Posted on 02/03/2020 6:03:09 PM PST by BruceDeitrickPrice
American public schools, by all the usual metrics, have steadily declined for a century. Was this inevitable? Or is there an evil plot aimed at our students?
The larger pattern is clear. Each year, traditional education has less influence on public schools. Meanwhile, the theories and methods generally called Progressive grow more dominant. Progressives insist that their ideas are superior. What we know for sure is that they are taking over, like killer bees flying up from Brazil.
Another thing is clear. Our Education Establishment is brilliant at concocting attractive jargon and clever marketing slogans, even for the most destructive practices. Who could oppose such melodious proposals as whole language, student-centered learning, higher-order thinking skills, experiential education, cooperative learning, project-based learning, constructivist instruction, Bloom's taxonomy, Common Core, reform math, whole language, discovery teaching, digital literacy, social-emotional learning, and so many more?
The big question for all of these pretty phrases is elemental: does any of them work as promised? Or is each another attack wrapped as a gift?
Let's look quickly at some of the more harmful inventions:
Literacy: Children must learn to read with sight-words (even though this approach won't work except for children with photographic memories). Progressive instruction has created 50 million functional illiterates. That's our big national catastrophe.
Common Core Math: Endlessly hyped "reform" methods prevent children from mastering even simple arithmetic. Fewer children are able to pursue STEM subjects. A bust.
Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/01/k12_the_war_against_children.html#ixzz6CwlSVQH9
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Steadily increasing costs and steadily declining results. Where else but government could such a trend continue year after year without major structural changes?
bkmk
bump
I’m a special ed teacher. I don’t want to agree with you, but I do 100%. I have such fond memories of my elementary school years. All these kids will remember is the endless testing. ENDLESS TESTING......
My Grandfather was a history teacher in Northern Michigan from 1929-1970 and I have most of his history books. The youth of the past learned much about the Constitution and history of the various countries of the world. Especially interesting to see how the 2nd Amendment has been interpreted through the years.
My Grandfather said China is the biggest threat.
It scares me that today nobody seems to remember the horrors of communism and national socialism.
We will be condemned to repeat it.
We don’t need no (left-wing) education,
We don’t need no thought control,
No dark sarcasm in the classroom,
Teacher, leave them kids alone,
Hey! Teacher! Leave them kids alone.
Oh the irony that Roger Waters wrote this.
From today’s perspective, that song was quite prophetic . . .
I know, that's what I meant about the irony of Roger Waters writing them.
Who controls the PAST
controls the PRESENT
who controls the PRESENT controls the FUTURE.
I remember those days. Good Lord when I was kid we used to do so much of that stuff, drove me nuts after a while. We’d do it so much I remember stupid questions, I guess they were testing social skills or something but there would be a question like:”Pete learns of the death of a friend in the newspaper. What should Pete do?
A) Send flowers.
B) Go to the funeral.
C) Burn the newspaper.
I always chose ‘’C’’. Guess that’s why I turned like I did. :-)
I agree!
Orwell sure knew what he was talking about.
Unfortunately so.
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