When the gods wish to punish us
Wednesday, November 9, 2005 at 02:51PM When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. - Oscar Wilde
Mankato Area Public Schools (my district) passed both its referendums yesterday. One, for $6M, replaces roofs, boilers, and adds some classrooms. The other, for $3.5M ($500,000 a year for 7 years), is for technology. Our tech budget, in essence, almost doubled overnight. Oh, both referendums passed by big, big margins.
It will difficult to use "lack of funds" as an excuse for anything in the department anymore.
I have visions of "smart classrooms," big Internet pipes, and massive staff development initiatives dancing in my head. But like all tech planning in the district, this will be a truly collaborative effort involving our district advisory committee creating the overarching framework and every building articulating individual plans tied to building learning goals.
I'm excited.
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In continuation from yesterday, this is what Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde in Best Practices: New Standards for Teaching and Learning in America’s Schools 2nd ed. Heinemann, 1998 look at as common recommendations(best practices) from national curriculum reports:
- LESS whole-class, teacher directed instruction (e.g., lecturing)
- LESS student passivity: sitting, listening, receiving and absorbing information
- LESS presentational, one-way transmission of information from teacher to student
- LESS prizing and rewarding of silence in the classroom
- LESS classroom time devoted to fill-in-the-blank worksheets, dittos, workbooks, and other “seatwork”
- LESS student time spent reading textbooks and basal readers
- LESS attempt by teachers to thinly “cover” large amounts of materials in every subject area
- LESS rote memorization of facts and details
- LESS emphasis on the competition and grades in school
- LESS tracking or leveling students into “ability groups”
- LESS use of pull-out special programs
- LESS use of and reliance on standardized tests
- MORE experiential, inductive, hands-on learning
- MORE active learning in the classroom, with all the attendant noise and movement of students doing, talking, and collaborating
- MORE diverse roles for teachers, including coaching, demonstrating, and modeling
- MORE emphasis on higher-order thinking; learning a field’s key concepts and principles
- MORE deep study of a smaller number of topics, so that students internalize the field’s way of inquiry
- MORE reading of real texts: whole books, primary sources, and nonfiction materials
- MORE responsibility transferred to students for their work: goal setting, record keeping, monitoring, sharing, exhibiting, and evaluating
- MORE choice for students (e.g., choosing their own books, writing topics, team partners, and research projects)
- MORE enacting and modeling of the principles of democracy in school
- MORE attention to the affective needs and the varying cognitive styles of individual students
- MORE cooperative, collaborative activity; developing the classroom as an interdependent community
- MORE heterogeneously grouped classrooms where individual needs are met through inherently individualized activities, not segregation of bodies
- MORE delivery of special help to students in regular classrooms
- MORE varied and cooperative roles for teachers, parents, and administrators
- MORE reliance on teachers’ descriptive evaluations of student growth, including observational/anecdotal records, conference notes, and performance assessment rubrics*
Which of these does tech support ... and how?
Reader Comments (5)
Common recommendations (best practices) "That’s just so 1998"
What would happen if a school district followed those common recommendations best practices and then proceeded to turn off all the disruptive technology? Do you think the super would get a call or two?
You're right - I'm still pretty much "last century." (I am planning to buy the latest Best Practices book I indicated in an earlier posting that is out.
I don't think one would need to "turn off disruptive technologies" in order to follow these practices. I'm suggesting quite the opposite - that technology can and should be used to support best practices. Look back through the list.
All the best and thanks for the comments!
Doug
I'm with you 100% how tech compliments or should support those practices.
Bill
Do we want to limit our support to technology-related resources?
John Dyer
If by "we," you mean librarians, not at all. The thread of this discussion started with talk about the tech referendum, so I guess it got steered in that direction.
The best practices above can be done with or without tech, but not without good resources period.
Doug