A Discussion
of the Phi Delta Kappan article,
"It's Time to Start the Slow School Movement," Written by Maurice Holt
Dear
TNLI MetLife Fellows:
Greetings and Salutations from Santa Barbara County, where chilly
winter weather of 65 degrees has settled across the land. Vacation
is right around the corner, complete with eggnog and family,
travel and excitement. But before you rush off and leave this
turbulent profession of ours for a few weeks of well-earned
rest, please print out and take with you January's article.
Hopefully you will have ample time over the break to read and
absorb Maurice Holt's writing and come back in January prepared
for lively conversation.
Holt's article, "It's Time to Start the Slow School Movement,"
was published in the December 2002 issue of Phi Delta Kappan's
magazine, and is available at: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0212hol.htm.
He questions the wisdom of using the same cookie-cutter approach
used to produce fast food to teach our children and proposes
a new model called a "Slow School" that emphasizes
understanding, critical thinking, and innovation rather than
memorization, cramming, and testing.
A few questions to ponder:
1) Holt raises the question of the connection between families
and test performance. Do you agree/believe that standardized
tests reflect "culturally embedded concepts of student
quality?"
2) Do you agree with the similarities Holt draws between fast
food culture and standards-based instruction? Is fast food a
metaphor for teaching in today's climate?
3) Can/should we make a distinction between product and process
in teaching? Is it possible to create "educative experiences"
that promote the "moral agents" Holt discusses ("creativity,
critical thinking, resilience,") that are testable?
4) What can we do as educators to convince communities and governments
dead-set on standards that understanding matters more than coverage?
5) Has America become stuck in a time warp by producing pliant,
disciplined workers instead of problem solvers and thinkers?
Hope your holiday is relaxing and rejuvenating!
Brett Piersma
Santa Barbara
December 17, 2005 |
Dear
TNLI MetLife Fellows:
Welcome back! I hope each of you had a terrific break and are
getting back into the swing of things. I would like to remind
you of our January discussion topic and provide the link to
the article:
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0212hol.htm.
Here also are a few questions to get our discussion started:
1) Holt raises the question of the connection between families
and test performance. Do you agree/believe that standardized
tests reflect "culturally embedded concepts of student
quality?"
2) Do you agree with the similarities Holt draws between fast
food culture and standards-based instruction? Is fast food a
metaphor for teaching in today's climate?
3) Can/should we make a distinction between product and process
in teaching? Is it possible to create "educative experiences"
that promote the "moral agents" Holt discusses ("creativity,
critical thinking, resilience,") that are testable?
4) What can we do as educators to convince communities and governments
dead-set on standards that understanding matters more than coverage?
5) Has America become stuck in a time warp by producing pliant,
disciplined workers instead of problem solvers and thinkers?
I look forward to your responses!
Brett Piersma
Santa Barbara
January 5, 2005 |
Holt
is right on in his "fast food" comparison. In fact,
there are plenty of days when I feel like the guy in the window
asking: "Would you like to supersize that?"
(I sometimes wonder what my 6 years of college were for.) I
guess the trick is trying to sneak some goat cheese, pesto and
sun dried tomatoes into the bag when the manager isn't looking.
The truth is that
until the voters/politicians/pundits can find another political
football, education is going to be under the microscope. And
as long as that is the case, the powers that be are going
to want ample, comparable concrete data. Unfortunately, as
we are all too well aware, conceptual understanding, self-esteem,
creativity, intellectual curiosity and artistic bliss cannot
be measured by a number two pencil.
I guess my question
is what got us into this mess? Why exactly are we as a nation
so frantic to ensure that our children are meeting such broad,
yet shallow standards? I can't imagine that most parents are
sitting at home saying, "Boy, I hope Kiki learns a real
big series of unconnected historical events today." Rather,
I expect that most parents want their kids to develop a strong
intellect, work ethic and love of learning that they can apply
to real life situations. Is my experience atypical though?
Are there just as many parents/employers that want our next
generation of children to be proficient in basic educational
skills while assuming that the same kids will naturally develop
the attributes of higher level learning on their own? Is their
a collective expectation in society that those traits of education
that we most value as teachers are really not appropriate
to our job anymore? Are we moving toward a teacher proof curriculum?
Perhaps the best
thing we can do for now is to work in the fast food restaurant
while slipping in a little (or a lot) of slow food on the
side. Maybe over time the pendulum will swing back and parents
will start wondering where that creative spark of the life-long-learner
has gone. Maybe by then we will even be able to test meaningful
learning with a number two pencil, but I hope not.
Chris Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 6, 2005
|
Ok,
so can anybody explain "merit pay" for teachers to
me? Gov. Arnold unveiled his big proposal yesterday to transfer
California public school teachers to a merit pay system. Does
this mean if I work really, really, really hard, I will earn
$100,000 per year? Or does it mean that we teachers will still
earn lower salaries but in a much more competitive and site-divisive
manner? Seriously, if anybody can shed some light on the newly
proposed state policy, I would appreciate it. I have a strange
gut sensation that this is just another effort to transform
California's public school system into some form a private/voucher
school system. I am also curious about who decides which teachers
"merit" the pay. Parents? Site principals? D.C. Department
of Education? A subject matter multiple choice test? Student
popularity?
If you have any
history of this in your state please feel free to chime in.
Sincerely,
Chris "I used
to live in a socially responsible progressive state"
Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005
|
No
doubt we "eat" too much fast food schooling. Yea for
a slow school movement. But who is actually standing up to the
fast food chains of command to say, "Stop! This causes
indigestion!" In Texas they are taking the literal fast
food off the campus because of obesity problems. But who will
stand on this issue? I have heard that some colleges are doing
away with SAT's. How do we get curriculum fast food, driven
by standardized tests, to take a back seat?
Connie Rohde-Stanchfield,
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005
|
Chris-
I'm still on the listserv and saw your piece. I don't have the
answer to your question, but I do know that Arnold gave tax
breaks of 12 billion to the top 1% of the taxpayers in the state
(today's L.A. Times). Where is the equity in that?? I'm married
to a tax guy and he said if people actually knew the breaks
the rich are getting, there would be a riot.
Tory Babcock
Santa Barbara
January 7, 2005
|
Hey
Chris!
Glad to hear I
wasn't the only one that felt that stab in the back during
the State of the State speech this week. The tone he used
to say "get rid of bad teachers" was not respectful
to the profession. If anything it sounded like a threat! I
heard he was going to try to get "Merit Pay" for
teachers on a special ballot in July. Scary! I don't think
any of us who work hard and are dedicated to the profession
and the success of our students are going to argue that there
are colleagues of ours that are not meet teaching standards...
but whom exactly would you measure merit? That is what worries
me. The Times has an interesting op. ed. today. (see below).
They cite that Denver is beginning to look at teacher pay
tied to student learning.
Feeling your pain,
Jane Fung
Los Angeles
January 7, 2005
|
A
slightly different issue, perhaps related to Arnold. This was
on a parent listserv. Hmmm…I never thought I was a "white
collar worker" and I thought I was a professional...hmmmm...maybe
this has something to do with women making 76 cents when men
make a dollar???....
From: "KC
Jones" <kc@imajazz.com>
Subject: Merit Pay and School Site Management
Here's an interesting
note about merit pay for teachers found on the "Political
Animal" blog writing by Kevin Drum. I agree with him
that it is curious why schools and teachers are so minimally
managed -- and that the lack of hands on management is more
of a concern when it comes to merit pay than the potential
unfairness of evaluation by principals.
There is a follow-up
post on the same blog by another contributor that suggests
retired teachers would be a good source of talent to enlist
in any evaluation scheme. I'm not so sure about that. I'd
suggest that some sort of "360 degree" review system
where peer teachers would contribute to reviews would probably
work better. That might also reduce the management versus
union friction too.
Political Animal
is found here: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/
The Managing Teachers
posts are here: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_01/005412.php
or here: http://tinyurl.com/64ohu
Kay Hones
San Francisco
January 8, 2005
|
I
hope I'm not off topic here but I have to let loose on this
one. The use of pay on the basis of merit is just another example
of how misguided people are about education in the classroom.
Although the number one factor of student achievement may be
the teacher, it is not the only factor. Let’s talk about the
external forces that play on achievement. How about parent involvement?
I am not speaking of the parent that comes to school for meetings,
but those that are so wrapped up into their own lives that they
are not interested in parenting. Let's talk about children whose
basic needs are not being met each day they are sent to school.
Who are abused, neglected, or ignored. How about parent request
for certain teachers? This creates unequal abilities of students
in the classroom, therefore unequal workloads from classroom
to classroom. Video games, class size, the media's perspective,
public perspective, unmotivated students who reap the spoils
of over indulgent parents, inflated egos, and a society that
does not accept "average" as good enough, just to
name a few. Teachers are working hard to create well-rounded
citizens and not just because they want money. Merit pay means
another threat to this profession. Legislators, and individuals
that have no clue as to how to manage, teach, and keep abreast
of the current educational practices, drag the teaching profession
through the toughest obstacle courses and through the deepest
mud pits they can find. What a way to let prospective young
teachers know that this is a well respected profession, that
they should be happy to become a part of. Sounds like the wrong
way to recruit.
Alberta Miclette
State of Delaware
January 8, 2005
|
The
answer is obvious and spelled out in the comments: COST. Every
penny spent on public schools (and other people's children)
is begrudged by the people it serves; we are supposed to give
of ourselves for nothing because we are dedicated. You all know
the scenario. But the people making the policy suggestions don't
even enter the public schools unless they are there for a conference
or concert. A teacher friend, who formerly worked in industry,
says no one in industry would be responsible for 100 - 180 individuals
without at least one secretary. So every time they want to compare
us to industry, I just laugh. They are clueless.
Helen
Helen Gieske
State of Delaware
January 8, 2005
|
Here
in NYC, Giuliani made a big stink about merit pay a few years
ago but it all went down the drain thanks to our pretty strong
teachers union. It definitely makes no sense and Bloomberg is
putting it out there again into the contract negotiations (that's
what they're supposedly calling them...) for our way overdue
contract (expired May '03). But as far as I understand it, the
merit is based on standardized test scores (shocking), and maybe
figures like attendance rates. But there are big question marks
- what does that mean for secondary school teachers, especially
those that don't teach "tested" areas (like foreign
language or art, e.g.)? Is it school based or classroom by classroom
in such settings? Is it based on progress the children make?
Or just raw scores, giving those teachers who teach in the higher
performing schools extra (padded) pats on the back? If they
really think this will improve students' learning, they really
need to rethink this and come up with really comprehensive measures
for students' improvement and not to alienate teachers - who's
not going to entirely teach to the test if your salary is based
on it?
Gotta love the
governator - who's his commissioner for ed. anyway? The former
head of Edison schools?
We should get someone
to write a good op. ed. piece to put up on the teachers network
site about this issue to clarify to our not so clever leaders
and the not-so-clever voters who put them in office how entirely
absurd this notion is when implementation is examined closely.
This way we can all send in letters to local papers on behalf
of TNLI... wouldn't MetLife love that?
Jen "I live
in a socially progressive state that somehow keeps electing
Republican leaders" Dryer
New York City
January 9, 2005
|
In
response to Jen Dryer:
—who's not going
to entirely teach to the test if your salary is based on it?
Hey Jen!
California had a merit bonus pay a few years back. Schools
that improved the most on standardize tests were given big
bonuses and individual teachers as well. I say big because
all the teachers down the street from my school got $10,000
each and my little sister as a counselor at her school got
$5,000. That was our past governor's idea. It died after a
few years (lack of funding) and I don't think it improved
schools, but I bet teachers were "encouraged" to
teach to the test.
—Gotta love the
governator - who's his commissioner for ed. anyway? The former
head of Edison schools?
The current Secretary
of Education is the former Los Angeles Mayor and businessman
Richard Riordan. His agenda is to push principals as CEOs.
He (and Arnold) wants to give principals power to hire and
fire at will. "The buck stops with them." Of course
you are assuming that the principals we have are effective
leaders. It's going to be an interesting year. He is pushing
this on a special ballot I hear... all the while his children
attend a posh private school in Brentwood.
Jane "Who
lives in a progressive state that elects democratic leaders
just to have them recalled" Fung
Los Angeles
January 9, 2005
|
Teachers
are all talk. We talk and talk and talk in the teacher lounge
about change. I mean look at us. A female profession (mostly)
and how many days PAID do we get for having a baby. In Spain,
6 months paid, oh here in America, your sick days. We need to
get some balls, quit whining and go on strike.
Christina Martinez
State of Delaware
January 12, 2005 |
Hey
all,
I just read that
Arnold wants to take the STRS (State Teacher Retirement Service/System?)
money to help pay off the state debt. He then said that teachers
should be prepared to negotiate down their salaries with their
local school boards. That way, local districts can replenish
the STRS money. For some reason, when I hear the phrase negotiate
down, I hear "Pay Cut." Are we now talking about
having a combined "pay-cut-merit-pay" policy?
Let me get this
straight. I will earn less money while working harder, yet
losing all my job security. I see now how we are going to
attract the best and the brightest to our profession.
Chris Mullin
Santa Barbara
January 13, 2005
|
Hello
all!
As you begin to
prepare for the Feb. listserv discussion, I want to thank
Brett Piersma for his facilitation of the Jan. discussion.
January is always a difficult month as we are all getting
back in the saddle after Winter break, and with all the side
conversations regarding other issues, I just want to remind
you that we do have another week in Jan. if you would like
to jump in on the Jan. article.
I'm especially
interested in your thoughts regarding questions 3 and 5. I
believe standards are critical, as well as an accountability
system. However, I do question the level of "educative
experiences" that promote "moral agents" for
our future society that are included in teaching and learning
in today's schools - in general. Are learning outcomes becoming
so test oriented that we are reducing the development of problem
solvers and thinkers? If so, what can we do about it as influencers
of policy???
Carol Gregor
Santa Barbara
January 21, 2005
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