Teaching, Privatization: Vouchers,
DeVos's Attack on Special Education, Dyslexia, Screen Time as Textbooks
DeVos's Attack on Special Education, Dyslexia, Screen Time as Textbooks
UNIQUE TO TEACHING?
Another Faux Teacher Memoir
Teachers are told how to teach by legislatures and are critiqued by pundits who apparently know everything about education because "they went to school." Do we see this sort of behavior in other professions?
- Are doctors told how to practice medicine by people who "know all about medicine" because they have been sick before?
- Do you automatically know how to handle 150 high school math students just because you have a degree in math? Are you able to present content in a way that students can understand just because you know that content?
- Would a chemistry major be allowed to dispense drugs at a pharmacy?
- Would an anatomy major be allowed to practice medicine at a local hospital or clinic?
- What other profession regularly has politicians and policy makers determine how they should do their jobs? Is a dentist forced to use methods not backed by research?
- The majority of Americans know nearly 100% of the content taught by early childhood educators. Because you have internalized one-to-one correspondence or the concept of "story," does that mean you can help preschoolers develop those skills and concepts? Since you know arithmetic are you automatically able to explain the process to 8 and 9 year olds in a way they will understand?
It's no surprise to Peter Greene, then, when a college grad with a pre-law degree, along with five weeks of TFA training found teaching difficult. I love his metaphor of Christopher Columbus...those who are lionized for "discovering" something that the professionals in the field already know.
...Is it the part where she puts in her two years and then leaves for her "real" profession (in this case, lawyer and memoirist)?
...I've seen all of these stories hundreds of times. The fact that Kuo tells a tale more nuanced than the infamous Onion TFA pieces doesn't mean she isn't working the same old territory. And while Kuo seems to be a decent writer, she doesn't appear to have gleaned any insights that aren't already possessed by millions of actual teachers (the majority of whom stuck around long enough to actually get good at the job).
...only in teaching do we get this. Students who drop out of their medical internship don't get to write memoirs hailed for genius insights into health care. Guys who once wrote an article for the local paper don't draw plaudits for their book of wisdom about journalism and the media. But somehow education must be repeatedly Columbusized, as some new tourist is lionized for "discovering" a land where millions of folks all live rich and fully realized lives. [emphasis added]
PRIVATIZATION: VOUCHERS
Fla. Newspaper Exposes Host Of Problems In State’s Voucher Scheme
The problems with vouchers are similar nationwide. In Florida, for example, they have a problem with the lack of public oversight. Go figure...
...private schools in the state are accepting $1 billion a year in taxpayer funds with virtually no oversight. The result has been what you’d expect: a raft of fly-by-night schools, some of which use questionable curriculum, hire unqualified staff and place children in dangerous facilities.
Indiana school voucher debate continues
The Indiana State Supreme Court rule that vouchers don't violate the state's constitutional restriction on giving tax dollars to religious groups because the money goes to the parent. No matter how you look at it, however, tax dollars are going to churches which teach sectarian religion.
And, by the way, students in public schools are allowed to "speak about God," too.
"I wanted an environment where my children were allowed to speak about God," she said. Her daughter recently brought home artwork with a pumpkin that also included a picture of a cross.
...traditional public schools are subject to state Board of Accounts audits, while board meetings and budgets are public. Teachers must meet licensing requirements credentials. Also, private schools receiving vouchers also can be more exclusionary in who they admit.
DEVOS: ATTACK ON SPECIAL EDUCATION
The Pharisaical DeVastation of Betsy DeVos
Remember, during her confirmation hearing, when DeVos was asked whether she supported the "federal requirement" protecting students with disabilities and it was clear that she had no clue what IDEA was?
Remember, during her confirmation hearing, when DeVos refused to say that all schools getting federal funds should be subject to the same accountability standards.
Why are we not protecting the lives of those who are already born? I feel that being “pro-life” is not a matter reserved for the issue of abortion and the unborn, but should include those who are living and need help.
Hubert Humphrey once said in 1977, “the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”
DYSLEXIA
Scientists May Have Found Out What Causes Dyslexia
I tend to be skeptical when someone says (or writes) that "the cause" has been found for something. People have a tendency to latch on to a "reason" and not let go. My guess is that the information in this study will be helpful for some students (and adults) with reading difficulties, but not all.
In my experience, the causes of reading difficulties - often labeled dyslexia, even when it's not - are varied. As a layman (I'm a teacher, not a neuroscientist), I discovered early in my career that what works for one child, might not work for another, even though their symptoms might be similar.
I'm not suggesting that this line of research be abandoned. On the contrary, we need to continue to find ways to help children learn. We just need to be aware that there might not be one, single, identifiable, cause or remedy for reading problems.
It's worth pointing out that this is just one study, and that plenty of other researchers view dyslexia as a neurological trait. Perhaps these visual differences are a consequence, rather than a trigger, of dyslexia. Additionally, people with dyslexia sometimes see it as not something that needs to be "fixed," but a type of creative advantage.
Do We Need a New Definition of Dyslexia?
Some background information about Dyslexia...
1. Dyslexia is a specific learning disability...
2. ...that is neurobiological in origin...
3. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities...
4. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language...
5. ...that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities...
6. ...and the provision of effective classroom instruction...
7. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.
SCREEN TIME AS TEXTBOOKS
A new study shows that students learn way more effectively from print textbooks than screens
Special note to schools and teachers who have students read textbooks online...
...from our review of research done since 1992, we found that students were able to better comprehend information in print for texts that were more than a page in length. This appears to be related to the disruptive effect that scrolling has on comprehension. We were also surprised to learn that few researchers tested different levels of comprehension or documented reading time in their studies of printed and digital texts.
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