July 2011
9 posts
4 tags
Politicians - At It Again
By now many of you will have heard of the Missouri law that forbids teachers and students from becoming Facebook friends. I’m sure it was a reaction to the few bad apples who have abused their positions as educators to take advantage of students. However, this is just the type of overreaction we have come to expect from our lawmakers. When there is a hint of a problem, apply a steam roller...
cmrubinworld asked: I love your blog. I am now following you. Would you take a look at my blog about global education and consider following me?
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Why I will never pursue cheating again - Panos... →
gjmueller:
An Associate Professor at Stern School of Business of New York University documents his experience with punishing students for cheating and the resulting consequences to his career. Dumbfounding.
via chartier
This is sad begs for further discussion by educators.
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The Storm Is Upon Us
Some years ago I read Tom Friedman’s “The World Is Flat.” I found the ideas fit my hazy view of what was occurring in the world and helped me flesh out some of the questions I had about why things were happening as they were (outsourcing in particular). Now I’m reading Richard Florida’s “Flight of the Creative Class” and I’m starting to see how some...
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Tenure →
Eduwonk has an article on tenure, and while the article is about tenure in higher education, there are two comments worth reading after the article. One comment discusses the tenure argument as “unconstrained inquiry vs efficiency.” The other expands the tenure discussion to public school teachers and explains it from a legal point of view - namely, tenure gives teachers due process,...
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Cheating
I just read Cheating On Standardized Tests and Roaches in the Washington Post. The article discusses the prevalence of cheating, by schools and by teachers, on the high stakes tests required by NCLB. It is a good article and educators should read it.
As I read, it struck me that cheating situations are created by the pressure to perform, and often that pressure is external. Let me explain - a...
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Pass Or Be Fired! →
Nothing like fear to bring out the best in people (sarcasm). The teacher evaluation system, known as IMPACT, implemented by Michelle Rhee has led to a climate of fear over teacher evaluation in Washington, D.C. schools. What a wonderful way for teachers to attempt to reach out and instill a love of learning in their students. The adversarial feelings between evaluators and teachers is another low...
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US Teachers Work the Longest Hours
According to this report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, teachers seem to get pilloried for “only working nine months out of the year” and getting “good salaries.” While US teachers have one of the shortest school years, they work more hours during the school year than teachers in other countries. The report goes on to say that while teachers in the USA may work...
