Marie’s December Musings
Quote of the Month
“We are denying our students the complete education they deserve and the law demands.”
-- Lynn Munson, president and executive director of Common Core on the narrowing of curriculum
MISSING IN ACTION: SOCIAL STUDIES, THE ARTS, FOREIGN LANGUAGES?
According to a new survey conducted by Common Core, a Washington-based research and advocacy group, there is growing concern among a majority of teachers that, because of the intense focus on math and reading, other disciplines such as art, social studies, and even science are being given short shrift. According to Lynn Munson, president and executive director of Common Core, federal law clearly identifies our “core curriculum” as reading, math, science, social studies, and the arts. But in these high-stakes, test-driven times, many of these subjects have been abandoned.
The survey included the following list of subjects that are getting less time than they used to:
- Art: 51% of teachers say it gets less time than before
- Music: 48%
- Foreign Languages: 40%
- Social Studies: 36%
- Physical Education: 33%
- Science: 27%
Read this article for more information.
BIAS ALERT: While reading and math are certainly critically important, wisdom tells us that varied subjects complement one another and in fact inform one another. Obvious examples are math and music, art and history, and foreign languages and literature. Steve Jobs saw the value in a liberal arts education—which he said helped to nurture his imaginative mind. There is a nascent movement to add A to STEM: STEAM—science, technology, engineering, (the) arts, and math. Proponents contend that the arts will help unlock creative thinking and innovation that will enhance STEM subjects. Right on!
YES, SIR!
Results of the 2011 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) show that the nation’s military-base schools have outperformed public schools in both reading and math tests in both fourth and eighth grades. Even more impressive is the shrinking of the achievement gap between black and white students, continuing at a faster rate than in public schools. Some suggest the following possible explanations for the disparity:
- Standardized tests are not stressed in military-base schools and are not used to rate teachers, principals, or schools.
- Perhaps because of the nature of the parents’ work and frequent absences, teachers are more nurturing and supportive. As the principal one of these schools said, “Children are children; they’re not little Marines.”
- The average class size is 18 compared to 24 in public schools.
PERSONAL COMMENT: I taught for one year at a U.S. Air Force base in Germany. What I found was almost 100% parental involvement in their children’s education and total support for the teacher. Surely those factors would improve the achievement of any student but are understandably hard to achieve in a regular public school setting.
GOOGLE THE GIVER
In its biggest single-day contribution ever, Google has handed out $40 million to nonprofit groups to battle slavery, promote education, and make technology more accessible worldwide. Part of the grant money is to promote the teaching of STEM subjects and especially to improve the educational levels of girls in developing nations. Altogether, the search giant has contributed $115 million to such causes. Bravo! It is gratifying to see that companies like Google are putting their largesse to good use.
SOCIAL NETWORKING RED FLAGS
Lady Greenfield, professor of synaptic pharmacology at Oxford University, has spoken of her deep concerns about the effect of social networking sites on children’s attention spans and lack of empathy. In a speech to the House of Lords several years ago, Greenfield stated that social networking sites “are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance. As a consequence, the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilized, characterized by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathize, and a shaky sense of identity.” Worth reading in its entirety.
YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A PRINTED BOOK
As the adult book world turns digital at a faster rate than publishers expected, sales of e-books for titles aimed at children under eight years old have barely budged. The New York Times recently ran a story about the surprising choice of e-book reading parents buying print books for their young children and toddlers. These parents apparently want to start their children off reading “old-fashioned” books—turning physical pages as they learn about colors, shapes, and animals. They like the intimacy of cuddling up with their child and a book for a nighttime story. But, you may ask, is anything lost by taking a picture book and converting it into an e-book? Yes, says Yunko Yokota, professor and director of the Center for Teaching Through Children’s Books at National Louis University in Chicago. She contends that the shape and size of a book is often part of the reading experience. Wider pages might be used to convey broad landscapes, or a taller format might be chosen for stories about skyscrapers. I agree. There’s something more personal about a book that isn’t one of hundreds of digital files on an iPad. In an increasingly cyber world, a printed book is something you can still touch and feel.
BIAS ALERT: Without question, there are advantages to e-books, but while the young mind is being nurtured and first exposed to books, let’s give children the joy of holding a book in their hands, reading it to and with them, letting them take the book to bed and see it when they wake up in the morning—befriending it, cherishing it. I still smile every time I walk past the bookshelf in my office and notice “Goodnight, Moon” and think of all the wonderful moments I shared with my children reading and loving that book together. Let’s save the e-books for other times and other purposes.
FIVE WAYS TO SAVE AMERICAN EDUCATION
Lots of theories have been proffered as to why our educational system is “broken” and how to “fix” it. One of the latest to offer his suggestions is Marc S. Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy, a long-time advocate for adapting successful international practices in U.S. schools. In his new book, Surpassing Shanghai: An Agenda for American Education Built on the World’s Leading Systems, Tucker and his team suggest the following solutions to “fix” our educational system:
- Make admissions to teacher training more competitive.
- Raise teacher compensation significantly.
- Allow larger class sizes.
- End annual standardized testing.
- Spend more money on students who need more help getting to high standards.
MY TAKE: I agree with all but the last suggestion. We’ve spent billions of dollars over the years on programs to address the problems of the underachieving student. We don’t need more money; what we need is a different approach—out of the box creative thinking—not just more of the same as always. As Einstein is attributed to have said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As we come to the end of 2011, I’ve been reflecting on how our culture has changed over the last year and how fast it has changed. In educational publishing, it’s no longer a question of print versus digital—instructional materials are going digital at dizzying speed, which is what happens when the tipping point is reached. Flipped classrooms, cloud computing, in-school personal digital devices, free online courses, national standards (CCSS)—all innovations we are witness to. My prediction for the coming year: This will be the Year of the Teacher. More emphasis will be made on the changing role of the teacher and the subsequent new training for the new “classroom.”
It is my good fortune to have the opportunity to share my thoughts about my passions—education and publishing—in this monthly blog. I look forward to continuing my ruminations in 2012. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
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