The Common Core for 4-Year-Olds
A reader writes:
As an early childhood teacher I saw first hand last year the effects of the Common Core on my pre-k students. The ELA was not so dreadful. It was more or less consistent with what I had been doing. The math was another story. Asking 4 year olds to master addition and subtraction while they were just trying to grasp basic math concepts such as one to one correspondence was stressful; not just for my students, but for me as well. How to make teaching concepts beyond their understanding without stressing everybody out.
That, however, was the least of it. The performance tasks that came with the lessons were not only stressful for
As an early childhood teacher I saw first hand last year the effects of the Common Core on my pre-k students. The ELA was not so dreadful. It was more or less consistent with what I had been doing. The math was another story. Asking 4 year olds to master addition and subtraction while they were just trying to grasp basic math concepts such as one to one correspondence was stressful; not just for my students, but for me as well. How to make teaching concepts beyond their understanding without stressing everybody out.
That, however, was the least of it. The performance tasks that came with the lessons were not only stressful for
Where the Government Leaves You Alone
A reader suggests where to find a nation-state where the government truly leaves you alone to do whatever you want:
As I have read here and there on the blogosphere, if you really want a truly individualistic, no governmental “interference”, no taxes kind of society, go to Somalia.On the other hand, I’ve also been reading about man-made nation-states on the high seas. Presumably, whenIn Praise of Gary RubinsteinGary Rubinstein writes a terrific blog. He is a math teacher and an early alum of TFA. Whenever he writes, he has important insights. Last week, I got a note from a friend praising Deborah Kenny and quoting her recent book, where she claims that the secret of her miracle school, Harlem Village Academy, is that she seeks great teachers and treats them with respect. But I recalled reading Gary’s post about that school, and he pointed out that it has a teacher turnover |
What and Who Is EdVoice?
A group called EdVoice filed a lawsuit to compel the teachers of Los Angeles to comply with 40-year-old legislation (the Stull Act), requiring that student performance be part of teacher evaluation. The Los Angeles teachers’ union has opposed the suit, and they are currently in litigation.
The issues are supposed to be resolved in December. There are many ways to demonstrate pupil performance, not just standardized test scores.
There are so many of these “reform” groups that it is hard to keep track of them
The issues are supposed to be resolved in December. There are many ways to demonstrate pupil performance, not just standardized test scores.
There are so many of these “reform” groups that it is hard to keep track of them
Thank You, LG
There is a reader of this blog called LG who writes the most amazingly wise comments. She (and I believe from her email that this is a she) has taken upon herself the difficult task of responding to some very dubious assertions. Sometimes angry readers will make outlandish comments about teachers or public education or me or anything that bothers them, and over the years I have decided not to take the bait. But someone should. LG does.
I learn from the comments that readers write. I learn about what is happening across the nation, and sometimes I
I learn from the comments that readers write. I learn about what is happening across the nation, and sometimes I
The Unmitigated Gall of the Bullies
This teacher is sick of the people who bully and harass him; sick of those who interfere in his work but could never do it themselves; sick of the know-it-alls who are ruining his profession:
I am in my 44th year as a teacher. I have taught from Prep to Grade 12, but mostly in Primary school and Special Education. I can fully sympathise with the teacher who retired early after 20 years and I have been doing what Vance is doing, for most of my 44 years.Teaching is about children. Each child is unique and eachEveryone Needs Goals!!Let’s set goals for the future. Everyone needs goals. If other fields were like education, we would not only set unrealistic goals, but Congress would mandate punishments for those who do not meet them. A reader suggests these: We need to focus on the same kinds of ridiculous and unfair expectations to show how asinine they really are. Is It Too Late to “Fix” the Common Core Standards?This kindergarten teacher responds to an earlier post about how to fix the Common Core standards. I add here my own concerns about the lack of any field testing of the standards. We don’t know what effect they will have; we don’t know if they will improve student achievement; we don’t know if they will narrow or widen the achievement gap; and we don’t know if they are developmentally appropriate for the early grades. First, if David Coleman has changed his mind about that particular statement or any other aspect of HIS About that Washington State ReferendumA reader (who is not a teacher) describes the setting for the referendum this fall in Washington State that would introduce charter schools and a parent trigger into the state for the first time. An earlier post pointed out that the referendum–known as I-1240–is funded by Bill Gates and other super-rich high-tech entrepreneurs. We’ll speak loudly and often. I promise. This is just the beginning. BUT, we also need our teachers to stop being so quiet, so defensive, so intimidated. It’s a self-fullfilling prophecy when that happens. The I-1240 folks are the ones who need to be on the defensive! The Privatizers are the ones who are afraid to What Our Friends in New Zealand Are ReadingAllan Allach of New Zealand has compiled a reading list, some drawn from U.S. sources (one from this blog). What is interesting is the commonality of concerns among so many of us worried about the standardization of education, corporate control of schooling, and the worship of data as the goal of education: Weekend Readings By Allan Alach One common element of ‘deform’ across the world, is the use of PISA tests to justify the implementation of Why Home-Schooling Is Uncommon in the U.K.A reader from the U.K., who has engaged in the discussion about the role of parents, comments on the relative infrequency of home-schooling in the U.K.: Home-schooling is legal in the UK but it isn’t common. Most parents in the UK that have the time to homeschool either lack the required level of education/intelligence to do so successfully or have enough money to send their children to private school. Most parents send their children to a local state school. The way the system works means that it is difficult to What’s Wrong with the Common Core StandardsThis reader has done a close reading of the Common Core standards and concludes they are “an expensive farce.”
|
