Trump's Secretary of Education

     Choosing Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education is a little odd to those of us who may assume that a job requirement is experience in education. Ms. DeVos has experience, but as an education advocate, and not necessarily as a champion for the public school system.

    Snopes.com has done a nice job on dissecting the internet meme which details her "unqualifications"for the position.
   

    You can read it here.

Ms. DeVos would not be the first person in a high-ranking education position that doesn't have experience as a teacher. Hawaii has Kathy Matayoshi, for example.

One might argue that a good leader doesn't have to have education experience to run an education organization. For example, some restaurants would train new employees in their management program for a few months, and then they would present to the world a restaurant manager who may never have been a barback or a server or a busser. Still, this person may become a very good manager. But is that person the best for the job?

I would counter that a lack of experience in education will ensure that those who are most affected by educational decisions will not have a empathetic voice in the process. The connection between a leader and his or her followers is vital for that organization's success. If the followers don't feel there is a connection, through shared experiences and common goals, it is only a matter of time before the process is slowed, and perhaps the whole organization becomes stagnant.

You wouldn't take your car to be fixed to a car mechanic who has "some experience in cars", now, would you? You wouldn't allow your child to be examined by a doctor who has most of his medical experience with the elderly, would you? There is a definite connection between having experience and being effective at one's job.

So, although, Ms. DeVos may be a very good politician and a well-known education advocate, I suspect that her future plans will not include a positive direction for public classrooms and public school teachers, simply because she has limited experience with them and her pro-charter school stance. 

Technology can never replace good teaching

     Strictly speaking, technology can be simply a mechanical pencil or a spoon.
Broadly, in education, technology usually refers to the use of computers and computer programs to support learning.

Many teachers are actively using technology - all sorts - in interesting, cross-curricular, collaborative ways. I've also observed many teachers are uncertain on how to go about using some of our newer technologies or simply are so overwhelmed by the opportunities to use it, that they balk at the prospect.

Administrators who wish to grow as a technology-based school would be wise to grow slowly and to take advantage of time.

In our rush-to-success environment - due to our high-pressure, high-stakes, results-oriented, commerce-based schools of today - I observe that often experienced (and valuable) teachers are left to the sides, as newer teachers who can turn on a computer program are admired. There is NO pedagogical skill in using a particular learning program. There IS skill in developing lessons which use a computer program as a tool for expression or creation. There is NO skill  in using a computer as the proverbial carrot in the learning environment, "if everyone is good, we will get onto the computers later".

Technology in the classroom should be balanced with service learning projects, hands-on activities and the ill-famed, but always effective, drill-and-kill for certain topics.

Ultimately, I firmly believe that technology isn't always necessary for a good lesson.

It's more of a facilitator of knowledge and we do ourselves and our students a disservice when we present technology as anything more than a tool.

Recycled mini-books for student stories

Okay, this isn't a new idea at all.

However, motivating students to write sometimes means you have to create a forum for their imagination. Holding up a book that you actually put together can be quite satisfying.

I teach middle school so many of my projects are student-driven. That means I don't do the cut and paste; I just make a model which is hopefully easy to follow. I sometimes include printed instructions.

For some students, if the end-product appears fun or cool, they'll buy into the "whole writing thing".  For others, physically creative projects intimidate them. Therefore, for this type of work - creative writing + hands-on crafting - I utilize small groups or pairs.  

Here are pictures of what for me has been the simplest way to create a "free" mini-book.

Scissors

Three hole punch

Plain white paper

Duct tape or painters take

Ribbon 

Assorted other paper (optional)

One box side (A cereal box can make two half-size books. This is good for trial and error groups.)

Hole punch it

Flip it over 

Stick paper in it and draw lines. This will help you to cut the paper to size.

See?

I forgot to take a picture of hole-punching the paper. Here it is, hole-punched. 

I used about five sheets.

Line up the holes and tie a ribbon through each. 

The inside will be odd-looking until you cover the printed section. 

Glue down one of the white papers. 

I chose to also tape the edges down, too, folding the tape over the edge to really get rid of the printed words.

Here's the finished product.

It's cute and it's easy for an eighth grader to put together.

Since we don't have regular access to computers and printers, my plan is to have students print their stories onto 1/4 of their page, using a  4x4 table as a guideline. Yes, I'm going to show them. Those without any access will have worksheets of 4x4 tables with lines to carefully print or write their story sentences. 

I should mention that these stories are very short - anywhere from ten to twenty sentences. Before you think this is baby work, the students have to align their story to the ten steps of the Heroic Journey Archetype. That is no small feat. 

I also don't plan on devoting more than two weeks to the crafting AND creation of their "novels". If I don't set a limit, I will have students (bless them!) who will proudly present a glorious volume of work, ignoring all else in the classroom, like tests or other work.

I have ideas to photograph my student groups and have them create an author's bio, maybe as enrichment or extension work for the more advanced students.

There must be a cover. That's the only required illustration. They can always add more. The cover is small, which is great, because it's a smaller space to finish. I have had students who will overburden themselves with giant posters and not finish because they are so overwhelmed.

That's it.

-end-

Finally Forgiving Cheaters

When I initially started teaching I made a severe announcement to my impressionable sixth graders: "Cheaters are just like liars and thieves".  It was made in hope of encouraging respect for those who study for tests and disrespect for those who don't. Since then, I've come to realize that encouraging any type of disrespect for any person should not be made from the teaching pulpit as it is contrary to the teaching ideal: developing children to make their own, hopefully good, moral choices. Teachers should bring enlightenment, not judgment.

Unholy Reliance

A New York Times business article, Inflating the Software Report Card, does a sounding out of the impact of digital education. ... because no one can quite hear that tree falling in the forest.

This article corresponds with my viewpoint on the sudden rush into e-learning for schools. I'm hesitant to say computer technology is a useful tool in every instance, all of the time.

There are some applications on the iPad that are interesting to me for math and English for my elementary aged daughter, but not truly a whole lot.  I've spent several years of searching for internet based or computer based games/tools for teachers and students. Very few measure well against my expectations of learning, which funnily enough, I thought were simple: be engaging, be effective, be truly educational. I found scores of shoot-em-up or blast-em games masquerading as "math games" and another legion of "reading games" which were alarmingly expensive. Eventually, I found a few useful ones.

Technology After Midnight

I am a little leery of all the enthusiasm for "technology in the classroom" , "technology resources" or "collaborating with technology". There are a few points that I'd like to make. These points are important.
1. Technology doesn't teach content.
2. Technology can distract from the content. Fiddling with sites or creating graphics can steal time from critical thought processes.
3. Technology cannot replace the teacher. You cannot play a single DVD or film clip that will replace the heart of a passionate teacher. 
4. Technology isn't a replacement for educational basics.