Teaching President Obama the Conditions for Learning
Dear President Obama,
I am done pleading with you. I am writing due to my great respect for Diane Ravitch, who has requested that everyone write to you by October 17th. I am going to use this opportunity to teach you something, as it appears your administration is very uneducated regarding real teaching and real learning. I want to share the Conditions for Learning by Brian Cambourne. Teachers know and implement CFL in their classrooms on a daily basis – that is, they attempt to implement CFL in their classrooms, yet it is increasingly difficult under the crushing Race to the Top policies your administration has implemented with the zealous support of billionaires and a sell-out mainstream media.
As I share it, I would like you to visualize a child, named Josh, who is living in poverty. He is fictitious but he is based on many children I have taught. Imagine a child unclean, wearing the same shirt many days in a row,