Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Better Schools
Version 2 (italics)
Commentaries by
Dr. 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 Rather than
others fail. And, if the persons who fail do punish the
not make up and achieve the proficiency student who
that the test is measuring, they drift learns more
further and further behind. The slowly, we must
consequences are numerous and treat each
punishing. How does this instill a love of student as the
learning? This approach does not take class.
into account a truism: “all students can
learn, but they learn at different rates and have different
preferential learning styles.”
Abraham Fischler 7
Have we produced a
motivated person with the
tools and desire to keep
learning?
Abraham Fischler 25
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. 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/
36 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 organization and structure of our
current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all
learners.
38 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.”
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
Abraham Fischler 41
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875
It is possible and there are projects out there trying to provide these
tools. Check out: http://oc.intel-lehren.de/and:
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
44 Building Better Schools
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.
48 Building Better Schools
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radi
cal/
Youtube channels
Youtube.com/channelname
BPLearning by BigPicture.org
HTHvideo
QBESchool
AGuideOntheSide
VisualandActive
2MillionMinutes
Abraham Fischler 53
Questions
So, if I had described the color in the teacher's manual, the teacher
would have told 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. Many
teachers didn't like my books.
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.
That's why the school of the future 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.
I like the fact that students are nice and we get along.
I love choosing every day what I want to do and I'm
fond of discovering something I didn't know, such as
"Save the Last Dance For Me" (a song that was sung
in our class).
What’s Next
We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The Student is the
Class, at TheStudentIsTheClass.com. I continue to blog
about these issues and I invite you to send me questions to
comment about.
62 Building Better Schools
References
[ ??? note to Hillary -- I will work on getting the accurate
sources. ]
McKenzie, J. (1999).
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.
As a taxpayer, I'm always looking for better ways for my tax dollars
to be spent. As a teacher, I want to work in a school where students
64 Building Better Schools
have a role in deciding what they will study each day. As a trainer
of teachers, I know my limitations: I can show teachers what has
worked in my classes, but I don't have the academic background to
explain why the techniques work that I pulled from Piaget,
Friedman, Littky, Gardner and Daniel Pink.
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
it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who are
not ready for the potential distractions of a multifaceted 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