Tuesday, November 26, 2013

The value of education

Driving home last evening, I listened to a rebroadcast of an interview with several college admissions officers discussing the proposal that colleges be ranked by value. It became more clear to me as I listened that there is something very wrong about reducing education to a ranking of value-- financial value.

Now, I understand the reasons for a government role in identifying value. I am familiar with the dubious claims made by many college and universities, especially the for-profit institutions. When it became clear to me what was happening in one, I resigned as an adjunct faculty member. Marketers of these institutions make exaggerated and largely unsupported claims about the financial security of graduates.

To make all institutions of higher learning jump through the same hoops as those that make dubious claims seems contrary to reason. It is the same approach to punishing all for the actions of a few that pre-service teachers (in credible teacher educator programs) are warned against.

The value of my education extends far beyond my economic life- and as an educator, the financial value of my education has been far less than my classmates. I can pick up a book about science (my undergraduate major) and read, understand, and enjoy it because of my education. I can take children to museums and enjoy their curiosity. I can write and speak and otherwise participate in creating the field of education. All of these have limited financial value, but are among the most valued aspects of my life.

The price of education is increasing at a rate that would scare me if I was entering college. We need to help young people understand those costs and options for minimizing the cost of earning education credentials. We need also to recognize that education leads to a living and to a life that is experienced in ways other than money.

http://digital.vpr.net/post/college-value-rankings

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Relevant curriculum and robot ethics

As we think about the future of curriculum, the immediate future seems to be defined by the Common Core, although a recent blog post that made its way to my Twitter feed describes 17 (of the 45 CCSS states) that are questioning their participation. (http://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/common-core-unrest-obvious-in-17-states/) Regardless of the standards documents that we use to organize what we teach, it seems to me that educators must have the flexibility to include fascinating stories and issues as they arise.

An example of the ideas that educators must have the flexibility to include in the curriculum is robot ethics. The ethical questions raised by the increasing role of robots in our economic and political and cultural life are diverse and complex. Everyone knows that Isaac Asimov defined his three rules decades ago:
  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
These rules define how a robot must act (or be programmed to act), but there is evidence that humans' interactions with robots should be the focus of such rules as well. This recent blog post outlines sone of the issues relevant when considering the emerging field of robot ethics. A challenge anyone to share this with a group of middle school students to see if they are engaged by the topic.

I understand the role of standards and the logic that supports the arguments for using them, but my experience and my knowledge of learners tells me that a curriculum based on problems students perceive to be relevant is an essential foundation for meaningful learning.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Fwd: Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Reading in the Content Areas



-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.


Begin forwarded message:

From: WGBH Education <denise_olson@wgbh.org>
Date: November 21, 2013 at 2:50:07 PM EST
To: gary@hackscience.net
Subject: Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Reading in the Content Areas
Reply-To: julia_anderson@wgbh.org

 

 

 

MidLitBannerFinal
  
Welcome to Inspiring Middle School Literacy, a newsletter for middle school educators from WGBH. This newsletter highlights topics in middle school education, along with ways you can boost literacy using the Middle School Literacy Initiative, funded by the Walmart Foundation, and other resources from PBS LearningMediaTM.
 
TOPICS: Reading in the Content Areas
The Common Core State Standards set requirements not only for English language arts (ELA) but also for literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects.* The standards make content area reading more important than ever.

 

Reading associated with the content areas reflects not only the concepts and ideas important to these subjects, but also the text structures used by those practicing in various content-related fields. Content texts are usually expository, and require the reader to use diffferent reading and comprehension strategies than when reading literature.
  
According to K-12 Reader, it is important that the reader employ general reading strategies such as questioning, making inferences and connections and activating prior knowledge and content specific strategies including drawing on subject specific information to make meaning of the text. During this process the reader should be deriving meaning on three levels: literal (understanding the information written on the page), inferential (reading 'between the lines') and evaluation (making judgments and conclusions about the information). These abilities develop from good content area reading instruction and practice.

 

Teachers, do you have a favorite strategy for supporting reading in the content areas? Please share them with us, and we will post them in the next newsletter.
   
*It is important to note that the 6-12 literacy standards in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects are not meant to replace content standards in those areas but rather to supplement them.
  
 
TEACHER BUZZ: What teachers are saying about the Middle School Literacy Initiative

We rounded up some comments teachers are making about the Middle School Literacy Initiative on Facebook:

"Awesome program!" Billy C. Michigan 

"This is a wonderful resource." Tracey C., Massachusetts

"...this is truly AWESOME! I am excited!" Teresa N., Indiana

"This is great." Salkis A., Texas

"...it can be a tremendous classroom resource." David A., Ohio

Add your voice! If you've been using these resources, tell us what you think!

 

 
FEATURED LESSONS: Reading in the content areas with the Middle School Literacy Initiative
Do your students need practice with content-area reading? We've got you covered. With these self-paced online lessons, perfect for blended learning environments, students can read, review vocabulary, and practice writing in the content areas. Click the images to visit the individual lessons:
  

Science

In this lesson on continental drift, students learn how an idea that started with a man looking at a map of continents became a scientific theory.

 


    

Mathematics 

In this math lesson on unit conversion, students figure out how much water various activities use, and also learn about water conservation.

 

  

Health

Should I eat this? Here, students learn about nutrition values of different foods, and meet two students with diabetes.

 

  

Social Studies

In this lesson, students meet four teen immigrants and learn about the challenges they face as they adapt to American culture.

 

  

 

An important component of these lessons is writing assignments in which students write opinion pieces supported by facts from the video, charts, and lesson text. To help prepare students for these lessons, you can talk with them to determine what they know about the topics. Encourage students to use content-area vocabulary. The Teacher's Guide available with each lesson provides guidelines.

  

To use the lessons, students simply need to register for an account on PBS LearningMedia, or use their existing account.

In This Issue
NCTE Events!
The National Council of Teachers of English conference is in our backyard this year, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Nov. 21-23. We're co-hosting the Middle Level Get-Together, Thursday 4pm-6pm. Come by and say hello, take a few minutes to learn about the Middle School Literacy Collection, and enter our Downton Abbey raffle! 

On Friday at 3pm, we'll be in the exhibit floor presentation space, talking about the collection and other ELA resources from PBS LearningMedia, and giving away a prize pack.
  
  

 

 

 Where Are We?
Find the Middle School Literacy Initiative at these webinars and conferences. 

 

Boston, MA
November 21-24
  
EdWeb Webinars
Dec. 11, 5pm ET "Teach Reading and Content Seamlessly"
Jan. 14, 5pm ET "Teach Math and Literacy Seamlessly"
Feb. 25, 5pm ET "Flipped Lit"

Orlando, FL
January 28-31

AMLE Webinar
 
Did you miss the AMLE/PBS LearningMedia webinar on free digital literacy lessons for blended learning? Not to worry, the webinar was recorded, so you can watch and listen as Carol Studebaker, literacy coach, and Charlotte Hodges, 6th grade teacher, provide tips for using these online, cross-curricular, media-rich literacy lessons. This webinar received high marks for quality from the attendees, so don't miss out!  
 

Find us on Pinterest!
  
  
Walmart Logo 
The
 Middle School Literacy Initiative is funded by the Walmart Foundation.
   



Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.

This email was sent to gary@hackscience.net by denise_olson@wgbh.org |  
WGBH Education | One Guest Street | Boston | MA | 02135

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Fwd: Happy Thanksgiving from NELMS



-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.


Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: November 21, 2013 at 9:43:41 AM EST
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Happy Thanksgiving from NELMS
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

Novermber 21, 2013 - Weekly updates from NELMS
nelms logo

thanksgiving wish

Save the Date
Magic in the Middle!

33rd Annual Conference
March 31 & April 1, 2014

RI Convention Center, Providence, RI
Keynotes: Nancy Doda & Jack Berckemeyer

More information and registrations available soon!


Keys to Literacy - Keys to Argument Writing

January 9, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.


Keys to Literacy - The ANSWER KEY Routine for Extended Response

February 5, 2014
Holiday Inn Enfield/Springfield–Enfield, CT

For more information and/or to register click here.


Have you remembered to renew your NELMS Membership?

Whether you would like to renew your NELMS membership or join NELMS for the first time you can get the information you need by clicking here!

Member Benefit - Autumn MidLines is now online.

For NELMS members the latest edition of MidLines is now online. Go to www.nelms.org/midlines and enter the user name and password you were given for MidLines. Hope you enjoy it!

 

 

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Net Atlantic

Monday, November 18, 2013

Competency-based education

Competency-based education is gaining in popularity among the "education reformers," and it was featured in a recent New York Times piece. The idea seems simple and logical: rather than giving credit for "seat time," students earn credit for demonstrating competency. Advocates for this type of education appears to ground the practice in the assumption that all "seat time" education is largely a waste, and that any education that does not directly affect one's ability to perform is unnecessary. While it seems very reasonable, my perception of the initiative is clouded by several experiences and questions:

1) When I was a youngster, our state had "basic competencies" and we had to demonstrate the ability to do certain "things" at various stages of out careers. I recall writing out the numbers from one to one hundred while in 8th grade (among other competencies). Even today, my response is a derisive "really... rather than learning something new, I have to prove this, rather than learning something new?"

2) I have a degree from a competency-based program (although it wasn't given that name), and it was effective for me-- a mid-career professional who was exploring the ideas of the curriculum in classrooms and as a part of the NELMS technology committee.

3) In an adjunct capacity, I evaluate work done by students enrolled in a competency-based undergraduate program.

In all of that I am come to a conclusion about competency-based education: It is a good model, but several caveats are necessary:


  • Learning requires a mentor who helps the learner make sense of the field and to provide coaching and organization. This is especially true, if one is earning credit (a diploma or a degree). Such a credential is based on the assumption that one has interacted with experts in the field (not the product of subject matter experts, coaches, and evaluators) while studying, not just about the field.
  • Competency can be feigned. As a teacher, I can identify with great nuance those in my class who are not competent and those who are competent; it is much more difficult when simply seeing products. When I see students' work evolve and come to know them, I can better judge their work and coach them to improve. In addition, producing a rubric-driven product or passing a test does not necessarily correlate with competence and persistence in solving real-world problems. 
  • Competence is difficult to feign. (Yes, this does contradict my previous statement.) When students are challenged to pass tests and create authentic products--and a real curriculum must include both over an extended period of study which requires interactions with practitioners and scholars--they develop and demonstrate competence.
As with every education reform, we can safely assume that it is not a panacea, but we can think about how competence-based education can be incorporated to make the curriculum more engaging and relevant to students. At some point in one's education career, one must assume responsibility for defining important questions, answering those questions and assessing the answer, and articulating all in a the conventions of professionals and scholars in the field. Anything less is not "education" in the sense it was used in literate cultures. (It might be job training, but it is not education.)




Friday, November 15, 2013

Are Colleges Really Creeping On Your Facebook?

Article: http://huff.to/1dOtGGt

Last night I had an interesting conversation with a parent group in a New Hampshire middle school about strategies for supporting children as they begin to navigate the digital world. This is the kind of story we agreed needs to come to our students' attention and frequently. Contrary to students' common belief, posts are not only for their friends. Making youngsters aware so they make good decisions is one strategy for minimizing the potential for damaging one's reputation through unwise online activity.


-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Fwd: GlobalEdCon - "Education for All" Keynotes, Submission Extension, and Call for Volunteers

If you have never attended a virtual conference, then have been missing out on an opportunity for amazing conversations with professionals from around the world. Connected Educator Month is a good time to start and the conference noted belie which start next week promises to be worthwhile. 

-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.


Begin forwarded message:

From: "Classroom 2.0" <mail@classroom20.com>
Date: November 14, 2013 at 4:20:09 PM EST
To: "gary@hackscience.net" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: GlobalEdCon - "Education for All" Keynotes, Submission Extension, and Call for Volunteers
Reply-To: do-not-reply@classroom20.com

Network Email
Our 2013 Global Education Conference starts this coming Monday, November 18th, and runs 24-hours a day for five days. It's online, awesome, free, and all about increasing opportunities for connecting classrooms, supporting cultural awareness, and recognizing diversity and educational access for all.

The call for proposals is being extended until November 17th, the day before the conference. Can you believe it?! It's just one more way that a virtual conference rocks the traditional conference model.

We've also issued our call for volunteers. If you haven't been a volunteer moderator at one of our virtual events before, you may not know what you're missing. Really, it's a blast. Do join us.

Finally, we're super-excited about our new "Education for All" conference strand, which is being coordinated by the Global Campaign for Education-US. Worldwide there are 57 million young people of elementary school age who are not in school, and many other young people who are in school, but are receiving a sub-par education and therefore reading and learning far below their grade level. Additionally, there are 70+ million adolescents who are also not in school--either having dropped (or been pulled) out to work, tend to siblings. or to be married at an early age. Teachers in many countries often have little more than a high school education and receive little or no professional development. Organizations and coalitions like the Global Campaign for Education are working to ensure that everyone has an equitable access to a quality education, and are advocating for additional financial resources, enhanced professional development, smaller classroom size, adequate educational materials, and access to technology that links students and teachers to information and collaboration with peers.

As a part of his, we've just added three great new "Education for All" keynote sessions (and hopefully have one or two more surprises still up our sleeves):


  • Jennifer Estrada and Pam Allyn from LitWorld: "Transformational Literacy for the 21st Century: Four Lessons from the LitWorld Model."
  • Justin van Fleet from the UN Global Education First Initiative: "The Final Push to Achieve Education for All by 2015."
  • Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY): "25 Years working to Ensure Education for All."

Go to the conference site to see all of our great keynote speakers and the current schedule of sessions in your own time zone, since we have a listing page for each of the world's 36 time zones!



See you online!

Steve

Steve Hargadon
Co-Chair, Global Education Conference

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