The following two opposing quotes exemplifies the debate in curriculum today. Is school about the teaching of information or is it about creating the model “child of the future?”
“What the revolution has been in curriculum is that we no longer are teaching facts to children…” — Shirley McCune, then Senior Director, Mid-continent Educational Laboratory, speaking at the Governors’s conference in 1989. This quote was transcribed from the conference video. McCune was the Federal Liason, learning and teaching for Washington State until 2008, and played a key role in WASL and curriculum development.
“When will ‘progressive’ educators admit that you can’t learn history, geography, science, etc. in an atmosphere where children are expected to ‘construct’ their own knowledge in little groups and teachers are forbidden to engage in ‘direct instruction’?” –Andrew Wolf, Editor and Publisher, The Riverdale Review, Bronx Press Newsgroup
This video by Aaron Kasparov explains the Common Core approach to math and English/language arts. Many states are seeing this type of math for the first time, however we in Washington state have been subjected to this type of math for years. We experienced this “constructivist” math during the WASL period. In some districts, subtle messages undermining traditional values in the language arts courses have also been in the curriculum for years.
Watch the video.
As we said before, robo-graders just evaluate whether a piece of writing contains complex sentences, long words, observes the punctuation and grammar conventions, and has other writing features which can be programmed into a computer. The computer can’t tell if the writer has made factual errors. According to Les Perelman, Director of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “E-Rater doesn’t care if you say the War of 1812 started in 1945.”
To prove his point, he and three students from Harvard and MIT created an app which generates essays that the robo-grader will deem well-written, according to the algorithms of its programming. They call their program BABEL– Basic Automatic B.S. Essay Language Generator.
Now, because of Perelman’s criticisms–which the assessment company cannot refute–the Educational Testing Service is refusing to cooperate in further verification trials. See the article about Mr. Perelman being censored.
While Common Core math is making kids frustrated, it’s also driving parents and grandparents crazy. If you haven’t yet seen the video about the convoluted way of adding 9 + 6, you can view it at the link below. The focus is on the the process, ostensibly to teach “higher order thinking skills”, but it causes confusion, not higher order thinking. Read the article.
This convoluted, “constructivist” way of doing math did not originate with the Common Core, however. Fuzzy math has been around for years. See the Washington State manual, “Teaching and Learning Mathematics” which shows on page 58, that believing that math is about finding the right answer is a mathematical myth. In the past, states and districts had more flexibility to use the the methodologies of their choice, but now the Common Core Standards along with the Common Core Assessments embed this constructivist method into the curriculum for all participating states.
It’s up to you, parents and grandparents. If you want your student to truly understand math, YOU must teach them!
If your children plan to enroll in the Advanced Placement History program be forewarned that it has been changed and no longer teaches the traditional history course. Jane Robbins of the American Principles Project warns us that the College Board’s Advanced Placement History Course has been transformed, now that David Coleman, reported architect of the Common Core, is head of the College Board. Watch the video clip.
“Critical thinking” is another one of those terms which have been perverted by the education program developers. They know that parents want their children to become critical thinkers, so they use the term to introduce concepts and lessons to which parents might otherwise object. A few months ago, students in the Rialto School District in California were given a “critical thinking” assignment — to write a Holocaust-denying essay. Read more…
Find out more about semantic deception from our website, linked here.
“I plead with all you well-intentioned but definitely misguided administrators, teachers, and politicians. Raise your heads out of the dust and realize that America is great because America bucked against the status quo.”
A native of Ghana, Alma Ohene-Opare, explains the over-controlling education system of his former country, and urges the USA not to repeat those mistakes.
Read his article, posted by Eagle Forum, linked here.
Bah! Humbug! Those of us educated before the Common Core will know what literary work is referenced by that exclamation. Okay, so those who watch movies may also know…but they will understand that the movie was made from the book. All that is changing. The Common Core English Language Arts standards will require 50% of […]
A Batavia High School teacher, John Dryden, was disciplined for explaining to his high school students that they had Constitutional rights protecting them from answering personal questions on a survey the school was conducting. The survey was not anonymous. Current and past students of Mr. Dryden rallied around him in support. A report of disciplinary […]
Thomas Sowell, author of Inside American Education, has been following education for decades. He explains that John Dewey re-defined the role of a teacher.. “…not as a transmitter of a society’s culture to the young, but as an agent of change — someone strategically placed, with an opportunity to condition students to want a […]
“Hidden in Common Core is the real objective – presenting the minimal amount of material that high-school graduates need to be able to enter the work force in an entry-level job.” Dr. James Millgram and Emmet McGroarty have been examining the Common Core State Standards and have been speaking out against them. This article points […]