Argue with Some of the Logic?: The Expertise Gap
While not above criticism himself, Malcolm Gladwell (Time, 20 October 2009) has argued an important point about the importance of topic expertise for journalists:
The issue is not writing. It’s what you write about. One of my favorite columnists is Jonathan Weil, who writes for Bloomberg. He broke the Enron story, and he broke it because he’s one of the very few mainstream journalists in America who really knows how to read a balance sheet. That means Jonathan Weil will always have a job, and will always be read, and will always have something interesting to say. He’s unique. Most accountants don’t write articles, and most journalists don’t know anything about accounting. Aspiring journalists should stop going to journalism programs and go to some other kind of grad school. If I was studying today, I would go get a master’s in statistics, and maybe do a bunch of accounting courses and then write from that perspective. I think that’s the way to survive. The role of the generalist is diminishing. Journalism has to get smarter.The education debate, specifically the education reform debate, currently confirms Gladwell’s concern because politicians with little or no educational expertise or experience control education policy and journalists with little or
So, is Direct and Purposeful Teaching Anti-Constructivist?
“When it is agreed that all students must know the same things at the same times in order to move on to the next thing that all students must know at the same time, you have killed constructivism. And, as Sir Ken Robinson has virally said, you’ve also killed creativity.” (Quote from Sir Ken Robinson as displayed in Kris Nielsen’s recent blog regarding constructivism and teaching).
Clearly, students move on in their learning, the great hope. Also, just as clearly, there will never come a time when all students will know all the same thing all at the same time. Nor move on to know the same things all at the same time. Such a claim is absurd. I’m sure this quote came with a bit of sarcasm from Robinson. If not, then I’m confident that what is meant is that schools have been beating the crap out of creativity for some time. It’s just that now it is becoming that which is levied with an increasing and insidious. fictitious quantitative analysis. For the metrics to be manipulated to expand a war as specious and phony as the war on drugs.
Beware the Reform-y Types in Constructivist’s Clothing
Clearly, students move on in their learning, the great hope. Also, just as clearly, there will never come a time when all students will know all the same thing all at the same time. Nor move on to know the same things all at the same time. Such a claim is absurd. I’m sure this quote came with a bit of sarcasm from Robinson. If not, then I’m confident that what is meant is that schools have been beating the crap out of creativity for some time. It’s just that now it is becoming that which is levied with an increasing and insidious. fictitious quantitative analysis. For the metrics to be manipulated to expand a war as specious and phony as the war on drugs.
Beware the Reform-y Types in Constructivist’s Clothing
There’s been a great way to teach out there in school-o-sphere for quite some time, which we know leads to authentic learning and happy kids. It’s not lecture. It’s not worksheets. It’s not even “hands-on.” (“Hands-on” doesn’t always mean that kids are learning or even engaged.)
It’s called constructivism, and it is totally awesome. Seriously, though, it is! When we hear the buzzwords, like “child-centered,” “inquiry-based,” “student-led,” etc., what we are hearing is an attempt to get kids to lead their own learning path and construct their own understanding. You know what happens when people construct meaning from their own learning? They remember. They transfer. They apply.
There have been critics along the way, just like there are with everything. Some suggest that if you allow kids t
Put that away and get back to hands-on learning!
It’s called constructivism, and it is totally awesome. Seriously, though, it is! When we hear the buzzwords, like “child-centered,” “inquiry-based,” “student-led,” etc., what we are hearing is an attempt to get kids to lead their own learning path and construct their own understanding. You know what happens when people construct meaning from their own learning? They remember. They transfer. They apply.There have been critics along the way, just like there are with everything. Some suggest that if you allow kids t