WagTheDog | Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart. ~ Rumi:
WagTheDog Week
Just Have Coffee
Earlier this year Becca Bracy Knight , Executive Director of The Broad Center, threw down a positive challenge she called @justhavecoffee .. “I need your help with a maybe dumb idea that could also maybe make a difference. Earlier this week I met up with someone for coffee and we talked about the latest happenings in Newark, education policy, and the slippery slope of putting heavy cream into hot
The Cookie Thief
A woman was waiting at an airport one nightWith several long hours before her flightShe hunted for a book in the airport shopBought a bag of cookies and found a place to dropShe was engrossed in her book but happened to seeThat the man beside her as bold as could beGrabbed a cookie or two from the bag betweenWhich she tried to ignore to avoid a sceneShe munched cookies and watched the clockAs this
YESTERDAY
Common Core For An Uncommon Nation
Expecting students to spend countless hours trying to solve Common Core math word problems is not the same as helping them to become more effective problem solvers. Insisting students think critically about text that they must stay “connected to” is not the same as helping them to develop critical thinking skills. That explains how students in China and other authoritarian nations may excel at c
JUL 31
Common Core: A Matter of Perspective
Part of the reason there has been such strong disagreement and debate regarding the Common Core is people “see” ed reform and the new Standards very differently, depending on their perspective. When talking about ed reform with someone you may not agree with, it is very important to pay close attention to the words they use and don’t hesitate to ask for clarification rather than just assume you k
JUL 30
What Makes A Good Teacher?
One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. ~ Carl Jung
Learning To Care
If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. ~ Atticus Finch, ( Gregory Peck) “To Kill A Mockingbird”
Standards Are Expectations of Learning
Many people who are not educators don’t understand that The Common Core State Standards are cognitive goals and expectations of student learning or “growth”. They demand cognitive skills and abilities that must be acquired by students, rather than imparted by teachers. Our students are not standardized, they possess a wide range of cognitive capabilities and disabilities. These abilities and skil
JUL 28
Common Core’s A-Team
Blogger Mercedes Schneider has well researched and documented here and here that the initial working group tasked to develop and draft the Common Core State Standards was an exclusive and elite team of mostly inexperienced (classroom teaching) education experts. As Coleman’s A-Team was expanded, it is clear that new members outside the “inner circle” would play a supporting, rather than active ro
JUL 27
Would You Believe…?
As data-driven and evidence-based challenges to the efficacy of the untested Common Core State Standards grow stronger and louder, it appears CCSS supporters are growing desperate and resorting to Maxwell Smart’s catchphrase and tactic of backpedaling from unconvincing and unsubstantiated claims. This “Would you believe…” survival strategy is apparent in a new report from the New America Foundati
JUL 26
Knowledge vs. Wisdom: A Common Core Lesson
Many people have expressed concern regarding David Coleman’s lack of experience in the classroom. Coleman himself has acknowledged his lack of qualifications for serving as the lead author and architect of the Common Core State Standards. There is a big difference between being knowledgeable in a subject matter and having wisdom. Knowledge can be obtained through education, while wisdom is most o