Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Better Schools
Commentaries by
Abraham S. Fischler
Quotations to
Guide
Teachers,
Principals,
Parents and
Students
Lulu Press
2 Building Better Schools
Contents
Introduction
Longer Readings
Questions
What’s Next
Endnote
Introduction
The Problem
At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are still not
fulfilling the demands of our students or our society. Why not? The
schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers are
responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time
is fixed
and the only variable is performance –
some pass and others fail. And, if the persons who
fail do not make up and achieve the proficiency that the test is
measuring, they drift further and further behind. The consequences
are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love of
learning? This approach does not take into account a truism: “all
students can learn, but they learn at different rates
and have different preferential learning styles.”
For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the 1st grade
(and continue thereafter). The reason English and Math are chosen
is that these are the two cultural imperative languages. If you know
these two languages and are motivated as a self-learner, you can
teach yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of the
goals of education is to create self-learners.
For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or problem
that is relevant to the student. Once the problem is defined, the
class can be broken down into groups of 4-5 students in order to
research the solution to the problem. If complex, each of the groups
may study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the
student uses the computer as a research tool (after having learned
to read). Students are taught to use search engines such as
Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made available by teachers
gathering information relevant for the students.
is an “Edu-Tainer”:
Excerpts from
TheStudentIstheClass.com
iSchool
A new model being used in select NYC schools, called
iSchools, seeks to integrate ‘innovative technology with
project-based curriculum’ and early results indicate highly
successful outcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize
virtual resources on the internet to complete research projects
and in doing so take pride in their work and ownership of final
results. In this model, each student has his/her own laptop and
access to a variety of online resources, which can be
monitored by teachers and parents using a learning
management system. These are all steps toward creating an
environment in which time can be varied to accommodate the
learner. As the student becomes more inclined to utilize
technology and group-based project research, the skills
gained will better prepare the student to enter post-secondary
education and the 21st Century workforce.
Source: eschool.com
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/
38 Building Better Schools
This is the moment - this is the time for real change in the
public schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the
tools and the necessary technology to create a positive
learning environment for the 21st century. We
can focus
on the student as the class and offer
individualized instruction based on
students' different learning styles. We can
vary time so that those who need more time to master a
concept have the opportunity to do so. The concept advocated
in this blog (initial and subsequent posts) should be
implemented now while the momentum for educational
change is with us. The organization and structure of our
current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all
learners.
40 Building Better Schools
Longer Readings
I worked with a physics teacher who would tell students, “There will
be times when you will turn in your lab books where you will write
what you observe. Sometimes I will mark an exercise wrong and I
expect you to come up and argue with me.” The students generally
hated him because he appeared so arbitrary.
I loved what he did. He forced the kids not to cheat. He made sure
that one or two kids would get something marked wrong even
though it was right. This bothered kids. And they would come to me
to complain. I told them, “He's forcing you to think and If you don't
argue with him, you will get the the lower mark.”
Abraham Fischler 43
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v88/k0705toc.htm
The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project
Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey
shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage
students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and
Abraham Fischler 45
science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels
of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in
the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to
professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070If
you
want to get involved - e-mail me!!Bill Howbill.how@ssatrust.org.uk
http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html
Abraham Fischler 49
http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf
I call this blog “The student is the class”. I reiterate that we must
allow time for students to learn the basic core (English and Math),
allow them also to acquire the ability for self-learning through
working in groups, and finally do written and verbal presentations
where they can utilize their higher learning skills and interact with
their peers. The teacher is like a conductor blending all three
modes in a classroom setting, while the utilization of computers
facilitates in the process.
54 Building Better Schools
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/
Questions
So, if you put the color in the teacher's manual, the teacher would
tell the students “You're wrong. It says that the color is intense pink
and you have pale pink.” So I tried where I could not to give the
teacher the answer, especially with younger kids. Teachers didn't
like the books.
58 Building Better Schools
Now imagine if the teacher says, “Come over and see what color I
got. Why are our colors different?”
That's where the learning takes place. It's not in the answer.
While you are working in the reflective environment, they are not
getting comprehension about what is being tested. So the more we
go toward the testing model, the more rigid the classes have to
become.
That's why the school needs the second class area for small-group
projects. Teachers have to be ready to move students into that area
when it's time for analysis.
What’s Next
Endnote by a taxpayer
Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a well-
rounded, well-designed CAI system. His first entry at
TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tiered
system that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.
Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) could
invigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who introduced
technology to higher education and distance learning, Dr. Fischler
aims to bring new learning methods and experiences to children
and teenagers currently stuck in school systems that have changed
little since 1950.
In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders in
schools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In the
classroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back into
comfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on my
students the same disciplines that I suffered through when I was a
teenager. Some of the techniques work; others should be
improved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selecting
more effective methods. Computers can help students learn – but
Abraham Fischler 65
it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who are
not ready for the potential distractions of a multi-facted computer.
If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would like
Dr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please send
your request to Fischler@nova.edu.
Steve McCrea
TheStudentIsTheClass.com