-02-17T22:43:32.568-05:00Great post, Ira. I took the Grit test and scored ...Great post, Ira. I took the Grit test and scored 1.6. I'm guessing that means I don't have a lot of grit. It would be a fearful thing to score high on this measure as it would mean I had little flexibility, whim.<br /><br /><br /><br />Mary Ann Reillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14349201167828984708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-86445697304567281562015-02-13T09:56:08.106-05:002015-02-13T09:56:08.106-05:00I really appreciate your analysis of what it means...I really appreciate your analysis of what it means to be "dumb" in school, or at least when you get that label applied to you. We are selling so many kids short by simply keeping the "correct" order of everything in its right place. However, I think that this cuts both ways. The kids who are trying so hard to be "smart" but not quite meeting the arbitrary cut point for being capital G gifted are also a victim of the rigidity of school. Those kids who are trying to make the perfect 5 paragraph essay, but don't realize that it is only by deviating from the form that you actually get "the 5" on the AP exam. We really must look at our narrow definitions of who gets to be "smart" and who gets to be "dumb". Neither will get us to the point of understanding children and their needs any better.<br /><br />As for the topic of "serious reading," I cannot stand this construct. All reading is reading. All learning is valuable. We cannot apply all the same rules to new media types, and there are some types of media that change the way in which we consume and produce media. Blogging is different because it is connected to other bloggers. Video is different when it is shared from one person to a million in a few days without anything more than a Youtube channel for distribution. These things change us, but they are no less valuable than reading a "classic novel." <br /><br />We are better because of our diversity of ability and creativity. We are better because we see each other as whole. Thank you for this post, and for your careful reflection upon your own educational experience.<br /><br />P.S. This comment is a part of the #C4C15 project. Find out more here: http://bit.ly/C4C15Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16321830892721496687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-54263183067356778352015-01-11T14:51:13.880-05:002015-01-11T14:51:13.880-05:00I voice similar concerns about flipping the classr...I voice similar concerns about flipping the classroom. All too often we forget the lack of resources many of our students experience when we go home. Flipping the classroom is a great ideal, but often impractical. Worse, it is too easy to plow ahead with a great idea as long as only one or two students are left behind. But education is supposed to be free for all students. <br /><br />On the other hand, not assigning homework can harm students once they enter college, because college instructors assume that all of their students have developed solid study habits. Unlike K-12 teachers, college instructors are not obligated to accommodate every student's home situation.<br /><br />For that reason, I think a sensible homework policy is in order. I believe that Norman Webb's Depth of Knowledge model provides a good tool for creating such a policy, such as http://bit.ly/1zwM4hVJohn R. Walkuphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08138597076966653095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-65738717422549965702014-12-29T00:03:20.577-05:002014-12-29T00:03:20.577-05:00All very true, but you didn't mention one thin...All very true, but you didn't mention one thing. Kids wouldn't have to go to all of these schools using oppressive "education" if not for forceful legislation telling them it's mandatory. <br /><br />They could study at their own pace, their own time, with their own mentors, the only problem being money (which is certainly not helped by today's regime-like schooling). But the law says they have too under punishment to them and their kids in many states. Homeschoolers evade this as well as several notable schools with no enforced teaching, but for most of America and perhaps the western world, laws exist to *make* children of the none elite compelled to attend these degratory lower-class marking procedures. This isn't right, and instead of letting the government and those in power to decide who study in what method, it should be a free endeavor. That way no one can mark our children as failures. Amarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15476262565297238693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-1610086925329682762014-12-22T20:52:55.504-05:002014-12-22T20:52:55.504-05:00This is a wonderful article, Ira. Thank you so muc...This is a wonderful article, Ira. Thank you so much. I am one who - shall we say - leans considerably to the left politically and, over the years have had some interesting dealings with the LAPD, especially during the anti-Vietnam War movement when I was part of a group that provided security for demonstrations, rallies, cultural events, etc. We worked quite well with the police, taking the position that we would like first crack at dealing with our people if they began behaving badly and, if we couldn't do the job, we would step out of the way and let the police do their job. We never had a problem, which I'd like to think was because we worked so hard at developing mutual respect. Nobody ever thanked us for our service, either.<br /><br />I, too, mourn the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Rafael Ramos, Wenjian Liu, and so many others, and am both angered and saddened by reactions such as those of Patrick Lynch and any demonstrator who calls for the deaths of police officers. It does my heart good to read your words of wisdom . . . and those of Officer Murphy as well. You have brought tears to my eyes several times. So let me be one to say thank you. Thank you for your service and, especially for your strength and your incredibly respectful attitude toward those you swore to protect and serve. I would gladly have followed you and Jerry through the gates of Hell.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-42391869303672789082014-12-22T19:08:58.031-05:002014-12-22T19:08:58.031-05:00Thank you Julie, and Kenny, and Jackie.
I fully a...Thank you Julie, and Kenny, and Jackie.<br /><br />I fully agree with you Julie. I always sign my name. Its what being a citizen is about in my mind.<br /><br />For Anonymous No. 2, what do you disagree with? What Jerry Murphy said? With my experiences? With police working for their communities? I'd love to hear.<br /><br />Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-61167919078277209352014-12-22T18:17:44.153-05:002014-12-22T18:17:44.153-05:00I'm curious as to why people who have opinions...I'm curious as to why people who have opinions consider that they must remain anonymous. <br /><br />I too read this officer's account and his opinions and agreed with much of what he was saying. Remaining anonymous is a form of apathy and apathy allows so many of the behaviors and actions we are experiencing in our society.<br />My name is Julie Hinds and I'm not afraid to apply it to my opinion.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-53033956800346471672014-12-22T16:17:50.901-05:002014-12-22T16:17:50.901-05:00Thank you for your past service and your continued...Thank you for your past service and your continued service toward humanity.<br />We need more like yourself to speak up and to reach out.<br />I am sharing your words of peace to everyone I knowKennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164712465847772890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-53973503175046486392014-12-22T15:19:39.820-05:002014-12-22T15:19:39.820-05:00Such a rational breath of fresh air. Thank you for...Such a rational breath of fresh air. Thank you for writing this!Jackie Conradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381347712120872904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-60607668769496119102014-12-22T11:04:14.705-05:002014-12-22T11:04:14.705-05:00I have go say that this is the most responsible ar...I have go say that this is the most responsible article relating to The State vs Citizens issues that are happening in the US at the moment.<br /><br />Thanks for having a balanced point of view.<br /><br />Happy holidays.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com