People sometimes ask me what I think needs to be done with the schools. This is really a two part question for me. One part is the policy side-what should or should not be required. The other part of the question is what are my ideas of what a good school and teaching look like, which doesn't imply I believe in mandating those ideas even if I could. For this blog I will look at the former, and discuss the latter in a future blog.
What I would change is the mandating of curriculum (so called Standards). The mandating of standards for education in a democracy can only be justified in the case of an overwhelming consensus on such standards. There's no evidence for such a consensus, and lots of evidence that there is considerable controversy over both what such a curriculum should look like and whether there should be one at all. While I have my own views on what I think all children should learn, I do not see it as my, or anyone else's place to impose those beliefs on others, much less an entire nation.
Along with that is we need to get rid of high stakes mandated standardized testing. Standardized tests have so many problems, not the least of which is that they impose a standardized curriculum. If a certain test is required, and there are high stakes for how one does on that test, then teachers must teach to it, and students must gear themselves to it as well. That means standardized curriculum. Standardized tests are also, by definition, culturally biased-they have to be normed, which means an automatic bias to the dominant group. That is just a fact of psychometrics. And, as the test makers have admitted, their reliability for individuals is not all that great, and yet they are used to judge individual students. I also do not accept their validity for much more than a test taking skills, school skills, and one's zip code.
What I do support is a strong public school system. One thing such a system needs is at the very least equalized funding, and really more funding is needed for those who live in poverty and have other strikes against them in life to at least equalize some of the built in advantages those that are well to do and of the dominant culture can give easily to their kids without schools.
I also would not allow schools supported with public funds to select students. The only selection that can be justified is to balance in terms of demographics to more equally represent the community. Such balances do matter. It does matter that we are raised and schooled with those that represent the larger society. Schools of choice are great if the choice is the choice of the students and parents and not of the schools. One way charter schools often get around this is counseling students out with such phrases as, "Your child would/does not fit here". I would ask of anyone stating that, "Do you have a better school for my child than this one?" If they cannot honestly find a better fit for that child, one that all parties agree to, then they have no place making such statements.
I would give local schools and localities autonomy over what and how to teach. But they would have to publicly justify their decisions, allow for public input and make their results public. What kind of results would vary, but again, they need to justify why they think the results they have used demonstrate a well educated democratic citizen. There would need to some sort of democratic governance, but that can look different in different places.
These are the main things I see that are justifiable at the national or state level. Others you can think of? The second part of the question is what do I think good teaching and schooling look like, which I will explore in a future blog.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Friday, January 24, 2014
Problem Solving Strategies in Mathematics
Learning how to solve problems in mathematics is knowing what to look for. Math problems often require established procedures and knowing what and when to apply them. To identify procedures, you have to be familiar with the problem situation and to be able to collect the appropriate information, identify a strategy or strategies to use the strategy appropriately. If you use the steps below you too can be a successful problem solver.
Problem solving requires practice! The more you practice, the better you get.
Practice, practice, practice!
1. Clues:
* Read the problem carefully.
* Underline clue words.
* Ask yourself if you've seen a problem similar to this one. If so, what is similar about it?
* What did you need to do?
* What facts are you given?
* What do you need to find out?
2. Game Plan:
* Define you game plan.
* Have you seen a problem like this before?
* Identify what you did.
* Define your strategies to solve this problem.
* Try out your strategies. Using formulas, simplifying, use sketches, guess and check, look for a pattern, etc.
* If your strategy doesn't work, it may lead you to an "aha" moment and to a strategy that does work ( often
the most powerful learning, is learning from our mistakes).
3. Solve:
* Use your strategies to solve the problem.
4. Reflect:
* This part is critical. Look over your solution.
* Does it seem probable?
* Did you answer the question?
* Are you sure? Prove it!
* Did you answer using the language in the question?
* Same units?
Clue words (vocabulary):
When deciding on methods or procedures to use to solve problems, the first thing you will need to do is look for clues which is one of the most important skills in solving problems is mathematics. If you begin to solve problems by looking for clue words, you will find that these "words" indicate an operation.
For Instance:
Clue Words for Addition
* sum
* total
* in all
* perimeter
Clue Words for Subtraction
* difference
* how much more
* exceed
Clue Words for Multiplication
* product
* total
* area
* times
Clue Words for Division
* share
* distribute
* quotient
* average
Although clue words vary a bit, you'll find that there will be consistency with them to guide you to the correct operation. This is the number one reason students have difficultly with problem solving and word problems they do not know the clue words i.e. vocabulary.
Also use your textbook, many texts have a list of problem solving strategies in the back of the book. They will state the strategy, when to use it, give an example and have practice problems.
Problem solving strategies that are helpful in solving word problems.
* Draw a diagram
* Try, check, revise
* Look for a pattern
* Make a table
* Solve a simpler problem ... often called sub-problems
* Use logical reasoning
* Work backward
Problem solving requires practice! The more you practice, the better you get.
Practice, practice, practice!
1. Clues:
* Read the problem carefully.
* Underline clue words.
* Ask yourself if you've seen a problem similar to this one. If so, what is similar about it?
* What did you need to do?
* What facts are you given?
* What do you need to find out?
2. Game Plan:
* Define you game plan.
* Have you seen a problem like this before?
* Identify what you did.
* Define your strategies to solve this problem.
* Try out your strategies. Using formulas, simplifying, use sketches, guess and check, look for a pattern, etc.
* If your strategy doesn't work, it may lead you to an "aha" moment and to a strategy that does work ( often
the most powerful learning, is learning from our mistakes).
3. Solve:
* Use your strategies to solve the problem.
4. Reflect:
* This part is critical. Look over your solution.
* Does it seem probable?
* Did you answer the question?
* Are you sure? Prove it!
* Did you answer using the language in the question?
* Same units?
Clue words (vocabulary):
When deciding on methods or procedures to use to solve problems, the first thing you will need to do is look for clues which is one of the most important skills in solving problems is mathematics. If you begin to solve problems by looking for clue words, you will find that these "words" indicate an operation.
For Instance:
Clue Words for Addition
* sum
* total
* in all
* perimeter
Clue Words for Subtraction
* difference
* how much more
* exceed
Clue Words for Multiplication
* product
* total
* area
* times
Clue Words for Division
* share
* distribute
* quotient
* average
Although clue words vary a bit, you'll find that there will be consistency with them to guide you to the correct operation. This is the number one reason students have difficultly with problem solving and word problems they do not know the clue words i.e. vocabulary.
Also use your textbook, many texts have a list of problem solving strategies in the back of the book. They will state the strategy, when to use it, give an example and have practice problems.
Problem solving strategies that are helpful in solving word problems.
* Draw a diagram
* Try, check, revise
* Look for a pattern
* Make a table
* Solve a simpler problem ... often called sub-problems
* Use logical reasoning
* Work backward
Friday, January 17, 2014
Poverty and Education
I read an article by Michael Petrilli of the Fordhanm Foundation in EdWeek. He claims that poverty is not the issue.
Pertrilli made these statements about children living in poverty.
*"Most were born to single mothers, and their fathers have been absent from the start, or by the time they turn two or three.
*Most of their mothers were teenagers or in their early 20s when they gave birth.
*Most of their mothers have very little education - a high school diploma or less, and thus few marketable skills.
*Many of their mothers suffer from mental illness or addiction or both;
If we give these families more money...will it erase the huge gaps...between these kids and their age-mates born into two-parent families? With highly-educated mothers and fathers? To believe so you'd have to put as much faith in cash transfers and social services as some reformers put in schools. You'd have to believe in miracles."
In response, I would say that tackling poverty and creating full employment and tackling society's inequalities would actually help solve these too. Fathers are absent because they cannot support their families. Young motherhood is often a symptom of hopelessness, as is drug addiction. Petrilli shows data that America's poverty is not really that much worse than other countries (though still worse even by his figures), so the problem cannot really be poverty (since he also accepts data purporting that they do better academically). What he leaves out is that even if it's true, those other countries do a better job of providing the supports for the poor that he derides as useless-housing, medical care, food, pre- and post-natal care- than the U.S. It may be those supports that keep fathers at home, create less single motherhood, and provide the supports needed for those who are single mothers.
While most critics of our current economic system and I think giving the poor more money and supports is a good idea, we do not see it as the solution either, but rather a band-aid. What is needed is a society that can provide meaningful employment for its citizens, that can provide decent housing, food, medical care, etc. It needs a society organized for a more equitable distribution of the resources.
A better education for the poor helps the individual student succeed, but it does not create more jobs nor reduce the overall rate of poverty nor solve the issues of inequality in a developed country such as ours. It does not change the number of winners and losers, though it just might even the odds a bit.
As John Dewey noted almost a century ago, a certain type of better education, i.e. one that helps students participate and understand democracy and develop certain habits of the mind, can be one of the aspects to creating a society, but alone it cannot do the job. And most of the reforms that Pertrilli supports- more testing and top-down "accountability" based on that testing - actually create a less, not more democratic culture in schools, especially schools for the poor.
Pertrilli made these statements about children living in poverty.
*"Most were born to single mothers, and their fathers have been absent from the start, or by the time they turn two or three.
*Most of their mothers were teenagers or in their early 20s when they gave birth.
*Most of their mothers have very little education - a high school diploma or less, and thus few marketable skills.
*Many of their mothers suffer from mental illness or addiction or both;
If we give these families more money...will it erase the huge gaps...between these kids and their age-mates born into two-parent families? With highly-educated mothers and fathers? To believe so you'd have to put as much faith in cash transfers and social services as some reformers put in schools. You'd have to believe in miracles."
In response, I would say that tackling poverty and creating full employment and tackling society's inequalities would actually help solve these too. Fathers are absent because they cannot support their families. Young motherhood is often a symptom of hopelessness, as is drug addiction. Petrilli shows data that America's poverty is not really that much worse than other countries (though still worse even by his figures), so the problem cannot really be poverty (since he also accepts data purporting that they do better academically). What he leaves out is that even if it's true, those other countries do a better job of providing the supports for the poor that he derides as useless-housing, medical care, food, pre- and post-natal care- than the U.S. It may be those supports that keep fathers at home, create less single motherhood, and provide the supports needed for those who are single mothers.
While most critics of our current economic system and I think giving the poor more money and supports is a good idea, we do not see it as the solution either, but rather a band-aid. What is needed is a society that can provide meaningful employment for its citizens, that can provide decent housing, food, medical care, etc. It needs a society organized for a more equitable distribution of the resources.
A better education for the poor helps the individual student succeed, but it does not create more jobs nor reduce the overall rate of poverty nor solve the issues of inequality in a developed country such as ours. It does not change the number of winners and losers, though it just might even the odds a bit.
As John Dewey noted almost a century ago, a certain type of better education, i.e. one that helps students participate and understand democracy and develop certain habits of the mind, can be one of the aspects to creating a society, but alone it cannot do the job. And most of the reforms that Pertrilli supports- more testing and top-down "accountability" based on that testing - actually create a less, not more democratic culture in schools, especially schools for the poor.
Friday, January 10, 2014
The 5 Steps to Setting SMART Goals
What are Smart Goals?
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for the 5 steps of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based goals. It is a simple tool used by businesses to go beyond the realm of fuzzy goal-setting and into an actionable plan for results. I have adapted the idea to use in an educational setting and you will find a copy of the specific goal setting handout that I use with my students at the end of this article.
Specific: Great goals are well-defined and focused. I want to earn an A in history. That's fuzzy and a long term goal. You want to write a long term goal and short term goals. The short term goals are the steps that you are going to do the reach your long term goal. For instance, you would defined the long term goal as - I will earn an A in history. The short term goals are the steps which could include - I will reach my goal by studying for 10 minutes every night in addition to doing my regular history homework assignment. I will join a study group to study for exams. I will do all the extra credit assignments. I will write class notes and revise them after class to add more details. I will make flash cards and put them in my back pocket and review them while I wait for the school bus. I will talk to my teacher to find out what are the things he/she recommends to earn an A.
Measurable: A goal without a measurable outcome is like a sports competition without a scoreboard or score keeper. Your scores on assignments will let you know if your on track. And you can make yourself a checklist to keep in your daily planner to keep you focused.
Attainable: Far too often students get goals beyond reach. This can happen when you set too many goals and I recommend no more than 2-3 goals. Once you achieve one goal you can then focus on another one.
Relevant: This is something that each individual must identify for himself/herself. Knowing and learning take on importance only when we are convinced that it matters or makes a difference.
Time-Based: Goals just don't get done when there is no time frame tied to the goal setting process. I will achieve my goal by________________(date).
SMART GOAL SHEET TUTOR: LEARNER:
Today's Date: Target Date for Goal to be Achieved:
Start Date: Date Achieved:
GOAL:
Specific: What exactly will you (the learner) accomplish? Think narrow, not broad.
Measurable: How will you know when you reach this goal? What is the proof?
Attainable: Is achieving this goal realistic with effort and commitment? Have you got the resources to achieve this goal? If not, how will you get them?
Relevant: Why is this goal significant to your life?
Time: When will you achieve this goal? (Set flexible but specific target dates.)
I will achieve my goal by (date)
GOAL-SETTING
1. What do you (the learner) hope to accomplish as a result of accomplishing your goal?
2. Why is it important to you to accomplish this?
3. What are the first three steps you need to complete in order to achieve your goal?
4. Of these three, which is the most important to you and why?
5. What aspects of reading, writing, or math will you need to build or strengthen in order to meet
your goal?
6. What knowledge, skills and strategies do you already possess that will help you reach your goal?
7. List any concerns or potential obstacles you have that may stand in the way of achieving your
goal.
8. Create an action plan to work towards your answer to question number 4 or 5.
1st step by
2nd step by
3rd step by
4th step by
This goal is important because:
The benefits of achieving this goal will be:
Take Action:
Potential Obstacles Potential Solutions
Who are the people you will ask to help you?
Specific Action Steps: (Short term goals i.e. what steps need to be taken to achieve your goal?
1st step Deadline
2nd step Deadline
3rd step Deadline
4th step Deadline
It's important to periodically review your goals and make adjustments if necessary. If a specific task and/or activity isn't working develop a different one.
Goal setting is an essential tool for success. It is a life-long habit that you can use to both in school and out of it! Remember in the end to be SMART. Also, celebrate your success!
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for the 5 steps of specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based goals. It is a simple tool used by businesses to go beyond the realm of fuzzy goal-setting and into an actionable plan for results. I have adapted the idea to use in an educational setting and you will find a copy of the specific goal setting handout that I use with my students at the end of this article.
Specific: Great goals are well-defined and focused. I want to earn an A in history. That's fuzzy and a long term goal. You want to write a long term goal and short term goals. The short term goals are the steps that you are going to do the reach your long term goal. For instance, you would defined the long term goal as - I will earn an A in history. The short term goals are the steps which could include - I will reach my goal by studying for 10 minutes every night in addition to doing my regular history homework assignment. I will join a study group to study for exams. I will do all the extra credit assignments. I will write class notes and revise them after class to add more details. I will make flash cards and put them in my back pocket and review them while I wait for the school bus. I will talk to my teacher to find out what are the things he/she recommends to earn an A.
Measurable: A goal without a measurable outcome is like a sports competition without a scoreboard or score keeper. Your scores on assignments will let you know if your on track. And you can make yourself a checklist to keep in your daily planner to keep you focused.
Attainable: Far too often students get goals beyond reach. This can happen when you set too many goals and I recommend no more than 2-3 goals. Once you achieve one goal you can then focus on another one.
Relevant: This is something that each individual must identify for himself/herself. Knowing and learning take on importance only when we are convinced that it matters or makes a difference.
Time-Based: Goals just don't get done when there is no time frame tied to the goal setting process. I will achieve my goal by________________(date).
SMART GOAL SHEET TUTOR: LEARNER:
Today's Date: Target Date for Goal to be Achieved:
Start Date: Date Achieved:
GOAL:
Specific: What exactly will you (the learner) accomplish? Think narrow, not broad.
Measurable: How will you know when you reach this goal? What is the proof?
Attainable: Is achieving this goal realistic with effort and commitment? Have you got the resources to achieve this goal? If not, how will you get them?
Relevant: Why is this goal significant to your life?
Time: When will you achieve this goal? (Set flexible but specific target dates.)
I will achieve my goal by (date)
GOAL-SETTING
1. What do you (the learner) hope to accomplish as a result of accomplishing your goal?
2. Why is it important to you to accomplish this?
3. What are the first three steps you need to complete in order to achieve your goal?
4. Of these three, which is the most important to you and why?
5. What aspects of reading, writing, or math will you need to build or strengthen in order to meet
your goal?
6. What knowledge, skills and strategies do you already possess that will help you reach your goal?
7. List any concerns or potential obstacles you have that may stand in the way of achieving your
goal.
8. Create an action plan to work towards your answer to question number 4 or 5.
1st step by
2nd step by
3rd step by
4th step by
This goal is important because:
The benefits of achieving this goal will be:
Take Action:
Potential Obstacles Potential Solutions
Who are the people you will ask to help you?
Specific Action Steps: (Short term goals i.e. what steps need to be taken to achieve your goal?
1st step Deadline
2nd step Deadline
3rd step Deadline
4th step Deadline
It's important to periodically review your goals and make adjustments if necessary. If a specific task and/or activity isn't working develop a different one.
Goal setting is an essential tool for success. It is a life-long habit that you can use to both in school and out of it! Remember in the end to be SMART. Also, celebrate your success!
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