Sunday, September 18, 2011

Questions To Ask When Reading Research and Blogs on School Reform and Classroom Practice (Paul Thomas) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Questions To Ask When Reading Research and Blogs on School Reform and Classroom Practice (Paul Thomas) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice:

Questions To Ask When Reading Research and Blogs on School Reform and Classroom Practice (Paul Thomas)

Paul Thomas is a veteran high school English teacher and now academic. He is also a blogger. This particular post I liked because of the sensible questions he poses when readers inspect research studies, policy articles, and blogs that too often mix fact with opinion in unseemly ways.

I want to offer some guidelines for navigating the education debate based on my own experience as an educator for nearly three decades (almost two decades as a high school teacher and another decade in higher education/teacher education) and my extensive work as a commentator in print and on-line publications.

When you confront claims about education, and the inevitable counter-claims, what should you be looking for?

Are the claims and counter-claims framed within the perspective of the person making them? As a critical