Archive for August, 2006
The Universal Metaphor
In a comment on an earlier post, Bill Kerr asked, “Is there an educational metaphor here?” Like Graham, I’m a fan of wordplay, and this tugged at my imagination. Bill’s question lead me to a new understanding, which is:
There is always an educational metaphor.
I put this new idea to the test.Education [...]
When Hell Freezes Over
Several years ago when the Testing Monster grew claws and teeth, our school administration adopted a data analysis package called the Cox Model. Our staff examined complicated matrices of “disaggregated” data based on test scores and racial, ethnic, language, and other demographic categories. I was uncomfortable throughout this process, a required staff development exercise. It [...]
Teaching Strategies for Reading and Writing
From Robert Eiffert’s excellent website, Librarian in the Middle, I found Guidelines for Teaching Middle and High School Students to Read and Write Well (pdf), by Dr. Judith A. Langer. Langer compared what she called “typical programs” with “those that get outstanding results.” Her analysis identified 6 features commonly found in effective Language Arts instruction. [...]
Hearts and Minds
The New York Times has a story about US foreign policy directed at schools in “friendly Muslim countries,” Livening Up Today’s Lesson, Courtesy of Uncle Sam.
WLINGI, Indonesia, Aug. 3 — …Contending that lively lessons, engaged teachers and interested parents can promote tolerance and counteract extreme Islamic views, the Bush administration has made promoting education a [...]Chips from the Block
Brad Hoge posted a Book Meme and named me among the tagged.
It seems wrong to choose a single book to fit some of these categories, but I understand that limitations serve a useful purpose. As for joining in “fun” group efforts, I’m a poor candidate. I don’t stand for the wave at hockey games, [...]Reading the Government
One of the reading comprehension skills teachers know to touch on is the distinction between fact and fiction. There is another, little known, perhaps more important, skill that we should be aware of in this era of media-government partership. That is, the ability to distinguish news from nursery rhymes. This may be a critical piece [...]
What the Known Demands
People say that experience is the best teacher, and I tend to agree. However, despite numerous examples I have in support of this maxim, I also have plenty that refute it. Many are the times that experience has indicated a course of action other than what I chose.
Light rain last Sunday morning, for instance, should [...]
