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3/6/08
A Case Study of NCLB
This week we examined Linda Perlstein’s book Tested, a case study examining one Annapolis, MD school. We discussed the current role of teachers and the impact motivation plays not only on learning but also teaching. In addition, we proposed some possible alternatives to the current American public school system.
We started this week’s class reiterating our definition of learning from last week: Learning is only good if what you learn can be applied to something else. Given this definition, we discussed whether students who exist in a system where everything is standardized actually learn and whether or not having high quality teachers actually matters. In a hyper-standardized system, conceptualized ideas are replaced with procedures and fill-in-the-blanks learning. This means that students are not learning how to apply what they are being taught and draw conclusions; they are instead being taught just enough to survive and meet the most basic of standards. In a system where the final answer is emphasized rather than the process of finding the answer, we discussed the possibility that a “false motivation” exists. Rather than being motivated to instruct and learn, teachers and students in Tested were motivated “to take the MSA test.” In a perfect system where motivated teachers are choosing what and how they teach, is there any place for standardized assessment? Also, would anyone want to be a teacher in the current system?
In looking at the emphasis placed on meeting standards, we discussed whether or not it would be possible for robots to replace teachers in the classroom. In Tested, students often asked their teachers why they were learning the given material; they needed it to be relevant to them. Because of strict lesson plans and daily goals, teachers were unable to take the time to make concepts matter to students’ real, everyday lives. Given this, isn’t it possible to eliminate the human component entirely and rely on robots to spit out the information necessary to fill in the blanks?
We also talked about the lack of individuation in the classroom. All students are taught the same material in the same way, regardless of differences in comprehension and learning style. We discussed whether students should be viewed as “empty vessels” just waiting to be filled, or as active participants in the learning process. If the latter approach were used, it might allow teachers and administrators to create “Student Profiles,” which would then allow them to best serve the educational needs of students on an individual basis.
Rather than solely critiquing schools, we brainstormed some possible improvements and alternatives to the current educational system. We discussed eliminating summer break and stretching out the school year, in addition to adjusting the start and end of the school day. Summer vacation was traditionally used for farming, however the move away from an agrarian society has made this practice archaic. Adjusting what time school starts and ends could help teenagers, notoriously zombie-like in the morning, perform to the best of their abilities. We also discussed a Boy Scout/Girl Scout model, where people who make progress advance to the next level and those who are slower are given a different approach to succeed. This system would allow students to achieve at a rate that worked best for them and help make sure individual students’ needs were met.
Readings:
Perlstein, L. (2007) Tested: One American School Struggles to Make The Grade, 1-58; 119-133; 172-188; 200-208
Notes courtesy Shelby Bohn
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