I love this. :-)
Ma’am Engel, you say so many things, so very eloquently! I really hope, my fellow education-racketeers would listen to folks like you. Hope we all would soon internalize the fundamental fact that, efforts at ‘reductionist education’ based on mere assessment tests & measurable outcomes are really harmful to the children and to the society-at-large in the long run, yes.
“…So what should children be able to do by age 12, or the time they leave elementary school? They should be able to read a chapter book, write a story and a compelling essay; know how to add, subtract, divide and multiply numbers; detect patterns in complex phenomena; use evidence to support an opinion; be part of a group of people who are not their family; and engage in an exchange of ideas in conversation. If all elementary school students mastered these abilities, they would be prepared to learn almost anything in high school and college.
…Our success depends on embracing a curriculum focused on essential skills like reading, writing, computation, pattern detection, conversation and collaboration — a curriculum designed to raise children, rather than test scores.”
This is an extract from a fine op-Ed column from NewYorkTimes – link thanks to my dearest Syed Azfar Hussain, a fine feller and a loooooong suffering friend of mine…
Enjoy.
JournalEntry# February 10, 2010
roughcut ideas, opinions & notes on education
| ஒத்திசைவு | प्रत्याह्वय | resonance | 