Tom King's Blog of De-Fog!

Common Core Needs a New Learning Corps!

2011-12-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

"There may not be any curriculum that every learner needs to know, but there surely are many curriculums that most need learners to know."

There's lots of talk out there in Web 2+ land these days about learning standards, standardized testing, common core curriculums, even having teachers read scripts to students to assure that all learners are hearing the same thing. Madness abounds! Who even knows when the kids are listening to anything the teacher says.

A teacher's curriculum delivery plate is far too full these days, not just with standards, but with all the other cultural, social, political, and local necessities that constitute what children are expected to know. Well, at least expect to be tested on. For more on this topic, read Jamie Vollmer' List: http://www.jamievollmer.com/list.html

It's my intent in this blog to tilt a different windmill. Pancho, hand me my Quixotian lance. What do our students really need to know? The answers, whatever they are, must be doable.

One of the recently touted solutions is Common Core standards. It makes sense, really. At some acceptable level of competency, kids need to know how read, write, compute. The devil is in the details of when and how much. Not all will pass 5th grade tests in 5th grade.

I'll digress on this last observation, because the enemy of standards is us. We have a plethora of disconnected school districts. We group our learners by how old they are, not by what they know and need to know. For more on this topic read "Animal School" - fable with a moral that's been around for over 50 years:

http://www.uoguelph.ca/oaar/animal-school.html

Why group them at all? Why not deliver the Common Core standards to each learner, one at a time. We could make lessons available, with the requisite testing, online 24/7 and even include real, live tutorial and mentor help for those who need it. Hey, it's already happening. But, let's have all states adopt the same definition of standards: every learner needs to know these skills and understandings before diploma time. Maybe we could even have a Confederation of States Commission to oversee it and let the states get on with other business.

Classrooms could then become a gathering-place of learners with like interests and comparable readiness to learn the non-core curriculum du jour or the semester....watercolor art, choral music, journaling, geocaching, poem-making, etc. Why, they might even choose something new to learn that would motivate a more aggressive mastery of their Common Core standards. Students could even form learning teams and help one another, teachers assisting as needed. And our teachers wouldn't have to read from teleprompters either.

With 16,000 school districts and an equal number of school boards, alignment for effectively delivering common standards is nearly an impossible task. Let's let the new technologies and Web 2.0+ and a Common Core Commission of States help deliver what our current classrooms can't. Then let's create New Classrooms to deliver what Common Core can't: Competencies in Action.

I know, I know! My windmill is a dream. And so is my tilting. But dreams can happen, one newly revised classroom at a time, a place where learners are ready, willing, and able to show us that they know. Even Horace Mann might approve.

More Nonsense!

2011-10-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

I read this lead story in our local St. Paul Sunday Pioneer Press:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_19015419

For those of you who remember Popeye cartoons, I experienced one of those "I can't stands it no more" experiences and penned this piece...OK, OK....typed this terse and pithy retort.

What's your two cents on it? Thanks!

======

Dear PP:

I read your interesting piece on student test scores today.

As a teacher celebrating his golden anniversary of teaching this year, I have a comment. I'll try to be terse and pithy.

What matters most in kid's learning is having the motivation and readiness to learn. If the learner doesn't care and/or isn't ready for the curriculum being presented, almost nothing else matters....family poverty, geography or residence or school, teacher excellence, school budget, you name it.

Next in importance and relevance comes the host of other factors that help: student interest, parental involvement, time on task, conducive classroom, pervasive learning environment....there's more, but you get the point.

These ill-conceived standardized tests we've all been sold are designed to measure the performance of an hypothetical standardized student. I hasten to add that this student does not actually exist. He/she is an amalgam of the norming process by the test-makers and designed to give an abstracted average of performance. Furthermore, these tests don't just measure what happens in a classroom. They measure what's been learned in the environment at large during one's waking hours.

Real learners don't come abstracted that way, being as they are good at some kinds of learning and less so at others. Since these tests are little help in helping actual students, we now use them to measure schools, or worse, teachers for which they were not designed. That said, it seems to me that standardized testing is largely a waste of time and an increasingly bigger pile of money better spent elsewhere.

It is not surprising to find that motivated, ready-to-learn students can do well almost anywhere, (exceptions duly noted). Abe Lincoln, we are told, got much of his learning by the light of the cabin fireplace. By today's standards, many of my generation came from neighborhoods and went to schools that would be called impoverished or substandard. We did not think of ourselves that way, however, and many of us ended up with an education that helped us not only find a job, but lead a modest, "examined life."

I do not deny that it is a very different world today. Although the standard of living for almost everyone is higher, the perceived value of an education is diminished in the eyes of many. Good paying jobs for manual labor are mostly gone, and the ones requiring more extensive learning are fading, too. I remain surprised and grateful that so many students do want to learn.

If we'd stop this irrelevant debate and invite both parents and students to join us, I truly believe we'd have more learning more.

Cheers,

Better Learning for ALL!:Locking the Locker Room Door!

2011-09-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Just like the weather these days, everybody talks about educational reform, but almost nobody does anything about it. Except for maybe a ray of sunshine here and a thunderstorm there, schools and the kids in them continue pretty much as Horace Mann started them almost 200 years ago.

Sad, isn't it? We know a lot more about how kids learn, but we rarely can do anything about it. We have more tools for learning than ever before, but even when we have them (which is also far too rare), the teachers haven't been trained in how to use them.

Now there are a few dozen exceptions to this tragic pickle jar we find ourselves in, some schools with staff and kids that have leapt ahead in their teaching and learning. Most don't last for long. Leaders leave, teachers burn out, funding fails and the lamp of learning is dimmed again.

Furthermore, we find it almost impossible to replicate them anywhere else, no matter how extensive the documentation and supportive research. The chemistry is never quite the same.

What can we do to change this tragedy?

Let's dream dreams. What if we brought together some caring, creative folks and asked them to imagine a school, or even better, a learning environment, where more kids learned more. We'd stipulate that we can't make all kids learning everything right now, so we'll settle for more learning more.

We keep this team of change agents together until they come up with a Manifesto for K-12 Learning Success, with the motto: "That More Will Learn More!" Let's go way out on a limb and say we can list what's needed and what it will cost, and we can find a way to fund it, too.

What's next? Educational paradise? Hardly. Why?

We have over 16,000 school districts in America, all controlled by separate school boards, superintendents, principals, plus state boards and agencies, and a host of federal regulations if you want their federal funds. What do you think are the chances of convincing tens of thousands of entities to adopt a unilateral plan for change? What do you think are the chances of changing even a few? As the old saying goes, "Slim to none!"

If you've been in K-12 or higher-education for any length of time, you know this is true. With the local control of schools, directions for change can't come from outside. It's hard enough to make them come from the inside. And even if you can light a fire big enough to make that happen, how do you keep it from burning itself out over time?

So, allow me to suggest the only firm conclusion I can draw from my own effort with school reform: True change begins and ends with changed practices, one practicer at a time. The proof is in each dish of pudding. Here's the story:

http://www.bobpearlman.org/Learning21/saturn.htm

Start with your own classroom. Here's one more key tip: involve the students as change partners. Give them more responsibility for being in charge of planning, doing and reporting on their own learning. Let the parent be their partner. You are the team member. Each student leads his own Personal Learning Plan.

That was the most significant idea at our Saturn School of Tomorrow: the Personal Learning Plan, owned by each student. It works. Listen to the last line of this video made by the Saturn School kids to tell the whole world about their school.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLeGWLWNcQ

Never give up. Change what you can. Pass it on and pay it forward.

Now what's this business about "Locking the Locker Room Door" in the title above? Comedian Bill Cosby told a joke with a moral once about the coach who got his players all pumped up at half time to mount a major comeback. They were chomping at the bit, ready to go out and win the game, but the coach couldn't find the key to unlock the locker room door.

Make sure you have the key.

And, may the Force of Change be with you.

The Teacher's Curriculum & Duties Plate

2011-07-28T06:28:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why teaching is so much harder today? It's never been easy, of course.

But take a look how more and more is required of those who teach our kids. And then we want to measure teacher effectiveness with the test scores of the kids they teach.

If you can't hug a teacher, thank him or her profusely!

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The Ever Increasing Burden on America’s Public Schools

BY JAMIE ROBERT VOLLMER

America’s public schools can be traced back to the year 1640. The Massachusetts Puritans established schools to: 1) Teach basic reading, some writing and arithmetic skills, and

2) Cultivate values that serve a democratic society (some history and civics implied).

The founders of these schools assumed that families and churches bore the major responsibility for raising a child. Gradually, science and geography were added, but the curriculum was limited and remained focused for 260 years.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, however, politicians, academics, members of the clergy, and business leaders saw public schools as a logical site for the assimilation of immigrants and the social engineering of the citizens—and workers—of the new industrial age. They began to expand the curriculum and assign additional duties. That trend has accelerated ever since.

From 1900 to 1910, we shifted to our public schools responsibilities related to

• Nutrition

• Immunization

• Health (Activities in the health arena multiply every year.)

From 1910 to 1930, we added

• Physical education (including organized athletics)

• The Practical Arts/Domestic Science/Home economics (including sewing and cooking)

• Vocational education (including industrial and agricultural education)

• Mandated school transportation

In the 1940s, we added

• Business education (including typing, shorthand, and bookkeeping)

• Art and music

• Speech and drama

• Half-day kindergarten

• School lunch programs (We take this for granted today, but it was a huge step to shift to the schools the job of feeding America’s children one third of their daily meals.)

In the 1950s, we added

• Expanded science and math education

• Safety education

• Driver’s education

• Expanded music and art education

• Stronger foreign language requirements

• Sex education (Topics continue to escalate.)

In the 1960s, we added

• Advanced Placement programs

• Head Start

• Title I

• Adult education

• Consumer education (purchasing resources, rights and responsibilities)

• Career education (occupational options, entry level skill requirements)

• Peace, leisure, and recreation education [Loved those sixties.]

In the 1970s, the breakup of the American family accelerated, and we added

• Drug and alcohol abuse education

• Parenting education (techniques and tools for healthy parenting)

• Behavior adjustment classes (including classroom and communication skills)

• Character education

• Special education (mandated by federal government)

• Title IX programs (greatly expanded athletic programs for girls)

• Environmental education

• Women’s studies

• African-American heritage education

• School breakfast programs (Now some schools feed America’s children two-thirds of their daily meals throughout the school year and all summer. Sadly, these are the only decent meals some children receive.)

In the 1980s, the floodgates opened, and we added

• Keyboarding and computer education

• Global education

• Multicultural/Ethnic education

• Nonsexist education

• English-as-a-second-language and bilingual education

• Teen pregnancy awareness

• Hispanic heritage education

• Early childhood education

• Jump Start, Early Start, Even Start, and Prime Start

• Full-day kindergarten

• Preschool programs for children at risk

• After-school programs for children of working parents

• Alternative education in all its forms

• Stranger/danger education

• Antismoking education

• Sexual abuse prevention education

• Expanded health and psychological services

• Child abuse monitoring (a legal requirement for all teachers)

In the 1990s, we added

• Conflict resolution and peer mediation

• HIV/AIDS education

• CPR training

• Death education

• America 2000 initiatives (Republican)

• Inclusion

• Expanded computer and internet education

• Distance learning

• Tech Prep and School to Work programs

• Technical Adequacy

• Assessment

• Post-secondary enrollment options

• Concurrent enrollment options

• Goals 2000 initiatives (Democrat)

• Expanded Talented and Gifted opportunities

• At risk and dropout prevention

• Homeless education (including causes and effects on children)

• Gang education (urban centers)

• Service learning

• Bus safety, bicycle safety, gun safety, and water safety education

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, we have added

• No Child Left Behind (Republican)

• Bully prevention

• Anti-harassment policies (gender, race, religion, or national origin)

• Expanded early childcare and wrap around programs

• Elevator and escalator safety instruction

• Body Mass Index evaluation (obesity monitoring)

• Organ donor education and awareness programs

• Personal financial literacy

• Entrepreneurial and innovation skills development

• Media literacy development

• Contextual learning skill development

• Health and wellness programs

• Race to the Top (Democrat)

This list does not include the addition of multiple, specialized topics within each of the traditional subjects. It also does not include the explosion of standardized testing and test prep activities, or any of the onerous reporting requirements imposed by the federal government, such as four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates, parental notification of optional supplemental services, comprehensive restructuring plans, and reports of Adequate Yearly Progress.

It’s a ponderous list.

Each item has merit, and all have their ardent supporters, but the truth is that we have added these responsibilities without adding a single minute to the school calendar in six decades. No generation of teachers and administrators in the history of the world has been told to fulfill this mandate: not just teach children, but raise them!

Bloated Blogs! Time for Twitter-Blog....

2011-06-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hey! If you can tweet it in 140 characters, you sure ought to be able to say it in 140 words.

Look folks, the world's attention span is shrinking before your very enter key.

People today move on to the next tweet or website if it takes more than 4 seconds to open or 40 seconds to understand.

"Terse and pithy!" can be our new mantra!

Having enjoyed Victorian literature for many years, I understand it's not possible to convey all messages so quickly. But if you can shorten a message, just do it.

Here's a couple of tips:

• Reread your blog text. What can you toss? What's repetitive? What's essential?

• Use bulletpoints instead of lengthy text.

• A good presenter told me: "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em; tell 'em; tell 'em what you told 'em!"

The Animal School Redux

2011-05-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember reading that classic fable called, "The Animal School" by George Reavis? It was first published back in 1946 and is more true today than ever before. Read it below:

http://www.janebluestein.com/handouts/animal.html

Sad to say, we are still trying to standardize our students by requiring them to take standardized tests on a largely standardized curriculum. Never mind that the kids are all different in abilities and interests, but grouped largely by age, as that's the only descriptor we can easily measure. We'd like standardized results from all of them too, with all of them above average in running, flying, swimming and whatever.

Did you ever stop and think what it means to have everyone above average? I don't recommend it, as it can cause an instant headache. Never mind that it's impossible to have everyone above average!

Since these NCLB tests we now give our kids tell us little or nothing about how to help each Jason with his reading or eqach Gwen with her grammar, we have to figure out something useful to do with them. Billions are being tossed by states and feds into the test-makers' coffers annually, largely to assure us that while our students are not quite there yet, it's only because teachers have not yet done enough.

So now, instead of using these tests for the purposes for which they were written....testing K-12 students....our leaders tell us we will use them to test the quality of our teachers instead. If the kids are not all above average, it is clearly the fault of the teacher. Right?

Think about this: Many teachers have 35 kids in their classroom in the fall and maybe 35 kids in the spring. More often than not, they are not the same 35 kids. Whatever demonstrable teacher effect exists is not being measured across the same set of learners. On any given day 20-30% of the students may be absent too, but not all on the same day.

So what do we do? I propose that, if you want to evaluate teachers with standardized tests, then create a valid and reliable measure specifically designed for the teachers. We need a test that tests teachers.

If the tests themselves were correlated with actual classroom performance, this could be helpful information for teacher improvement. We would then need to put resources in place to help them improve, something we are not doing well or at all right now. Perhaps, some of that touted federal investment in our collective futures would make sense being spent here.

This proposal does not address the Animal School conundrum. It could improve those teachers, trainers, coaches who are trying to get all the learners equally able to run, swim, fly, and burrow. But we all know that equal competency for each learner can't happen across the curriculum.

But perhaps by then we will all wake up to the fact that standardized tests can only bring unattainable standardized results. As Reavis says at the end of his article:

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceeding well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school.

Sounds like more charter schools to me!

My next T-shirt!

2011-04-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

Support Your Local Teacher!

2011-03-27T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here is my Letter to the Editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press in response to their lukewarm editorial on the recent teacher issues here and elsewhere:
=====

"Teachers could use more help, and fewer critics"
By Tom King
Updated: 03/26/2011 04:04:31 PM CDT

Count me among your readers who value measured opinions, such as yours in "Evaluating teachers: a moderate proposal" (March 20). But, as Paul Harvey might have said, here's "the rest of the story."

I, like you, "cherish" our teachers (having been one and worked with hundreds in my career). "Cherish" is not an emotion widely tied to teachers these days. More and more, it's become like the zany sports world where coaches are blamed, fired and changed at whim if the players don't perform. If students aren't doing well, just fire the teacher.

Teachers are broadly blamed for the ills in K-12 education, guilty or not. The inherently faulted "No Child Left Behind" legislation has gotten so twisted that districts are now using their students' standardized test scores to measure teacher performance, somewhat akin to evaluating the physician with patient blood-sugar tests. Changing the acronym for NCLB to something different, as the current administration recently proposed, won't change the faulted nonsense of standardized testing, for either students or teachers.

Even if there were high, positive correlations between student tests and teacher performance (there aren't) in today's classroom it rarely applies. Consider that, in many of our inner-city schools, in the classrooms of greatest concern, students enrolled with a teacher and tested in the fall are not the same students who are tested in the spring. The kids have moved on ... somewhere else. No teacher effect.

It doesn't make sense to measure a student who hasn't been with that teacher over time. Nor does it address the issue of students enrolled but rarely present. Or those enrolled who can't speak or understand English. Or those with special needs. The classroom is a volatile environment for a controlled study. The variables keep changing.

Sensible proposals to evaluate teachers can be a good and needed tool for improving teacher performance. We all need to get better at what we do in life. So, it makes sense to call teaching a practice, just as we do for doctors and lawyers. But with continued declining budgets, fewer school district dollars have gone into professional development, continuing education and programs to improve teacher performance. Fewer teachers are seeking advanced degrees in their fields, one measure of advancing teacher competence.

Teacher seniority is not a good answer for evaluation, or making changes. But it's no worse than picking just another number just because it's easily measured, like a standardized test score. In both instances, neither measure correlates highly with teacher performance.

The best way to improve teacher performance is for skilled teachers and trained administrators to more frequently observe teachers, followed by helpful discussion and an improvement plan. Simply videotaping teachers can be a big help, too, enabling teachers to help themselves improve.

Teachers could use a lot more help in the classrooms helping students, and fewer critics. Volunteer to help your teachers by spending some time working with kids who need help. Mentors make a big difference. So do involved parents. We don't need a controlled study or more standardized tests to know that more helpers make the bigger difference to improve students' learning and teachers' performance.
====
Tom King of West St. Paul is a retired teacher and administrator from the St. Paul Public Schools. He founded the reform-based Saturn School of Tomorrow in 1987. He has taught grad-ed courses at the University of St. Thomas, since 1974.

Sherpas and the Race to the Top of the Peak

2011-02-03T06:06:00.000-08:00

In the words of Jerry Springer (remember him from the early days of TV mayhem?) "What is going on here?"

We've got the President and Ed Sec Duncan trying to get all the schools racing to the head of pinnacle. Never mind that you can fit many more angels on the head of a pin that you can schools. Anyone with commonsense knows there isn't room there for 16,000 school districts, 100,000 schools, let alone 50+ million students. Commonsense is very uncommon in DC these days.

Even if we could get all of K-12 education moving that upward direction, whatever that means, there's not enough sustaining funds to pay all the Sherpas of the world to get us or keep us there. And, if you look at the research, any school that makes it to, or even near, the top doesn't stay there very long.

The sherpas, in this analogy, are the 3 million teachers who labor incessantly to help learners learn and scale against all odds. Lately, the critics have taken to lambasting these helpers for laziness, incompetence and being overpaid.

Instead of worrying about the many children being left behind, our government and business leaders worry instead about schools being left behind, or teachers falling behind, or standardized test scores on nonstandard kids falling behind the standards, whatever they are. We all need a reminder to remember our kids aren't standardized?

One might like to blame some of this lofty, pinnacle thinking on a political party or some errant billionaires, but few seem to really understand the nonsense of their proposed remedies.

Standardized tests are called summative evaluations and are designed to produce a normal curve, a distribution where half are above the middle score and half below. It's impossible to have everyone above the median middle, unless of course, you live in Lake Woebegone and you have Garrison Keillor to extol your virtues.

These tests are made up of questions which only "sample" what learners know. They are far, far from testing the extent of basic knowledge and understanding we'd like all kids to know, to say nothing of the higher levels of learning, like analysis or synthesis or evaluative thinking. Those latter skills are what help us contend with good jobs and life, in general.

Doesn't it make much more sense to focus on helping more learners learning more? How about finding a way to bring more parents into the act? More importantly, let's let students and parents have greater responsibility for a Personal Learning Plan for their child. One that gives far more control and input into what each student needs to become a better learner. Who knows better than the student what they know and what they don't know. Often, they even know better what kind of help they need to be successful. Let each of them plan their work and work their plan, as that old IBM motto put it.

We don't want schools on the top. We want the kids on the top. Each one residing on their own personal peak of proficiency and performance. So, let's all put our efforts and energy into helping more learners learn more!

We teachers and parents are each the Sherpas. Let's help our kids reach the top.

An Ode to the Leaders of Learning

2010-11-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

Hey, you, Socrates, take one step forward......everyone else, take one step backward. This is a battlefield promotion. You're the Leader! It's not the Superintendent. It's not even the Principal. It's you!

Like Socrates, you, teacher, are your own leader. You are the one and true leader of the learners entrusted to you. You lead your learners. And more:

• you respect them all,
• you take them as they are,
• you encourage them endlessly,
• you never give up on them,
• you affirm them with praise and encouragement,
• you send them back to their task when the product of their work is lacking,
• you elicit from them the answers to questions they never thought they knew,
• you expect their best from them, always,
• you model learning for them by remaining yourself a learner,
• you tell them failures are just another step to knowledge,
• you truly care for them, each and every one.

And at last, when they leave your classroom, you send them on their way with their own fishing poles and toolkits for learning how to learn.

YOU are the leader! A fellow teacher may encourage you. A principal who truly cares about you may have your back.

But no Superintendent has ever led you into your daily battle against ignorance. No superintendent is in your classroom to help those kids who need help right now. No superintendent gives you kudos when it's due or help when you need it most. No Superintendent passes on the culture and the breadth and depth of what we need to know.

Superintendents may be required by law. A teacher is required by students. A teacher is the real and true leader.

Inspirational Quotes on Teaching and Learning

2010-11-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

These powerful quotes gathered by Mr. Vincent are worth sharing:

Education & Technology Quotes

View more presentations from Tony Vincent.

The Saturn School Story and Educational Reform

2010-11-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Shelly Terrell who interviewed me recently on the Saturn School of Tomorrow and School Reform.

Here's the video:

Animated Version of "To Grade Or Not To Grade"

2010-09-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

TO GRADE OR NOT TO GRADE, THAT IS THE QUESTION...SO, WHAT'S THE ANSWER?

2010-08-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

How did you feel the first time you had a grade attached to you? You know...a letter C, maybe with a + or a -. Or maybe a number, like 82 or 69?

Suppose you had a good grade way back when; did you deserve it? Or, how about a bad grade in 3rd grade? Was your performance really that bad? Well, the teacher must have thought so. How did it affect your view of yourself? Were you the better or the worse because of it?

No Child Left Behind, that wonderful mantra, is still leaving far too many behind...attaching their accumulated standardized test scores to their teachers and their schools, assigning extra homework to the errant teachers and closing those bad, bad schools. But how do these test scores help the individual student from being left behind? They advance or retreat one child at a time.

So, what's really wrong with a grade or a standardized test score? The pundits and experts call them objective scores, as they are thought to be free from subjectivity and less prone to error. OK. So someone who really believes this, please tell me what a D- is, or what's a 72? Is there a teacher or an objective test out there with the wisdom of Solomon who can defend the complete objectivity of the grade or the test score? Anyone? Anyone? I thought not.

So, how do we assure that students possess the needed skills and competencies to succeed? How do we know if they can do quality work? How about we look at their work? Why not put each student, with help from their teachers, parents and mentors, in charge of designing, creating and collecting their best, summative projects, papers, videos, presentations, collaborations, apprenticeships (maybe), designs, solutions, poems, pictures, dreams, improved work,....well you get it: a Personal Portfolio of the Emerging Learner. Authentic assessment, if you will.

Why, with help, most students could create an assessment rubric too, so they can learn to judge the quality of their own work. Of course, they want reviews and input and suggestions from their teachers, fellow students, parents, mentors, Skype-buddies...you name it. In time they may need less help and have far more confidence in their skills.

Wouldn't that be far more meaningful than a number or a grade? Sure, students and teachers could keep a checklist of skills possessed, works in progress or improvements still needed. But, most of us in this profession can look at a student's chosen, best work and immediately tell what they know and what they don't know. Even better, with a little help, so can they.

Think of the time and energy saved from all the irrelevant, meaningless measuring we now do. And no one really, truly knows what it means for each learner. Or, finding something effective to remediate it.

It's time to make some fundamental changes in our educational system. How about replacing grading and testing with Personal Portfolios of Excellence and Progress? When they leave their classes next spring, they can only take their fond memories of their good teachers along with them. How about giving them the gift that keeps on giving: Learning how to learn.

Take a look at the changes we tried at our Saturn School of Tomorrow some years ago. We need more ideas like this one. Real reform. Not a race to the top of something that won't be there next year.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ISSUE? POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.....THANKS!

The Changing Social Media: Right Before Your Eyes!

2010-08-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Passing on the Baton in the Run for Reform!

2010-06-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Think of the millions of educators out there every day running the race against ignorance and lost opportunities for learning among the kids and communities we serve. Is anyone getting tired, cramped up or out of breath? Does anyone need a break?

Well, many of us now have one: Summer! A chance to reflect: What worked? What didn't? What could I have done better than I did? What more do I need to know? What can I change? Where can I find more help? Where are the others who will run this race against ignorance that holds back so many in our schools? I can't do it all myself! How can I better pass the baton?

20 years ago I and a dedicated teaching staff were running in such a race ourselves. We were in the midst of starting up a new school, called the Saturn School of Tomorrow, and dedicated to the simply stated proposition that "More must learn more!" We required a student-designed personal learning plan for every student. We were able to get nearly 100 percent parent involvement in their child's education. We empowered our teachers by giving them greater control (and even compensation!). We used the community for our classroom (art museum, science museum, library, etc.) Technology empowered both our students and teachers. Amazingly, 10,000 visitors from everywhere came to see what we were trying to do, even the President of the United States, who recognized us for our efforts.

Where is that school today? It is gone!

Some have asked "why?" Having served as the leader of that school, I know there were many reasons: the superintendent who supported our project left in the midst, our standardized test scores fell a little, the local newspaper and other district staff, after the hoopla, "fell out of love" with us and what we were trying to do. But key among the reasons was our failure to better "pass the baton." Not only did we need more outside help in our race for needed change, we didn't take enough advantage of the help that was there to take. Why? As one of our teachers said, "It's hard to change a flat tire on your car when it's moving."

The creative teachers who started the school, who invented new and powerful ways to deliver the curriculum, had a difficult time welcoming and inviting in and including the new teachers who joined us in subsequent school years. We no longer had a shared vision, to say nothing of a shared song-sheet, so to speak. All need to be empowered.

We were developing portfolio assessments at the same time we were trying to improve student scores on basic skills using computer-based learning systems. More support was needed from vendors and experts in that area. Why didn't I push for more help from them?

While we captured the attention of many outside our community, we were unable to secure tacit support among those in our own school district. They saw us as different and threatening to the so-called establishment. Why didn't I invite them in to help us, co-teach with us, brainstorm, observe and suggest?

When we learned our standardized test scores were below expectations (whatever that means), our local press, which had been supportive at first, ran every headline they could to make us look worse. One of the paper's columnists criticized a student who misspelled a word when he was showing the visiting President Bush one of our technology tools, never mind that the columnist has a misspelling in that same column. Never fight with those who buy their ink by the barrel! Had I been better at PR, perhaps I could have secured more support from the paper's editorial staff.

We even tried the fine suggestions that fellow blogger and tweeter Shelly Terrell has listed in her call to more "passing the baton" action:

Mentoring
Creating a plan
Creating leadership positions shared by many
Having appropriate measures in place
Establishing a vision

But, we needed to do a far better job of monitoring, promoting, including, sharing, telling, asking and passing on. As I look back now I know the students, who did a lot of this for us, could have done even more. Here's their own video they made about their own very different school:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLeGWLWNcQ

How about that for an unprompted closing statement from the narrator? It still makes my day.

And as I reflect on it, I think more videos like this one and presos from the students would have greatly helped our cause and success. The students can be great runners in this race, too.

In case you're wondering, I do know I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. IF I could find some more passionate, caring, able educators and supporters who want to join in the Race For Reform, and are willing to grab a baton.

On your mark!……

That More May Learn More! Who's the Learner?

2010-04-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

The EdWeek blog recently posted an interesting statement by NYU Professor Pedro Noguera in response to where the NCLB accountability must lie:

"(Teachers') unions need to make it very clear that the interests of the teachers are aligned with the interests of the children. Whatever's good for the teachers better also be good for the children."

No matter our professional affiliations, as teachers, our calling makes it clear whom we must first serve: the students.

Far too many students are being left behind. Why? There are so many reasons, it's hard to know where to start. But if we want to focus our lessening resources on where most of the variance in student achievement lies, we must acknowledge what Bill Maher almost got right on his recent TV show when he called out parents for their failure to be part of the solution. He might have said "parents and students!" We know Maher's not the only one who understands this, but his bully pulpit gives him a louder voice.

It's too bad that those words aren't coming from the mouths of our political leaders. Parents, yes! Teachers, yes! But students first. Then the school leaders, the districts, the states, the feds in order of accountability.

Sound like an impossible list? It is! Clearly, there's too much curriculum to be taught today. We are trying to create a cookie-cut student from a growing diversity of students. But, no matter how you cut it, these so-called critically important standardized tests label the schools instead of helping the students.

Yes, for us educators, it's first and foremost the students we serve. But it's a reciprocal issue. Students, with support from their parents, have got to own their own learning. They need to dream more about their futures, build a plan to develop the skills to get there, list and demand the resources they need to learn....in short, design and follow their own unique learning plan, one which addresses their own interests and talents, and also addresses their own needs.

Parents absolutely must be a part of this, or it will continue to fail. Many parents spend more time watching their kids play sports than checking their homework.

Next comes the teacher, and the rest of us in the Village of Learning, who are also here to help all learners succeed. A Personal Learning Plans for each student would cost little or nothing. Yet it would place the major responsibility for learning in the hands of the learner. This is where it must be. Then, it's up to parents, teachers, administrators to encourage, assist, find resources, help assess progress and remain committed to helping each child reach his or her goals.

Professor Noguera from NYU was right in his recent statement. The focus for teachers must be the learner. Maher was right: Parents must help.

But it all starts with the learner committed to learning, and a personal plan to make it happen.

Race To The Top of….What?

2010-03-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

Subtitled :How Many School Districts Are There on the Head of a Pin?

I recall a Superintendent in my bygone days who, when queried about our district's insatiable need for more money during hard times, quipped: "I never met a dollar I didn't like." I suspect that applies to many of us, even if we're not running a school district. $4.35 billion in RTTT funding is a lot of dollars to like. So how much of the meager energy we have left after our days and nights in the classroom, or supporting same, can be spent on winning the Race?

What are we to make of these well-meaning feds, from the President to the Secretary of Education, to say nothing of those reading proposals from the likes of us, and who are dangling these golden RTTT carrots in front of us…the "us" being the we being who pull and push the school district's ancient oxcarts, loaded with kids who want to learn? These are the kids who need to learn, but far, far too often aren't learning nearly well enough. These funds won't likely go to the schools, being left behind, nor the students, nor the districts, but to the states!

There are 16,000 school districts in this nation and if there's one out there who doesn't need more money, please raise your hand. Of course, no amount of printing more money would provide enough for even the deserving top ten percent….whoever they are and whatever "deserving" means. If 20 states split the pot, each would get a couple hundred million dollars to split among school districts. If a state had, say 400 districts, the dollars would average $500,000. By the time it gets divided again amongst the schools, the pot of gold has shrunk to a more molecular level, nowhere near enough to address the lofty requirements of the RTTT manifesto.

It wouldn't be so bad if these funds actually helped us leave no child behind. But most of the states, districts, schools and classrooms that need them most probably won't see a nickel of it. Our local school district has to cut 25% from its strapped budget in the next 2-3 years. It would be higher if there weren't temporary federal funds for this year (unless more money is printed). Class sizes of 50 students?Yet, higher standards? More teachers fired and more schools closed? Another "Newsweek" diatribe?

On top of that we are all being asked to ensure all the the children we teach are soon above average. Never mind that the standardized tests that measure this are designed to replicate a normal curve and ensure that only half are average or above. How can that strategy possibly help in leaving no child left behind?

Did I mention that all of this depresses me greatly? I have been looking for a silver lining or at least some answers.

Anyone?

Syllabus or Silly-bus? A New Way to Learning!

2010-03-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

One of my teenage sons used to refer to the syllabus in his high school course as a "silly-bus." In many ways, in today's ever-changing world, it still is: "Silly"; a learning "Bus", if you will, and far too often to a new destination, or at least one whose route has changed.

For many of us, the courses we teach today change as we teach them, right in front of our collective nose. The content we chose on Monday has been tweaked by someone on Tuesday, and repackaged before the week is out. What we thought was good and useful gospel may now be considered whimsy, or worse. If we had put our syllabus on a Wiki, it would be no longer what it was. It might be a lot better, too.

Some may claim, for example, that a math syllabus may be exempt. I taught math for many years and Euclid may be as immutable as parallel lines, but just as there's often more than one way to a do a proof or solve a problem, there's more than one way to learn.

I have prepared many a syllabus in my 40+ years of teaching. Like lessons plans, many educational institutions from K-12 to higher-ed require a syllabus. Truth in packaging. Syllabi are the blueprints for our courses, the GPS on where the nuggets lie, the product information booklets for education. We may not offer guarantees when we teach, but there should be full disclosure and recourse.

Take textbooks, too, for example....please! I can't use a textbook anymore. The content changes by the time it's published. Used to be in olden days that the textbook was the syllabus for many teachers.

Here's what American Heritage Dictionary has to say about the word "syllabus":

[Medieval Latin, probably alteration (influenced by Greek sullambanein, to put together) of Latin sillybus, parchment label, from Greek sillubos.]

Here are some non-traditional suggestions on this tradition-bound issue:

1. Invite your students in to help create or modify your course syllabus.

2. What should be included or left out in the syllabus?

3. How should it be learned? What's the best lesson plan for today and tomorrow?

4. What are the effective ways to show what we know? Let students help make the rubric.

5. Can rubrics differ for different learners? How can we all show that we know?

6. How can we gather useful feedback to improve the syllabus for the next group of learners passing through this chartered territory?

In today's ever-changing world, a syllabus needs to be dynamic. Even more, it needs the learners as active participants. Both teachers and students should be owners and doers and helpers. What's a village for, if we all want an educated village?

For education to become better, we must all become co-learners and co-teachers. The Wiki concept is a powerful model to help make that happen. Google, too.

I'll bet there are many more ideas out there on how to make a syllabus come alive with our synergy.

We are all of us smarter than any of us. But we already know that. Let's use it.

Out of the Box and Into the World of Learning

2010-03-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

Of all our out-of-the-box educational thinkers, I find Michael Wesch among the most engaging. He uses out-of-the-box ways of showing us his ideas and conjectures about cultural and educational change.

How does it differ? He uses his students at Kansas State to share what both he and they are learning. My guess is that these students contribute greatly to his unique message, with their unique massage of it. Here's an example from his youtube site:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ySxrzpP-g&annotation_id=annotation_593591&feature=iv

There's a lesson here for all of us: invite your students in as fellow teachers and learners. Give them the power, and they will give it back to you as an empowered Classroom Learning/Instruction Community (CLIC).

This CLIC is a new kind of clique and kids will find it way-cool to belong. It will liberate them from the box too.

There is virtually no static syllabus any more. As Wesch, and Marshall McLuhan before him, remind us: the medium and the message are changing right before our eyes.....continuously.

We need more teachers and learners in every classroom. Promote your students to a greater team role. They'll do you proud and promote you right back!

2010-02-28T06:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a Twitter today, I saw an inspiring website article today in Edutopia.com by Mitchel Resnick, entitled, "Kindergarten Is the Model for Lifelong Learning."

I encourage you to read it at: http://bit.ly/KhLh6

Dr. Resnick directs the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at MIT's Media Lab, from whence many other good ideas have emanated: Sherry Turkle's publications on the sociological implications of computer chat (subsuming the billions of text chats, I'm guessing ), plus Seymour Papert's seminal work 40 years ago with Logo’s Turtle computer software.

There's lots more from that MIT corps, but suffice it to say Resnick's conclusions are simple and worth our consideration:

"…kindergartners playfully create stories, castles, and paintings with one another, they develop and refine their abilities to think creatively and work collaboratively, precisely the abilities most needed to achieve success and satisfaction in the 21st century." - Edutopia

He talks too about a new computer program they developed for kindergartners, called "Scratch", a free download at: http://scratch.mit.edu/ and all the community interest and participation evoked by a Kg student whom he anonymously calls "BalaBethany", a malaprop name if there ever was one, made up by permuting the real-life name of Bela Banathy, one of the founders and forerunners of instructional systems thinking. So, it's clear Dr. Resnick still likes to play too.

As another reviewer noted, many of the sound points made remind the reader of Robert Fulgham's classic book some years ago, "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten." It's all true of course: holding hands while crossing the street, say you're sorry, don't hit, flush, and the biggest word of all: Look! And that last one is, of course, what education is all about.

Why can't the powerful model of kindergarten be extended into the upper grades? That's a good question. And there are far too few "good" answers. Among the biggest obstacles is we group our learners by how old they are instead of what their needs are. Followed closely by the fact that there's little chance to play and learn in groups, talking is not tolerated, naps are not encouraged when your brain is tired (see my earlier blog on "Sleeping Students), there's no milk and cookies, and learning is way too often boring and no longer fun.

After kindergarten, labels get hung on learners like an albatross and too many of them give up and become negative self-fulfilling prophecies: "I didn't think I could do it, either." How sad!

What can we do? Bring some of the fun back to learning. Break some of the rules….especially the ones you think you can get away with: more collaborative group work, answer fewer questions but ask more, let them teach you, give them the tools to show what they know. Say, "Look!" more often., “Hey, everyone, look at this!”

When the lights start going back on in their eyes, you'll know it’s working.

Never wake a sleeping student!

2010-02-26T07:30:00.000-08:00

This commentary was first published in

Shelly Terrell's blog:

http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/

It's a great resource and

worthy of your bookmark!

==========

What Do You Do With A Sleeping Student? by Tom King

Written on February 24, 2010 – 7:49 pm | by Shelly Terrell

Part of the series: Global Issues in Education

A tweet flew by this morning about what a teacher should do with a sleeping student. I sent a response to Shelly Terrell about my experience years ago as a young math teacher who tapped the shoulder of a sleeping kid in my algebra class, and with all the empathy of the rookie I was, asked him how in the name of the quadratic formula, could he be sleeping in my class.

He opened his sleepy eyes and said, “Sorry Prof King. I couldn’t get any sleep last night. My dad came home drunk and was beating my mother and me.” That was the last time I ever woke a sleeping student.

When I was in high school, corporal punishment was still meted out to any errant students, usually a slap, or the infamous paddle. But there were some sadists who somehow got to be teachers and literally punched kids into submission. Although the bruises healed, my guess is that the inner scars are still there. How do I know that? Some of those kids, now men and fellow alumni, were still talking about at our 50th reunion. They weren’t laughing, either.

Positive reinforcement works. I’ve seen it light the eyes of a learner many times. Negative reinforcement never works. Physical punishment not only doesn’t work on students (or anyone for that matter), but it may keep them from ever becoming a real learner. It turns an incident meant to be a positive learning experience into a painful memory of punishment. The only thing a student learns from the experience is that it’s OK to strike someone when rules are broken, or someone else just makes you angry. The punishment is perpetuated.

I grew up in an era where spankings were occasionally administered. I’m not going to say that the couple of times I got one didn’t get my attention focused on my poor behavior. But, as I grew older, I was more concerned about letting my parents down, or worse, having done something I knew was wrong. Most parents today eschew spankings for the same good reasons. Regardless, it never belongs in the classroom or in a school. Ever. Anywhere. Anytime.

Psychologists tell us that painful memories are often hard to eradicate. The really bad ones can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Corporal punishment may not occur in a battlefield, but that doesn’t mean emotional scars won’t be lasting. Negative reinforcement obliterates the desired learning and replaces it with pain or shame. The negative is what has been learned. There are no positives.

————————————————————-

Tom King is a retired math teacher, the founder of the Saturn School of Tomorrow, adjunct professor for 35 years +, husband, father, grampa, friend, tennis and golf partner, coffee buddy, reader, photographer, poet, and a marveling lifelong learner. He blogs at Tom King’s Blog of De-Fogand tweets by the handle, @profTK. Read his previous contribution to Teacher Reboot Camp, Oh, the Lessons I’ve Learned.

How do you feel educators should manage classroom behavior problems?

Tags: classroom management, corporal punishment, negative reinforcement, TomKing

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10 Responses to “What Do You Do With A Sleeping Student? by Tom King”
By ktenkely on Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
It is so important for teachers to get to the root of the problem. As in this situation, the student wasn’t being disrespectful with his sleeping through class. He was naturally responding to events in his life outside of school. I have found that many times students who are acting out in the classroom aren’t doing so just to be naughty. There is generally a “good” reason for the acting out. The pressures of home are stressful, the student is being bullied or teased mercilessly by another student, they are tired, they are hungry, they are insecure, they think they are stupid, they are being put in adult situations at a young age. The best way to manage behavior in the classroom is to understand what else is happening in the lives of your students.
[Reply]
Tom King Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:20 am
@ktenkely, There’s some fine advice! Thanks, Kelly! The issue was more about me not being a compelling teacher at the moment, than the needs of my students. A lesson learned!
[Reply]
By ultimateteacher on Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
It’s so easy for teachers to be reactive in situations like this. They hear students yell and they discipline hard. They see students acting out, and they send them to the office. I applaud teachers who can hold back their first instinct of attack, and instead go for inquiry. Love and Logic is great option that teachers can also use as well. Great post.
[Reply]
Tom King Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:21 am
@ultimateteacher,
Fine point! We have much to learn as young teachers, and often our students will teach us.
[Reply]
By surprisesaplenty on Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
I teach ESL at a university in Korea. The way the university entrance exam works is that many students do most of their studying outside of class. At university, these habits remain and students often sleep in class. As my class is more of a seminar than a lecture, sleep is a no-no. I go for the humorous approach and take a picture of the sleeping student from an angle that obscures the face, then post it on a class blog. If the student is a repeat offender, I offer them money and the chance to go to the coffee machine. Few students take me up on it and even the ones that do try harder to stay awake afterward.
[Reply]
Tom King Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:23 am
@surprisesaplenty,
All cultures are different.
But I’ve found that anything we do to embarrass a student works against our effectiveness as teachers in the long run. Even when we mean well.
[Reply]
By JW on Feb 24, 2010 | Reply
I was a sleeping student and had reason. That’s always in the back of my mind. You never know, unless you take the time to ask and care. Nice post.
[Reply]
Tom King Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:24 am
@JW, Yes! And ask the student in a respectful way…not in front of the entire class.
[Reply]
By Todd Wandio on Feb 25, 2010 | Reply
I don’t wake sleeping students. I figure they showed up with the intent of participating in learning, but their body had other ideas. Students today have horrible sleep patterns, and our strict school schedule doesn’t exactly match up with the circadian rhythm of the average teen. I let them sleep. Sometimes I have a little fun with it, but mostly I just ask the class to not disturb the student, and leave him/her be. Incidentally, I have had VERY few girls sleep in class. Any thoughts as to why?
[Reply]
Tom King Reply:
February 26th, 2010 at 11:28 am
@Todd Wandio,
I like the concept of just letting them be and talking with them afterwards.
As for girls not sleeping in class, I found that true too. It must explain why they often do so much better than the boys!
[Reply]

2010-02-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

“Oh, the Lessons I’ve Learned!”

Tom King

(With apologies to Dr. Seuss from his classic: “Oh, the Places I’ll Go!”)

I’ve learned lots of things on my way to retired,

That I never thought then would leave me inspired.

One lesson I’ve learned is when it comes to the Group,

We’re somehow all different, like veggies in soup.

But when you mix us all up and sum up our best,

Why, together we’re better than any one of the rest!

Some folks you might pass seem too busy to say, “Hi!”

But if you asked for their help, they’d never pass by.

And some folks with a burden too heavy to bear,

Still find time for others, and step in and share.

So, I’m thankful for alikes and differences too,

For together, there’s nothing our “togethers” can’t do.

I’ve even had students teach me new ways to divide.

That are often far better than ways I have tried.

I remember a student who couldn’t square root a “darn-ful”,

But given a math puzzle, he could do a whole barn-full.

As I look back on teaching, there’s no better career, ‘

Cause you’re taught lots by others, year after year.

And, after 33 years, I’ve learned as much as I could.

So, given time to learn more, I’d move on, yes I would!

I’ll always remember my wonderful co-workers,

Learning from you has been one of those marvelous “perkers”.

You help change kid’s lives, and deserve abundant high praise,

So, in closing I’ll just say, why you all get all “A”s.

Oh, the things that I‘ve learned, but there’s more to be found,

So, I’m off to learn more, for at last I’m unbound!

“Thanks for the Memories!” Tom King,

ISD 625, Retired:1995

How about a Socratic Oath for Educators?

2010-01-15T09:25:00.000-08:00

“That More May Learn More”

--ICOSE--

International Community of Socratic Educators

--Founding Charter Principles—

As a member of the Socratic Community, I hereby attest:

1. That the desire and capacity to learn is inborn within me and others...

2. That a spectrum of talents and gifts is possessed by each of us...

3. That I respect the dignity, worth and uniqueness of each learner...

4. That my talents have been given to me to be developed,

to be shared and to leave the world better for my being here...

5. That I am privileged to be called as an educator, and entrusted with the passing on of our culture,

the world’s knowledge and our collective bests...

6. That I shall always remain open to the insights and gifts that others bring,

and add them to my own store of knowledge for sharing with others...

7. That I will stand up for my beliefs and principles, but always thoughtfully consider and respect the same in others who may differ with me...

8. That I will admit my error or change my stance when confronted with incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, no matter the personal risk...

9. That I will suffer the unsettling experiences and stresses that accompany the risks of learning more and espousing the new and unknown...

10. That I will join in and help establish the many circles of learning that are a part of my learning life and Professional Learning Network...

11. That I will persist in my efforts to grow as a person and share as a teacher and educator as long as I live...

12. That I will remain committed to my Socratic oath: “That More May Learn More!” and more!

=== Established: July 3, 1999 By Dr. Tom King St. Paul, Minnesota

2010-01-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd try something new and give Prezi.com a go. Seems to have some advantages over Powerpoint. Here's a starter effort for a Preso Jerry Stenger, John Seipp and I gave at UST on January 11, 2010. Any feedback or suggestions greatly appreciated!

A New Math: Do we really need to memorize the quadratic formula??

2009-12-21T05:43:00.000-08:00

Years ago, mathematician and songster Tom Lehrer, parodied the vagaries of the so-called New Math, a well meaning, but largely ineffectual attempt to move math from drill and kill to understand the pinions better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNCUuh8_VhE

Many good extras have been added to the math curriculum over the years. Among them is project-based learning in which solving a real world problem motivates the mathematical tools needed to solve it.

After teaching and pondering for many years, I have come to the conclusion that the entire K-12 math curriculum needs a thorough inspection and overhaul. Much of what's there is no longer relevant, if it ever was, especially given the tools we have today.

More to come as soon as I can better think through how to present this call to action. In the meantime, all suggestions are welcome!

Beyond Duncan's Call to Teacher-Ed Betterment

2009-11-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

Higher-ed, like business, is profit-driven and there's little motivation to change the status quo.

There are no universal, high standards teacher-ed is held to, other than accrediting agencies, like NCATE, which fewer schools of education choose to attain. Worse, such accreditation is rarely focused on on follow-up.....how well are they teaching once they leave us.....what can we do to stay connected and help them improve performance, especially during those first three critical years.

In my own teacher prep decades ago, I was lucky to participate in a Ford Foundation Teacher Trainee program. Several salient features: we interned in classrooms for four years; we observed the district's 'best teachers' at all levels; early on, we worked one-to-one with students, then small groups, then the whole classroom; we got a lot of helpful feedback.

By the time we were offered a job, we had the confidence and skills to be more successful. More importantly, we knew we wanted to be teachers.

Duncan's plan needs a strategy and funding to make change happen. Just talking about it isn't going to make it better.

Twittering!

2009-10-24T09:00:00.001-07:00

It's what's happening!

Drops the Degrees of Separation by half.

Terse and pithy ideas from those of like mind.

You're invited to check mine out at ProfTK on twitter.com

Cheers!

Palindromic & Pithy Point Well-Made!

2009-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Check out this powerful and simple youtube video my good friend Jerry Stenger sent me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Sam & Josh Productions: "Grey Wolves"

2009-02-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

OK, OK...these are my grandsons, Sam and Josh, ages 8 & & respectively, and they made this video almost entirely by themselves....with a little help from their homeschool teacher, their mom and my daughter. But truth be told, a lot of kids can do this these days.

Tell me. Generally speaking, who do you think understands these concepts of nature's predators better? Someone who can correctly answer 10 multiple choice questions, or someone who can re-present an engaging video on what they've researched and learned?

For myself, I opt for the latter. Tell me what YOU think!

htttp://mac.com/dtking/iMovieTheater127.html

There's No Place Like School!

2009-02-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

That was a line I thought I would never hear as a teacher. But I did, and it came from one of our students at the Saturn School of Tomorrow, an innovative reform effort back in the early 90's. We tried to bring the best of what we knew that would help more kids learn more all into one school, put the kids largely in charge of their own learning, and have them show us what they knew, what they were learning, and what they had yet to learn.

The school was so unique we were visited by then President George H. W. Bush, who recognized us for what we were trying to do. The school, sadly, no longer exists, but the students and faculty cast many ripples across the pond of educational change, and those effects are still being felt today. Changing a school is hard, and so is changing the classroom. But you can make small changes that work, and keep adding to them. Before you know it, more students may be learning even more. Good luck!

Here's a link to the video the Saturn students made back then and in their own words. Don't forget to listen for the last line.

http://homepage.mac.com/drdtking/iMovieTheater38.html

The Millennial Generation IS Different!

2009-01-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

Here's some views of their world from kids who swim in a far different fish bowl than we did:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLeGWLWNcQ

http://homepage.mac.com/dtking/iMovieTheater121.html

"Welcome Back Cotter"

2009-01-28T11:58:00.000-08:00

There ought to be some sort of prize for any 70's trivia buff who could remember that old TV show starring "Mr. Cotter", about a teacher, played by Gabe Kaplan. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqw1RC3d1d0

I even remember Room 222, another show from those days. Plus some great movies about teaching from which you can actually learn some good and useful do's and dont's: "Ferris Bueller", "Back to School", "Stand and Deliver", "Dead Poet's Society" and I'll bet you could name some favorites too.

I'm going to try to keep this blog up and running for awhile and post some interesting (to me at least) comments and resources and interesting stuff. I'll leave it to you and your comments to steer me in the right direction.

Some helpful sites for adding multimedia

2008-12-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

blogspot slideshow embed - Google Search

Using Picasa Web Albums with Blogger : Using Picasa Web Albums with Blogger - Picasa Help Center

Primping your Blogsite!

2008-12-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

Folks....you can add or link lots of cool media stuff(pictures, slideshows, videos, etc) to your blogsite by just clicking on the "Customize" link on the top right of your page.

Check out my website for some samples:

Blogs and You!

2008-11-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the EGF9 cohort!

Blogs are a great way to introduce yourself and your thinking to your students, parents, colleagues and community.

If you've got something to say, and hope to get the opinions of others on a topic, blogs are a great tool.

Happy blogging!

Tom

Coming down the summer stretch...

2008-07-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

The ending is nigh by the fourth of July! I'm sure you've read this old aphorism many times. It means, of course, that the close of the summer session is nearly upon us.

I want to make this course as informative and useful as possible. Please let me know....before it's too late....if there's anything I can help with.

The course comes with a lifetime warranty, of course. So, you can always contact me long after and I'll do what I can to respond to any questions or pass on any of your great educational discoveries.

Tom

Summer Session Begins!

2008-06-10T04:59:00.000-07:00

Now, if only summer will begin with it!

Welcome to all who are taking either of my summer session courses...those in TEGR 689 and CIED 551. We have a great group of students with many skills and interests to contribute to our virtual learning community.

I look forward to seeing your blogs. They can be a great tool for you to engage your students, parents, community or colleagues in professional (and personal) dialog.

Let me know when you're up and running with your new blog site!

Tom

Jon Hassler's" Belikov Syndrome"

2008-05-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

"The Belikov Syndrome" by Jon Hassler

Greetings!

2008-05-09T12:25:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog of occasional comments, rare insights, frequent queries, and other mental effluvia. Help me out here whenever I need corrective actions on your part. Thanks!