tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87050788870573417382024-03-18T22:52:44.763-04:00CurmudgeonI believe that mathematics should be taught, not collaboratively explored; algebra and geometry are better than a vague course of Integrated Math; spiraling doesn't work nearly as well as learning it properly the first time; "I don't DO math" should be an incentive rather than an excuse. "I don't DO English" should be treated the same way.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.comBlogger1138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-8957505960796796932021-11-25T09:18:00.009-05:002021-11-25T09:18:40.686-05:00Ask the Blogger: Should every skill taught in public education be coded with an employment skill to verify its validity?<p>Should every skill taught in public education be coded with an employment skill to verify its validity? </p><p>No.</p><p>Why not? </p><p>Well, here are some reasons why not: </p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>School is not training for a job. School is about teaching all the things that *every* job and life moment has in common, and then allowing students to expand that in certain directions. I'm going to insist that you learn certain math ideas that may only be interesting because they're beautiful, or useful in part in your job or future.</li><li>Some skills might not be applicable to employment but rather be foundational to some other, more complex, skill taught in school. Those skills are needed even if they can't be tied to "accounting" or "car mechanic".</li><li>“Validity” is a really curious word to apply here because what you think is a valid skill for your employment might be useless to me. My artist friends use proportions - no algebra, ever. How does a teacher know what job you'll be doing and thus what "skill" you'll need? Do I just assume that all boys need math and none of the girls will?</li><li>The question “When am I ever gonna have to use this?” is a tired ploy used by lazy teenagers. The answer is always and never. Could be never, could be every day, could be at work, could be your hobby, could be you completely changing your career because of a pandemic or some other unforeseen upheaval.</li></ol>Skills are an odd thing to focus on because neither I nor the student have the slightest clue what the student will need since none of us has any idea what we’ll be doing, nor do we know what skills we’ll need. <p>When I was in HS, the mainframe computer had a whopping 5MB of storage. My first program was holes representing letters punched line by line into cards using Fortran. Many of the skills I learned then have been made obsolete by the supercomputer in my pocket. </p><p>The first job I thought I would be doing for the rest of my life no longer exists. </p><p>If I go by what I see on the internet, spelling and grammar are no longer important, and neither is logic, critical thinking, empathy or sympathy, number sense, morals. Just because *you* don't use it doesn't mean it's useless; it should still be taught even if you can't determine its "validity" to employment. QAnon is a perfect example of a lack of critical thinking. <br /></p><p>Some of the most successful people on the planet are utter bastards, their primary skill being a lack of empathy, a total disdain for anyone, and the willingness to screw over anyone and everyone. I have no desire to teach those “valid” skills. </p><p>The incredible tediousness of linking every skill to *every possible application for that skill*, even if you could define exactly when a particular student would need to add or subtract integers. </p><p>Bottom line?
I’m teaching and you’re not. I’ve seen lots of “reform” that worked and lots that didn’t, but even more that wasted our time, mponey, and effort while having no noticeable benefit whatsoever.</p><p>I’ve seen the long-term effects of curriculum gaps and I’ve seen when what we do is exactly right. As a long-time teacher, I have a very clear sense of “what’s important” and I’ll fight for it. </p><p>I don’t frankly care about uninformed ideas about “what ought to be done” because I’ve seen the aftermath of those bright ideas that weren’t so bright and weren’t original. </p><p> I do care about the bright ideas that haven’t failed yet. Those I’ll try. </p><p>The problem with your question? We’ve tried it several times and it’s failed to produce any of it's stated benefits every single time.</p>Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-84663014903136790142020-07-20T13:45:00.001-04:002020-07-20T13:45:50.663-04:00Ask The Blogger: Do We Stick to the Curriculum?<div><div class="q-text qu-bold qu-fontSize--large qu-color--gray_dark_dim qu-passColorToLinks qu-userSelect--text qu-lineHeight--regular" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; word-break: break-word;"><b><span class="CssComponent__CssInlineComponent-sc-1oskqb9-1 TitleText___StyledCssInlineComponent-sc-1hpb63h-0 jPnwvF"><div class="q-flex qu-flexDirection--row" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: flex;"><div class="q-inline qu-flexWrap--wrap" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; display: inline;"><div class="q-text puppeteer_test_question_title" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr;"><span class="q-box qu-userSelect--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr;">Do
public high school teachers ever feel it is their ethical duty to teach
things that aren’t part of the State-mandated curriculum? </span></div></div></div></span></b></div><div class="q-box" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; max-width: 100%;"><div class="q-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; max-width: 100%;"><span class="q-box qu-userSelect--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr;"><p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Sure.
We are always editing the curricula for our classes because we all have
different experiences and we have different priorities.</span></p> <p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">I’ve
got an engineering degree. I used math for practical reasons, doing
hands-on problems. I want my students to understand why it’s necessary
by doing the same kinds of things with the math that I did and that they
will need to do in their futures.</span></p> <p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span class="q-box qu-userSelect--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr;"><span class="q-box qu-userSelect--text" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KTy1uoBEUZQ-Dgvws41Wg_2e3Mq_j0roD8lxHXiAVh5WU9WPHouPmnANTUTOk5ACRJXUSuwPk6hi3OcRE4si_KDtLuCma5Qw670QJx-EeGYWDjTB46NRaAuToyYJuEigHBSdZ2Bxgf5B/s800/5-Bolt_Pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KTy1uoBEUZQ-Dgvws41Wg_2e3Mq_j0roD8lxHXiAVh5WU9WPHouPmnANTUTOk5ACRJXUSuwPk6hi3OcRE4si_KDtLuCma5Qw670QJx-EeGYWDjTB46NRaAuToyYJuEigHBSdZ2Bxgf5B/w200-h200/5-Bolt_Pattern.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">To
a math major, that’s a pentagon. It’s got an apothem, a radius, and a
side length. To me, that’s a five-bolt pattern that needs to be milled
i</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">nto a block of aluminum for a wheel, and you measure it “this way,
between the top bolt and the center of the third bolt”.</span></p> <p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">VT
doesn’t mandate any curriculum, but our school has basically adopted
the CCSS. It has some limited technology requirements, but I have kids
use spreadsheets, DESMOS, wolframalpha, geogebra, laser transits, etc.,
whenever I can.</span></p> <p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">The
statistics book and the SAT use examples that contain 12 data points. I
like to give them ones that have at least 1000. Is spreadsheet facility
a part of the standards? No, but my students come back and tell me how
useful and helpful that knowledge is.</span></p> <p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">We’ve
all got our strengths; we’ve got our preferences and dislikes for which
courses we teach. We are always changing up what we teach if we think
we can give our kids an edge.</span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></p><p class="q-text qu-display--block" style="box-sizing: border-box; direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: start;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Narrator: The curriculum is a minimum.<br /></span></p> </span></div></div></div>Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-74662074604279773302020-02-07T08:06:00.001-05:002020-02-07T08:06:16.261-05:00The Walter Mitty President<div data-contents="true">
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="2fv3k-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="2fv3k-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="2fv3k-0-0"><span data-text="true">"Trump will say anything to rally his base. He wants to be re-elected."</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="5d0sn-0-0"><span data-text="true">I don't think that's his primary motivation for saying the things he does, for doing the things, for telling the lies. I think this is his version of self-help therapy, a free-association riff with feedback from the audience instead of from a psychiatrist.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9ff96-0-0">
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4au8i-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="4au8i-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hear me out. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="5d9e7-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5d9e7-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="5d9e7-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="6si60-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6si60-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6si60-0-0"><span data-text="true">Being President is scary to him. He knows he can't really do the job, and he thinks that it's a great way to make money and get some revenge on all the NJ and NY people who've made fun of him for the last forty years in the NYPost and elsewhere. "I'm more successful than you are" is *still* a big driver for him. </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="l0k1-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="l0k1-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="9d53l-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9d53l-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="9d53l-0-0"><span data-text="true">But his primary motivation for the bullshit? The reaction. Not to motivate the base. He can't see the base, or hear them. When he speaks, he reacts to every reaction, and modifies his next few sentences to maximize that reaction. He's surfing on the attention, twisting back and forth, letting the swells of attention guide his words.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="51fk3-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="51fk3-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="51fk3-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="8il7k-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8il7k-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8il7k-0-0"><span data-text="true">If he says something and doesn't get that immediate scream of adulation, he'll switch to something that does. When he does get it, he riffs on it, milking it for everything it's worth.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cpuee-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cpuee-0-0"><span data-text="true">He needs that feedback. He's not in control of his speeches; his listeners are. He provides the endless stream of consciousness drivel and the audience guides it with their cheers. The more you praise and worship his awesomeness, the more he gives you. The more attention he gets, the more he gives to get more of it. The attention is the drug that drives Trump. </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="cpuee-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="cpuee-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="57avk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="57avk-0-0"><span data-text="true">A reporter asks one of those leading questions that answers itself; his response is that of the school bully because he doesn't have a good reply. If the reporter asks a real question that pins him down, or makes it obvious that he failed, the network is banned or denied a press pass. Ask a softball question and he's your friend and he calls you at your desk at FoxNews, desperate for more pats on the head.</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="57avk-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="57avk-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6nfuo-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="6nfuo-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="80hni-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="80hni-0-0"><span data-text="true">He needs it because deep down, he knows he isn't good at what he does. He failed at business over and over, going bankrupt, losing money. He knows that he's taken a huge fortune and turned it into a lesser one, and he's scared shitless that SDNY will get his tax returns and prove it.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1eotk-0-0">
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="7gc9p" data-offset-key="fpmdd-0-0">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="fpmdd-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="fpmdd-0-0"><span data-text="true">He sucks at almost everything he's done. His marriages fail, his kids are messed up, he's a laughingstock to any competent person. He is the figurehead who failed at business, failed at family, failed at being President. The people with power couldn't give less of a shit about him as long as he doesn't get in their way; he's the useful idiot.</span></span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="308j-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="308j-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="308j-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="308j-0-0">Border wall? That was never a big deal until he started getting "shocked" faces and bitter denunciations. He threw it up and saw it stick to the wall, and kept right on going. He doesn't care about a wall -- he only cares about "trolling the libs" and getting his fix.</span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8nr71-0-0">
<span data-offset-key="8nr71-0-0"><span data-text="true">And then he stands in front of a rally and people cheer. For a few minutes, he can dream that someone loves him.</span></span></div>
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Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-7995069163324654912020-01-04T13:11:00.000-05:002020-01-04T13:11:15.027-05:00Teaching GrammarI was wasting time the other day, reading an article that my browser labeled "<a href="https://www.weareteachers.com/teachers-waste-time/">5 Administrative Tasks that Waste Teachers' Time</a>" even though the actual title at the top of the article itself was "5 Things Teachers Do Every Day That Are a Complete Waste of Time."<br />
<br />
Irony? I think that qualifies as irony. But, I digress.<br />
<br />
The article listed the following:<br />
<ol>
<li>Write the standard on the board. </li>
<li>Teach grammar. </li>
<li>Grade daily work. </li>
<li>Collect data. </li>
<li>Enforce the dress code. </li>
</ol>
Wait, what? One item at a time, shall we?<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Enforce the dress code</span></b> - that's a tough one. Dress codes are usually so one-sidedly sexist that I want to reject them outright and as a man (he/him/Mr.), I will always be over-cautious when it comes to enforcing dress code violations. Yeah, this can an administrator's job. I've got better things to worry about.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Collect data</span></b> - data is good, as long as it is collected without extra effort on anyone's part. I see no reason to fill out paper forms, hand out paper exit tickets, or collect paper that only services data collection. If you tell me I have time to transcribe data, then I would have far more time if you understood that I can distill that raw data into more meaningful information.<br />
<br />
I can ask for a show of hands. Clicker cards. Exit tickets and homework checks with Google Forms. That raw data is useless to anyone but me and instantly obsolete. My interpretation of that data is useful - we call that interpretation "Grades". That's what you pay me for. If you demand the detail, then I'll send you a blizzard of it and then pester you often for your interpretation of it, until you admit that it's not working for you.<br />
<br />
I read further; that isn't what they meant:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It seems there’s always some kid who desperately needs an IEP but doesn’t have one, which means we have to go through the process to get the kid services. Yes, it’s incredibly important to provide kids with the accommodations they need. But spending 20 minutes twice a week using some “intervention” one-on-one just to prove that it doesn’t work, then giving a “probe” that’s completely unrelated to my curriculum or the skills the kid needs? That’s meaningless paperwork, and it takes away from my students’ learning.</blockquote>
The author is an ass.<br />
<br />
The IEP has the power of a legal contract. It says what the school agrees to do, and by extension, me. They're important. If it says "20 minutes, twice a week" then it has to happen. To be fair, the author (Captain Awesome, apparently) teaches in the UK, so maybe things are different. In my school, the teacher is part of the team that decides what the school can guarantee to do, and we are expected to object if an intervention is truly impossible to fulfill; a school resource professional takes up the slack.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Grade Daily Work</span></b> - no argument there. If we're using a normal 100-pt scale, tests are 100-150pts. That means homework or classwork is 0pts or 5pts, depending on "an honest attempt". In the current SBG, this stuff is "formative" and carries no value to the grade. Either way, I'll tell you how you are doing, but I won't grade it.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Write the Standard on the Board</span></b>. Yep, waste of time. Especially for us. Our administration has declared that each course has one "Power Standard" each term (8 terms). The same words are posted for a month; it's not particularly useful. If you mean "Daily Learning Target" should be posted, then that's different. I doubt that posting it has much purpose or improves the teaching in any way, but I'll do it if my paycheck depends on it.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Teach Grammar.</span></b> WTF? Grammar is vital. (I'm assuming that Captain Awesome is an English teacher). Grammar to an English teacher is analogous to arithmetic and mental mathematics to a math teacher - it's basic, vital, and perilous if overlooked.<br />
<br />
Take the line: y = (3/7)x + 2<br />
<br />
What numbers would you substitute for x to get three points that you can graph? Why? If they aren't saying "-7, 0, and 7 because fractions", then you have a problem. You really shouldn't be moving on without this conversation because they can save so much pointless mental anguish trying to graph (3, 12/7) or (3,1&5/7) -- this takes up all their abilities and they miss this new idea of a linear function. A slope of 100/250 can be reduced to 2/5 or 0.2, but can also be thought of as 100 up and 250 over, or 100 hits in 250 at-bats.<br />
<br />
Grammar is similar. If it's understood, then your students can use it and communicate clearly and easily. If they don't "get" it, then you need to stop what you're doing and dive in.<br />
<br />
I teach SAT prep. Most of the math I do is review. Let's look at this again, now that you basically know what to do but perhaps have forgotten "why?". Show me you can write the equations that model "$500 pays for 14 bags and 200 pounds overweight, or "kilometers are roughly five-eighths of a mile, so 55mph is equal to how many kph?".<br />
<br />
Funny enough, I also have to review for the Verbal Test.<br />
<br />
"The students' knowledge of grammar (is/are) laughable."<br />
They can't identify the subject, so how are they supposed to know subject-verb agreement? "Clause" only has meaning at Christmas and adverbs are much the same as proverbs, apparently. "Past tense" is an easy concept as long as you know the meaning of "tense" in this context, and most students don't.<br />
<br />
In fact, the only kids who understand English grammar are the ones who are in at least their second year of a foreign language. <br />
<br />
Bah, Humbug.<br />
<br />
I've got to get back to work.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-32692414066064210622020-01-01T10:15:00.002-05:002020-01-01T10:15:46.361-05:00Ask the Narrator: SAT Q: Does the college SAT accurately measure one’s intelligence level, or is it simply a comparative tool?<br />
<br />
Narrator:<br />
<br />
The SAT is not about intelligence. It is testing English grammar, writing, and reading skills; and algebraic interpretation and computation, along with some statistics and a bit of geometry and trig. It does not go a very good job of predicting success; high school transcripts are better, and correlate with college success fairly well.
<br />
<br />
What the SAT does do well is help the college admissions staff. Is this A average as good as that one? Does this student’s straight A transcript represent good grades in hard math courses or are the courses mislabeled? Are the teachers over- or under- grading?
<br />
<br />
If you got As in math through “precalculus” but score a 450 in math, that’s telling. If there’s nothing else in the application that explains this discrepancy, like documented test anxiety, then the school’s math department is doing a lot of “social promotion”. The SAT is a pretty good “comparative tool”, but perhaps not in the way you intended.
<br />
<br />
So why is your transcript a better predictor of college success?
<br />
<br />
Because the transcript (HS grades, really) correlates with hard work, willingness to learn and accept extra help, self-motivation, willingness to do assignments and homework as well as possible. Innate ability is a factor, but can easily be derailed by a lack of the other characteristics.
<br />
<br />
Perhaps not too surprising, those are the same characteristics that make a great college student. Innate intelligence is great in college but as a newly-minted adult with all of the responsibility and none of the external “controlling factors”, college students are far too often sabotaged by their own lack of control.<br />
<br />
Also, Narrator:<br />
<br />
With this attitude so widespread, is it any wonder that college kids can't get their heads straight?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrL_uHtmnVf6tCwqjCtqXXediyvEsk5B4UxT6AP3nfw13mFbii6MNdyFJ0NWMqwn_BDVX5yCskpFTL6WlZ4zT6RmhOblTJUwXMNM_RkoR_nOnZbKMW7-RHvbru_FYqzNEVaGRsSO9gmX1/s1600/newyearmeme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="640" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxrL_uHtmnVf6tCwqjCtqXXediyvEsk5B4UxT6AP3nfw13mFbii6MNdyFJ0NWMqwn_BDVX5yCskpFTL6WlZ4zT6RmhOblTJUwXMNM_RkoR_nOnZbKMW7-RHvbru_FYqzNEVaGRsSO9gmX1/s320/newyearmeme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-38897043182825415252019-12-18T14:29:00.000-05:002019-12-18T14:29:12.844-05:00Ask the Blogger: Slept through Final ExamAsk The Blogger:<br />
<br />
I accidentally slept through my exam, which is worth 50%. Should I ask my professor for a redo, or would that look bad?<br />
<br />
Curmudgeon:<br />
<br />
You should absolutely ask. The answer is probably “No”, but there is small chance of “yes”.<br />
<br />
The one thing you should do is be honest, admit to the mistake, and see if there’s another administration of the exam possible. It helps if you already have a good rapport with your professor, attended office hours, asked intelligent questions, and demonstrated your willingness to do the work and learn.<br />
<br />
If you try to BS your way through it, you’ll be flat-out rejected. Professors get this all the time. There’s a joke going around about the effect exams have on grandparents’ health in that they tend to die right around finals week, and somewhat surprisingly, a single grandparent will occasionally die more than once. Lies will absolutely come back to haunt you to the end of your career in that department.<br />
<br />
If you’ve never talked to them before, you won’t get anywhere, either. It’s very easy to point to the clock and remind you that the information was in the syllabus that you obviously hadn’t read and that the course would be offered again. It’s harder for them to do that if they know that you have been working hard and been involved with the course.<br />
<br />
Don’t get angry. You screwed up.<br />
<br />
Don’t complain. It’s your fault.<br />
<br />
There are no excuses that will work here. Only an explanation and a hope that there was some reason that an alternative final was already planned, and that you’d be allowed into that session.<br />
<br />
Narrator:<br />
<br />
Sadly, the answer was "no" but, in the long run, it all worked out for our student. They retook the course, got straight As, and found that this paved the way for a degree path that was much more fulfilling. Later, they found themselves doing research with that professor, earning second-line mention on the resulting paper.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-71514423975486172932019-12-14T13:28:00.001-05:002019-12-14T13:29:13.236-05:00Ask The Blogger: Admission RevocationAsk the Curmudgeon:<br />
<br />
If I was accepted by Early Decision, can the college revoke my acceptance? Are there typical grades that must be maintained for the HS senior year in order to attend the college?<br />
<br />
Curmudgeon:<br />
<br />
“Senioritis” is students’ attempt to excuse lazy, selfish behavior. You may think this time is your “last months before getting serious” but it is actually not.<br />
<br />
High school is for teens who are not quite ready to be adults. Senior year is the transition. Senior year is when you need to demonstrate to yourself that you can be an adult, accept responsibility, stand up under pressure, look out for your better interests, academically invest in yourself. (and to the faculty and parents, but mostly to *you*)<br />
<br />
You need to arrive in college able to adapt to oddball professors, advocate for yourself (since advisors rarely do as much as you think they should), get out and learn rather than sit back and passively absorb whatever gets past your AirBud filters, discipline yourself with completing the workload, limit your distractions and maximize the education opportunities you’re paying a lot of money for.<br />
<br />
If you can’t do that in the protected, slightly limited HS setting, what makes you think that you’ll magically be able to do so 6 months later when you are in college?<br />
<br />
Why does anyone consider that doing nothing academically is a good preparation for spending $30,000 per year doing academic things?<br />
<br />
Can the college revoke your acceptance? Yes.<br />
<br />
If you prove that you can’t resist slacking off, if you aren’t ready for the challenges and sheer joys of college, then you should be grateful if they do.<br />
<br />
Narrator:<br />
<br />
Sadly, he heard the advice, but didn't listen to it.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-34848666706675088112019-12-10T21:30:00.002-05:002019-12-14T13:21:42.238-05:00Ask the Narrator: FlagsAsk The Narrator:<br />
<br />
"I fly the Stars and Bars and a Trump flag. LGBTQ aquintances have said that it's hurtful. I said, 'You might as well de-friend me
now because I have a Trump 2020 flag hanging out front of my house and a
Confederate flag hanging in my office. I hope you don't de-friend me
though.' Am I the Asshole?"<br />
<br />
Narrator: Yes.<br />
<br />
If that is how you truly feel, that all the things those two flags represent is ok with you, why should anyone who has been targeted by people waving those flags say "Yeah, that's alright. He must be nice in other ways"?<br />
<br />
What parts of those philosophies do you reject - any part? Are you ok with slavery? With white supremacy? You okay telling people that you support a President who will behave in such a fashion and say the things he said about POC, immigrants, etc, all while promoting policies that actively harm other people? If so, don't be surprised at the reaction you get.<br />
<br />
I tell my students, "If you stand here and say 'You can't stop me from saying this or believing that, I don't care what you think" - don't be surprised if people accept your statement and shut you out."<br />
<br />
Words have meanings.<br />
If you don't agree with them, don't say them. <br />
<br />
Flags have meanings.<br />
If you don't really mean all that they represent, don't fly them. It definitely sucks if you believe in Libertarian ideals and consider the Gadsden Flag appropriate, but you also must realize that far more people fly that banner with very different intentions. <br />
<br />
If you know that something you say (and flying the stars and bars is definitely speech) will aggravate, or anger, or depress, or disappoint someone else and you say it anyway, don't be surprised if they take you at your word.<br />
<br />
You have rights to speech, but not to my company or to the company of people targeted by many of those who fly those two flags.<br />
<br />
You *might* be the one holdout, the one nice guy flying those flags.
But I doubt it. Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-61746935682542132712019-11-16T12:29:00.002-05:002019-11-16T12:29:40.553-05:00Ask the Narrator: AppsWarning: The narrator of this blog is "going there".<br />
<br />
<h3>
Ask the Narrator: An App</h3>
<br />
<i>What do you think about an app that helps parents to easily communicate with teachers towards the educational welfare of students both at school and at home?</i><br />
<br />
Hoo-boy. <br />
<br />
<span class="inline_editor_value" id="__w2_wLIPwiY5227_answer_content"></span><br />
<div class="u-serif-font-main--regular">
<div class="ui_qtext_expanded">
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"><div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
I’d have to look at it to be able to say. A few things about your question jump out, though.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
“app”
& “easily communicate” — you mean like email, texting, facebook
clone, instagram, whatsapp, slack, messenger, facetime, …?</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
As
a teacher, I don’t want this much communication with every one of my
students parents because my job is teaching, not socializing. The
biggest problem teachers have with parents is getting them to let go the
reins, stop the constant hovering, … essentially to back off and let
their children learn in peace.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Younger
children need more oversight, but high school kids much less so.
Juniors and seniors are nearly adults. HS is the time to learn
self-control, self-motivation, learn from mistakes, break away from
Momma and get out of bed on their own, take responsibility for their own
education …. now, before it costs $30,000 per year.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
“Educational welfare” — what does that even mean?</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
“at
school and at home” — Children at school are my responsibility not the
parents’. Children at home are their parents’ responsibility, not mine.
Mixing these is where the most egregious problems happen.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Unless,
of course, if you’d like me to express my opinions on your ability to
cook a nutritious meal, refrain from attending that ridiculous church,
comment on your parenting skills, criticize your gun control views, tell
you that your kid should be studying rather than having a part-time
job, question your support of Trump despite all the evidence, point out
that being poor is your fault … and let’s not get into the fact that
your divorce from the third man in your kid’s life is really messing her
up and causing psychological problems.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Before
you argue that all of that would never happen because teachers are just
peachy-keen and awesome, supportive people, I have to mention that each
one of those comments did happen in local districts or in my own
district, and everyone wasn’t particularly happy. (Side note: being a union representative can be soooo interesting, sometimes)</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
I guess I’ve answered your question, after all.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
I don’t want that app.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Fortunately for me, you don’t either.</div>
</span></div>
</div>
Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-17165005822536457602019-11-11T13:53:00.000-05:002019-11-11T13:53:32.683-05:00Ask the Narrator: Taxes for Education"I'm sick of paying for everyone else's kids to go to school. Why can't people without children pay smaller amounts of school tax than people with children?"<br />
<h3>
Ask The Narrator</h3>
<br />
Because you’re not paying for a child to go to school. You are paying taxes in a town, and that town is funding a school for any child who lives in the district. You aren’t driving on every road the town maintains, nor using all of the services available, or even paying all that much and you may have children in that district someday. <br />
<br />
Mostly, you are living in a civilized society and that society believes that every child deserves an education.<br />
<br />
Some numbers. I pay about $3000 per year on my property taxes for education. I will probably pay those taxes from age 24 - 64 (after that, education taxes are minimal or zero) - so a total contribution of $120,000, which sounds like a lot but it's over 40 years. However, the town guarantees an education to any child … all of mine, any step children, foster children, grandchildren if the kids get in trouble and can’t take care of them, children of relatives if we all want them to be in a better school system, immigrant children if we decide to sponsor them, … each one costing about $15,000 per year. And that’s just my household. Homeless or orphaned, single parent or two, black or white or something in between, disabled or genius or both or neither, athlete or nerd.<br />
<br />
My lifetime taxes pay for one child, K-9th grade. Cheap at the price.<br />
<br />
It’s just like buying home insurance that you never used because your house never burns down ... but you bought it anyway.<br />
<br />
Then, we have the argument that "I don't want my kids to go to public school ... why
can't I spend MY money the way I want to? Gimme a full-tuition voucher
to a private school."<br />
<br />
Because it isn't your money. You don't get to contribute $3000 per year and get a check for $30,000 to send your two kids to Catholic School. And, as above, that tax money is being used by the town to provide an inexpensive education for its citizens. If you don't want to take advantage of that offer, that's fine, but you don't then get to demand they pay for your whims.<br />
<br />
If your local school sucks, perhaps you might consider helping to change it and fix it instead of selfishly trying to destroy it with no replacement.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-3931040264541315982019-11-10T12:25:00.002-05:002019-11-10T13:01:31.198-05:00Ask The Narrator: Mandatory College For All<span class="inline_editor_value" id="__w2_wMftIyw4100_answer_content"></span><br />
<div class="u-serif-font-main--regular">
<div class="ui_qtext_expanded">
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"></span><br />
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">Recently, the Narrator was asked if college would ever be made mandatory like K12 is. The narrator says no. </span></div>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">
</span>
<h3>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"><div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Ask The Narrator</div>
</span></h3>
<h3>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"></span></h3>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"></span><br />
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext"><b>"Will college ever be mandatory?"</b> </span></div>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">
</span>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">No.</span></div>
<span class="ui_qtext_rendered_qtext">
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
K-12
students, by and large, are not yet adults. You can’t require college
for adults. </div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Being the Narrator allows for extending the question.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<b>"Should there be college for all?"</b></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Nope. </div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
College isn’t for everyone in the first place, isn’t
appropriate for many who do wind up going, and isn’t appropriate for
everyone at the exact age they graduate high school.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
No,
the most you can do is put policies into place to encourage college for
all, but you need to have some mechanisms to keep out those
who don’t really want to be there.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<b>"Should there be programs to offer aid (up to free tuition) to all?"</b> </div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Yes.</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Four-year college is the pinnacle in the minds of most Americans, but that's ridiculous. Two-year degrees are just as worthwhile to many people because of differing aspirations, abilities, and life situations. So are tech programs, certifications programs and that sort of thing. </div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
If we can provide tuition for a four-year degree at a State School (which I think we can and should do), why not also help out with the retraining costs for someone who wants to be a long-haul trucker and help them get a CDL? Why not help the office worker who wants to retrain as an accountant?</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
Why should we wait for the plant to close and lay off all its workers before we help them get training in another field if they want to put in the considerable time and effort?</div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
<div class="ui_qtext_para u-ltr u-text-align--start">
<br /></div>
</span></div>
</div>
Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-29147503589407940612019-11-04T20:55:00.000-05:002019-11-07T16:37:53.255-05:00Ask the Narrator: SAT prep tactics<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Ask the Narrator</h3>
<br />
<h4>
Q: How do I prepare for the math SAT?</h4>
<b>A: <span data-offset-key="fkskn-0-0"><span data-text="true">Hard work. There is no "Royal Road to Success."</span></span></b><br />
<br />
Learn math every day.<br />
<br />
Practice math every day.<br />
<br />
Take your courses seriously every day.<br />
<br />
See math problems as a challenge you can beat, not a chore you have to suffer through.<br />
<br />
It takes deliberate practice, like the stuff you do to improve at soccer or chess, instead of half-assing your way through something just to finish it; that's the only way to succeed at anything, especially math.<br />
<br />
Improve your arithmetic skills: mental math (for quick estimation), fractions, percents. Not having to worry about these will free your mind for more complicated parts of the questions.<br />
<br />
Practice reading word problems and converting to algebra - there are plenty of questions like this on the SAT. You can find 8 sample tests on the collegeboard website - download them and take them.<br />
<br />
Find out if anyone in your school has taken the SAT and requested (and paid for) the wrong answer report. If you can afford it, request it yourself when you take the test. Reviewing these questions helps a lot.<br />
<br />
Finally, understand that the SAT is made up of the stuff you learned in:<br />
<ul>
<li>Pre-Algebra (the statistics questions are at this level), </li>
<li>Algebra 1 (especially word problems in systems of linear equations), </li>
<li>Geometry, and a smidgeon of trig (mostly the right-triangle trig from ch8 in Geometry),</li>
<li>Algebra 2 (the raw, pure algebra of weird-looking expressions that factor nicely, etc.).</li>
</ul>
Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-47247866669602085872019-11-02T20:46:00.001-04:002019-11-02T21:01:28.150-04:00Ask the Narrator: Class sizeIn the spirit of all of those movies with a Narrator voice-over ...<br />
<br />
It's the Inaugural Episode of ...<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Ask The Narrator</h3>
<b>What is the optimal classroom size for creating the best quality learning environment?</b><br />
<br />
I like my math classes between 10 and 18.<br />
<br />
Fewer than 10 leads to too much of a tutoring situation. The student has to be “on” at all times, and misses out on being able to sit back and consider while someone else asks that same “dumb” question.<br />
<br />
More than 18 allows students to hide and you can’t “check in” with them enough in a class period and they don’t learn as much or as well.<br />
<br />
More than 24 kids in a class means that the kids on the edges are essentially taking a live-action but on-line class. They don’t ask questions, they don’t work very hard, they skate through and maybe learn something - or not; it’s as if you weren’t even there.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-48873638941436934102019-04-12T21:42:00.000-04:002019-04-14T12:00:53.745-04:00Let Math Fix Elections ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Note: I originally wrote this piece several years ago, but bumped it to the top when I read that the GOP is thinking of reconfiguring their primaries and convention.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGcQkcrvl_NSRaHwqEwl8Mi7VZ0gs8M6FQ3dGgGFjJo-uy76I6ukIJMUK-BjdHVTo4QEhOIMH0frBurRyR6w5V0G7Q-ONlRrf8ijoOLN4I-aDqn559Mf4e5bcnDVLeMlcmgNd0PLzVofA/s1600-h/vote300x300.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGcQkcrvl_NSRaHwqEwl8Mi7VZ0gs8M6FQ3dGgGFjJo-uy76I6ukIJMUK-BjdHVTo4QEhOIMH0frBurRyR6w5V0G7Q-ONlRrf8ijoOLN4I-aDqn559Mf4e5bcnDVLeMlcmgNd0PLzVofA/s200/vote300x300.gif" width="200" /></a><br />
What if we really wanted to reform elections – How to do it? <br />
<br />
The flaws in the current system are obvious to all – campaigns beginning right after the off-year elections, candidates who rarely stray from bullet-point sound-bites, massive amounts of money being raised and spent, and the all-too-common situation of one candidate's reaching a domination point before all of the states have had their say. <br />
<br />
The desire for relevance has resulted in a furious jockeying for first primary. New Hampshire is pushing its primary as far back as it can to maintain its first-in-the-nation status, Iowa is following suit and California just moved its primary to February. It doesn't have to be this way and it shouldn't be this way. <br />
<br />
I propose that there be 6 days of primary voting, arranged so that the delegate total doubles each time.<br />
<br />
In order to simplify the numbers, I'll use Electoral college numbers as proxy for population or primary delegate numbers. It's not perfect, but it's a good start.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Primary Day I</h3>
Leave NH and Iowa first, voting at the end of February. They have been first for many years and are located in completely different parts of the country. They are also small. This small size gives all of the candidates an equal chance to get into a bus and criss-cross the two states meeting personally with as much of the electorate as possible. This sort of old-fashioned campaigning is essential at the beginning.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYJj2HV-GYOk1X6VHCmj9Ach2rdEXvBvr4pmpLX-8RSbFmi1yCqfXp42m-UQyZxxtNrrU0T_3xV5RP7d_GAQt2rDkr5JtGF-b8HW07NZG82-Vn3CJUwhpUqIakrynd6P9dDodH7Q-cWhc/s1600-h/winnowing300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYJj2HV-GYOk1X6VHCmj9Ach2rdEXvBvr4pmpLX-8RSbFmi1yCqfXp42m-UQyZxxtNrrU0T_3xV5RP7d_GAQt2rDkr5JtGF-b8HW07NZG82-Vn3CJUwhpUqIakrynd6P9dDodH7Q-cWhc/s200/winnowing300.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NH and IA are the first:<br />
they winnow the candidates.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The media will, of course, follow and dutifully report on all of the wonderful stories, repeat all the sound bites and give valuable airtime to the candidates. Because only two states are in contention for the next three weeks or so, all of the candidate's attention is on a small number of voters and a small geographical area.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 1: 2% of delegates committed)</b></div>
<br />
After NH and Iowa have done their civic duties and winnowed the field somewhat, we have then three to four weeks before the next group of small states in mid-March.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Primary Day II</h3>
Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Delaware, D.C., and Alaska.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 2 cumulative total: 6% of delegates committed)</b></div>
<br />
After this second day of voting, the candidates have been analyzed, interviewed, tested under fire, suffered through elections, and hopefully taken a closer look at themselves and their campaigns and made realistic projections about their futures. These small contests harden the serious candidates and eliminate any truly weak ones. Group II states are all "relevant" in that they are the first real test, the first crucible of cross-country campaigning.<br />
<br />
Viable candidates who are late-comers to the party won't suffer, though. There have only been some small elections. A candidate could declare in March and still have a realistic shot.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Primary Day III</h3>
Now its time (1st week in April) for Rhode Island, Maine, Idaho, Hawaii, West Virginia, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Nebraska. Some are blue states, some are red, some are coastal, others are interior states.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 3 cumulative total: 14% of delegates committed)</b></div>
<br />
Our goal now is to force the candidates to campaign to wider audiences. TV ads and news interviews have given the candidates plenty of exposure by now. People in the coming elections are seeing the results of earlier elections and starting to mobilize their parties.<br />
<br />
At every step of the way, anyone could take over the lead regardless of the current totals. We're doubling down at every turn - at every stage someone can decide to become a candidate and can come in and sweep up enough delegates to take the lead.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKxwWOG_bZVKqRzKn4Xl91_x2W9wtCEVXY2_xFs2yrVjuYdx8u7yHrdGARkeWeR7yjrnuEp_3iftX0JGFY-GC_GKTnrxiupKgIZDXgxQIEQ7XW4NYkZqQtvLGJ_Joi6JAwm4qHjRdS8mF/s1600-h/Lincoln-Douglas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgKxwWOG_bZVKqRzKn4Xl91_x2W9wtCEVXY2_xFs2yrVjuYdx8u7yHrdGARkeWeR7yjrnuEp_3iftX0JGFY-GC_GKTnrxiupKgIZDXgxQIEQ7XW4NYkZqQtvLGJ_Joi6JAwm4qHjRdS8mF/s200/Lincoln-Douglas.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
First Interlude</h4>
The race is in full gallop. The early debates can happen now. With 18 days or so before the next round, the country has a perfect opportunity to see these candidates in debates and forums. Jim Lehrer can put them through their paces.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Primary Day IV - Super Tuesday</h3>
In the 3rd or 4th week of April, we have the first Super-Tuesday. Mississippi, Kansas, Arkansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, Connecticut, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Colorado, Alabama bring the delegate total from 14% to 29%.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 4 cumulative total: 29% of delegates committed)</b></div>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
Primary Day V - Super Twosday</h3>
Two weeks later, the next Super Tuesday, somewhere near May 10th : Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Virginia.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 5 cumulative total: 50% of delegates committed)</b></div>
<br />
<h4>
Second Interlude</h4>
Candidates are now running around like crazy folk, but the primaries are coming with two-week "respites" that will allow everyone time to regroup and refocus on the next set of states.<br />
<br />
Remember too, that even now only half of the delegates have been assigned – it's still anyone's race. Theoretically, a candidate could step in and sweep the next Super Tuesday and ride triumphantly to the party conventions in June.<br />
<br />
Major candidates are now invited to the second round of debates. During these two weeks, the candidate debates can be held every four days or so. The League of Women Voters and other civic groups conduct debates, get-togethers, and candidate forums.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Primary Day VI</h3>
So here it is, the last Super Tuesday, in the week of May 24th … North Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, New York, Texas, California. These are the biggest states with the most voters, evenly split red state - blue state. Candidates still have the chance to "come from behind." They have been in the news for weeks and have had ample time to get out the vote in these big states, raise money, buy ads, and spend money.<br />
<div style="border: 2px none white; color: red;">
<b>(Day 6 cumulative total: 100% of delegates committed)</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6-qfO8ra5MEJFiANYlYST5g4CFE9A1ZAu_wszmJZdEh4vRNB0NLz5-j9jc3BrZBbxhFeQuwrux5xKVBs5Hx_FwFQ0P0Q7Ru5FX3NzxYGnyqvFi61EesUvUkIoXSkCV4sfgec7DHG5aKd/s1600-h/DoublingCube2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6-qfO8ra5MEJFiANYlYST5g4CFE9A1ZAu_wszmJZdEh4vRNB0NLz5-j9jc3BrZBbxhFeQuwrux5xKVBs5Hx_FwFQ0P0Q7Ru5FX3NzxYGnyqvFi61EesUvUkIoXSkCV4sfgec7DHG5aKd/s200/DoublingCube2.gif" width="150" /></a></div>
We've been doubling the totals every time to keep everyone relevant. We've kept the elections to six intense days, instead of scattershot across the five, six or seven months.<br />
<br />
Every state matters because no candidate can get an insurmountable lead. Every vote counts because no one can be declared a winner until the end of May. Even the last set of states are relevant: without this group, no one can get over the top. Between Valentine's Day and Memorial Day, we've conducted our business, and can take the holiday weekend off.<br />
<br />
We'll have earned it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtAIaHfsrEO_Mf-pR0OslTyR5cW7dAu1VnhN91AFjjiwz6fnpqrPChsrqjjyoNKptr1xBPFsjWQ_45sRUqyiA15BC-47MbUOcrZOK7D91AlLKD5wp8H65SAfMWdX3cHn9mBrLi2jEQlbJ/s1600/sixdays.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453501633861724354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJtAIaHfsrEO_Mf-pR0OslTyR5cW7dAu1VnhN91AFjjiwz6fnpqrPChsrqjjyoNKptr1xBPFsjWQ_45sRUqyiA15BC-47MbUOcrZOK7D91AlLKD5wp8H65SAfMWdX3cHn9mBrLi2jEQlbJ/s400/sixdays.gif" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 230px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-25522571965326311192019-01-21T18:00:00.000-05:002019-10-17T18:54:23.279-04:00Do This and the Bunny DiesBy request Ms Cangialosi:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-wEvk3BX4Gl8fmYYRzmaql6cv4a-PhYDRniMpwy7if8q5h_CKqP-EynJ2_40ykWuF9KH1k19r76dx1-3xDzF9yMU91pjm2quUPwfdP8nFPaGB5P_B-o9JrIbjN0vDgdx4HX-SUebjuGX/s1600/DoThisWorldBurns.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1028" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-wEvk3BX4Gl8fmYYRzmaql6cv4a-PhYDRniMpwy7if8q5h_CKqP-EynJ2_40ykWuF9KH1k19r76dx1-3xDzF9yMU91pjm2quUPwfdP8nFPaGB5P_B-o9JrIbjN0vDgdx4HX-SUebjuGX/s400/DoThisWorldBurns.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Because someone's beagles do this all the time ...<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtuBJNU3aGLi4GZPXMct3Bh75yIYyc-5SThrvYiGjvA0TvAHix5zqPSxCkGoKQbSBvXsn5gfURf9rXn4C003unsYTOV1rhNfbgUu76DyhOxSjkrcGt70d-sPyTg0Yx6BYSvGxeYZaJ4iA/s1600/DoThisBeagle.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="968" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtuBJNU3aGLi4GZPXMct3Bh75yIYyc-5SThrvYiGjvA0TvAHix5zqPSxCkGoKQbSBvXsn5gfURf9rXn4C003unsYTOV1rhNfbgUu76DyhOxSjkrcGt70d-sPyTg0Yx6BYSvGxeYZaJ4iA/s400/DoThisBeagle.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Fresh from today's test:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuW7d2BIPY-yC6hFVDzKX7fyBeAsiPr6AfzRV32Mbqd9eNqEQQyqaDN8kroUwpk1_-6vYqoDmB35xyuPp5dL_LsJcQN8PtkxJ8Iut3YZACnyBKkhnJixL5OZmtaLyviy_XPCU5hJJsgV5/s1600/DoThisUniverse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuW7d2BIPY-yC6hFVDzKX7fyBeAsiPr6AfzRV32Mbqd9eNqEQQyqaDN8kroUwpk1_-6vYqoDmB35xyuPp5dL_LsJcQN8PtkxJ8Iut3YZACnyBKkhnJixL5OZmtaLyviy_XPCU5hJJsgV5/s400/DoThisUniverse.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Nominated by <a href="https://twitter.com/MathsPadJames">@MathsPadJame</a>,<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaila2JZki3g9BKtrwTZc_0vdr7GRQhe_bNP7k0K1ScRdmnVx61JQchUraebZ4mvpQivWS11v0-juWpfQ8Hg9tAVsZmsDtBiQc19d-2G_5DGHCNm0hpTWVbXwqHHWRwe-nDUpO_prf6n-x/s1600/DoThisbabyotter.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaila2JZki3g9BKtrwTZc_0vdr7GRQhe_bNP7k0K1ScRdmnVx61JQchUraebZ4mvpQivWS11v0-juWpfQ8Hg9tAVsZmsDtBiQc19d-2G_5DGHCNm0hpTWVbXwqHHWRwe-nDUpO_prf6n-x/s320/DoThisbabyotter.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Seriously? <a href="http://nixthetricks.com/">Nix The Tricks</a>, Dammit!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwv6JPf4lZYI0VCa-DbmDfRNELb_5HjuohCjvTqDDx3B_Y_oW7_wveJaW_EKZ_0O8UIcSxaJG7UvTkAghIe4-A2bUHSrDQFqxHZLgPxwhYToMh777fMK37niurpQlQoYJtN9MBJujcHyU/s1600/DoThisGroot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwv6JPf4lZYI0VCa-DbmDfRNELb_5HjuohCjvTqDDx3B_Y_oW7_wveJaW_EKZ_0O8UIcSxaJG7UvTkAghIe4-A2bUHSrDQFqxHZLgPxwhYToMh777fMK37niurpQlQoYJtN9MBJujcHyU/s400/DoThisGroot.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm trying to hold it together, people ...<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia_qTo2ycS_xbL6MCFrKSDO5RqQuAixoK9hacJzWJDydWSMz9rqp9zvyTHJyBTSU3eK4b40Wo9c5bngGyTCPneEH6iVb9sFjcWCJ5btN6zyiD5td2sFHy34fNOJYafAEJJVOWxVMWXgXo/s1600/DoThisOwl.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia_qTo2ycS_xbL6MCFrKSDO5RqQuAixoK9hacJzWJDydWSMz9rqp9zvyTHJyBTSU3eK4b40Wo9c5bngGyTCPneEH6iVb9sFjcWCJ5btN6zyiD5td2sFHy34fNOJYafAEJJVOWxVMWXgXo/s400/DoThisOwl.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
We've both had enough of that fraction mistake.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8JrOpOldxBr_XvZ0-15JBBHxUBzRHm_DdUzarePsABDQitifUxNT3qdeX82tQyJNoW7t2KWIHOq_nR79Y69eq9xH9iT4ko8saPR9W0gkBqcXWIl4TWuJDwFzrqAoo4rdDyKQ_WCX_i4Z/s1600/DoThisPolarBearCub2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8JrOpOldxBr_XvZ0-15JBBHxUBzRHm_DdUzarePsABDQitifUxNT3qdeX82tQyJNoW7t2KWIHOq_nR79Y69eq9xH9iT4ko8saPR9W0gkBqcXWIl4TWuJDwFzrqAoo4rdDyKQ_WCX_i4Z/s400/DoThisPolarBearCub2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
That's not even reasonable ....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjxb_JdsYOwJKT7J3E1w9FVwCFTwxNQeMksV2xc_lkdEQweM1mTVL_HEyiXmHPz4u8LyRGUBpMbpLsWIrwX7G3nWATRf6viXjSJhfQ97aPu2MDqdVuoCf27egIgvPvnnva2VsIpqXW65Q/s1600/DoThisPolarBearCub.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjxb_JdsYOwJKT7J3E1w9FVwCFTwxNQeMksV2xc_lkdEQweM1mTVL_HEyiXmHPz4u8LyRGUBpMbpLsWIrwX7G3nWATRf6viXjSJhfQ97aPu2MDqdVuoCf27egIgvPvnnva2VsIpqXW65Q/s400/DoThisPolarBearCub.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
One for the younger ones ...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-O-EEB0W0pILyObrO1Lp0QbcaZNf3r2SI7fr3-FjP4cSKmNWvZO8UfW3Q-MFDqzrx9ZBS4jH4OQZgZ-5m2Ni2jFFC0DFrJf8eppExVWfmC3CN3p_Mi-acYApq_ZfqxdRHRXRW_PqAnliB/s1600/DoThisOwlet2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-O-EEB0W0pILyObrO1Lp0QbcaZNf3r2SI7fr3-FjP4cSKmNWvZO8UfW3Q-MFDqzrx9ZBS4jH4OQZgZ-5m2Ni2jFFC0DFrJf8eppExVWfmC3CN3p_Mi-acYApq_ZfqxdRHRXRW_PqAnliB/s400/DoThisOwlet2.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<hr />
Can't remember where I saw this first. (edit: Finally found out the original ones with the handwritten math came from Bowman Dickson,<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> <a href="https://twitter.com/bowmanimal">@bowmanimal</a>)</span><br />
<br />
I cleaned up the original images a bit and tried to keep it sensible, but between the kids' and my evil senses of humor ... this project has grown out of control.<br />
<br />
We might as well just enjoy it.<br />
<br />
Save the Rabbit!<br />
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<br />
Finally found out these original ones with the handwritten math came from Bowman Dickson,<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> <a href="https://twitter.com/bowmanimal">@bowmanimal</a>. You can blame him for starting all this. ;-)</span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> </span>Poor Kitten ... this happens all the time.<br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"></span><br />
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<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"></span>Such a shame how often that poor puppy gets it ... <br />
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Damn you, TI !<br />
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Because we all know a Fawn ...<br />
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Pandas are endangered, people. Cut that out!<br />
from http://www.paulmcdonogh.com<br />
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Poor, poor Grumpy Cat.<br />
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Don't make him cry, people!<br />
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You heartless bastards.<br />
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I have nothing left to say. <br />
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Do You REALLY want him to win?<br />
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;">There's more!</span></span><br />
<br />
Look at how sad he is ...<br />
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Don't you want friends ....<br />
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Poor bastard ...<br />
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SO very disappointed ...<br />
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It's just mean for you to do this ...<br />
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This just makes me sad ...<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/qinz2yan0vihlgn/DoThisAll.ppt?dl=0">Do This All .ppt</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/a8v4blj1cdhhbpe/DoThisAll.pdf?dl=0">Do This All .pdf</a></div>
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Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-51212292157630390172018-04-18T15:18:00.000-04:002018-04-18T15:18:00.283-04:00PBE part three - Death of the AveragePerhaps the most important aspect of PBE implementation and effectiveness is the death of the average. If you screw this up, the whole thing is worse than traditional methods.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb71rH8glRUrOkOHTc1Qam-GxCDzZOWsjRxkHN0xwxY-vvPVnpciDnTW3TZRPsrlIwf8CQS34sBAJMJ8Rt8jS9P2r61EdrylEojA4FxF0PERSg19pxSc6FoQo924-aRF56NfKkjLyj08Sl/s1600/alg1-1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="577" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb71rH8glRUrOkOHTc1Qam-GxCDzZOWsjRxkHN0xwxY-vvPVnpciDnTW3TZRPsrlIwf8CQS34sBAJMJ8Rt8jS9P2r61EdrylEojA4FxF0PERSg19pxSc6FoQo924-aRF56NfKkjLyj08Sl/s320/alg1-1.PNG" width="320" /></a>Let's examine a typical Algebra 1 course. Here's the Intro page for Chapter One.<br />
<br />
When m=4 and n=5, what is 3*n + m ?<br />
and 34 - 3/11 = ?<br />
<br />
This is fifth and sixth grade stuff. I expect all my students to be able to correctly evaluate these two expressions in a 9th grade algebra 1 class, but I know that there are always kids who mess up, need reminders, or who just don't realize that High School is different and paying attention to your work matters.<br />
<br />
The point is that everyone gets an "A" here, or 100% if that's your school grading system.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to chapter 6, linear systems. There are many ways to solve systems and we expect that each student learns them all. Invariably, there's a problem.<br />
<br />
Johnny gets half of them wrong all the time. He gets a 50%. If you look closer, you see that he can only answer the most simplistic questions and then only occasionally. If you were pressed, you'd admit that he didn't understand at all. He can't explain what he's doing and didn't show any work, you suspect that he copied many of his answers from nearby papers, but you can't prove it so you give him a 50%.<br />
<br />
No problem, he says, that's a 75% average. And, if you include his 100% homework grade and 95% class participation grade, that's easily a B+.<br />
<br />
<table align="right" style="width: 50%px;"><tbody>
<tr align="center"><td><h2>
How does understanding one aspect of arithmetic average with not understanding algebra to get a "Good", almost "Excellent" grade?</h2>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Until we get out of this mindset, we're toast.<br />
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Hopefully, we can do that with PBE.<br />
<br />
Each course is defined as a set of Big Ideas. In order to get credit for the course, each student must understand all of them.<br />
<br />
That's a huge shift.<br />
<br />
Think about it, though.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-39487810999136043452017-11-23T09:44:00.002-05:002017-11-23T09:44:16.347-05:00PBE part two - The Gist of the ProblemFor those whose states haven't yet been jumping on this bandwagon, what is PBE? PBE is short for Proficiency-Based Education, sometimes called Standards-Based Education (SBE).<br />
<br />
The gist of PBE is that education should be structured around knowing and understanding the Big Ideas, being able to do and perform those Important Skills, becoming students who learn and retain because they understand what the school was teaching.<br />
<br />
There are several things that have pushed this initiative; most of the concerns are with the fact that so many kids seem to drift through high school (and especially HS math) without actually retaining anything. Of course, many students passed because they deserved to, because they understood the material and were ready for the next level. On the other hand, students have also "passed" by:<br />
<ol type="A">
<li>being good at only a few topics but their average was above a 60. </li>
<li>sitting like a lump and getting passed on. "It's all about Seat Time." </li>
<li>bringing a pencil everyday, always handing in
homework (even if they didn't actually learn anything from it) and
having good attendance. "She's a GOOD kid."</li>
<li>expending "Great Effort". "He really tries HARD."</li>
</ol>
What other problems were there with "traditional methods"? <br />
<ol start="5" type="A">
<li>Courses are comprised of a few Big Ideas and a lot of filler that has gathered in the margins over the years. Reformers argue that we should focus on those Big Ideas instead of on the filler.</li>
<li>What's so special about 120 hours of class-time? What if a kid needs 135 or only 80 to master the material? Reformers ask why every class goes for 180 days, 45 minutes a day.</li>
<li>Teachers giving some kids a passing grade allowing them to move on to Algebra Two, just to get rid of him or to allow him to graduate.</li>
<li>You don't measure understanding of a concept by simple repetition of a question. </li>
<li>Percentages are more precise than accurate. </li>
<li>Fine-grained reporting leads to a "Horse-Race" mentality in students and parents. "I'm better than you by a point." </li>
<li>Marking a question as 4 points out of 5 is less informative than a comment or some type of written feedback.</li>
<li>Learning is a process that shouldn't be measured only once. Practice shouldn't be included in the grade, especially if the student had help.</li>
</ol>
Some of these claims are bogus, of course. Most are not.<br />
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<br />
Let's be honest here. There are a lot of adults who walk into meetings who begin by saying "I was never very good at math." There are memes aplenty that laugh at us math teachers saying "I've never had to factor a trinomial in my career. Everything I've ever done was done with 7th grade math."<br />
<br />
Students have their own version of this game, "When am I ever gonna have to use this?" and then they promptly shut down if the answer doesn't fit into their narrow view of their future life and career.<br />
<br />
Reformers claim, "Clearly something isn't working."<br />
<h3>
Despite the fact that the most important problems that exist in traditional education won't be solved by switching to PBE, the switch is worthwhile in my view.</h3>
The most important problem is that <i><b>someone </b></i>has to subjectively measure the student's performance.<br />
This has been the problem for centuries and it won't change. There are so many ways that this judgement can be altered, massaged, changed, or mangled.<br />
<br />
Every teacher knows it.<br />
<ul>
<li>"Why did you give that grade to my kid?"</li>
<li>"You can't fail a kid if you didn't contact the parents."</li>
<li>"She didn't deserve that grade. She worked so hard."</li>
<li>"Do you really want him back in your class for another year? He's taken this same course two times already." </li>
<li>"If I fail this class my parents are going to kill me."</li>
<li>"Did you tell his parents every week that he wasn't doing his work? I don't see any record of this in the contact log."</li>
<li>"What are you going to do to help him pass?"</li>
<li>"Why didn't you assign him to afterschool help?"</li>
<li>"My son was always the best in his class in math, until he had you."</li>
<li>"I looked at her test. She should have gotten full credit on this question, and that one isn't wrong. You have to give him a 90." </li>
<li>Sometimes it's less subtle: "I'm gonna break your fucking arms if you fail my son. He only needs this one fucking math credit to graduate. I know where you live. I'm going home to get my gun."</li>
</ul>
These problems remain, no matter the system.<br />
<br />
Under PBE, however, we have an opportunity to reframe education. We're going to measure only what they know, and focus on the Big Ideas. <br />
<ul>
<li>Random quizzes on the way to understanding don't count. Only understanding counts.</li>
<li>Homework that was done with other people's help doesn't count. Only understanding counts.</li>
<li>The "Gentleman's C" is no longer a thing.</li>
<li>"Pity points" is no longer a thing.</li>
<li>"Extra Credit" is meaningless.</li>
<li>A 90% on Order of Operations can't mask a 50% on linear functions.</li>
<li>No more marks of 89.5% being considered "better" than 89%.</li>
<li>No averages of 60.001% just to allow a student to pass.</li>
</ul>
Can we do it?<br />
<br />
Maybe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BRFOqCdunYq9PkQ5vQml8AQc4onyQernu0sLUmNCWqp3aS1pGTHcwsG4RDjQCM1zITHkMrI3WAJiNvOUCuNGnmhmoFm-Q0oev24mhseSxp013BpvGlwGulTEHS0Hbg9z9S3fxf8JDEC_/s1600/pythagorean-theorem-word-problems.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="350" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_BRFOqCdunYq9PkQ5vQml8AQc4onyQernu0sLUmNCWqp3aS1pGTHcwsG4RDjQCM1zITHkMrI3WAJiNvOUCuNGnmhmoFm-Q0oev24mhseSxp013BpvGlwGulTEHS0Hbg9z9S3fxf8JDEC_/s320/pythagorean-theorem-word-problems.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
or maybe not.<br />
<br />Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-67318455466435735252017-11-19T12:56:00.000-05:002017-11-19T13:05:55.417-05:00PBE part one - getting startedThis is the first of several posts about PBE, Proficiency-Based Education. I am trying to set down my understandings and beliefs, give some advice from my (very) limited experience, and lay a groundwork for improving what we're doing in my school and in my state of Vermont.<br />
<br />
I plan to discuss what I think my school is doing right, what I think they are doing wrong, and try to find the best answers that I can. Who we are is irrelevant; the entire state public school system is under mandate from the VT AOE to make the change to PBE in order for the class of 2020 to graduate having had four years of high school PBE.<br />
<br />
Yep. We are a year behind. We, and almost every other school I know of, have been procrastinating badly. We've spent 4 years on this so far, and been required to write only four modules for our courses because teachers whine "We don't know what you are asking us to do" and, since the person in charge of PD doesn't really know what the end goals should be and what PBE looks like in practice, we waste lots of time making empathy maps, rating and watching videos that are demonstrably ridiculous, and other tasks that don't really advance the program. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8z-3CQKVqQr7BHyaO_tnZdnYhcv4WoPafiqydD-2bIs9DXZHn46LXeBj6bL3hsLiB9L-hlg6fjIYGZszrX2hVOV76TkgDgFJktcMBN7tGrEBZZ0LbzbWwctdbzjrVD8ylSX7P1qKdWnT/s1600/PBL.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="477" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8z-3CQKVqQr7BHyaO_tnZdnYhcv4WoPafiqydD-2bIs9DXZHn46LXeBj6bL3hsLiB9L-hlg6fjIYGZszrX2hVOV76TkgDgFJktcMBN7tGrEBZZ0LbzbWwctdbzjrVD8ylSX7P1qKdWnT/s320/PBL.PNG" width="320" /></a>The State A.O.E. reps have openly admitted that they have no idea about how this will work. When I ask for sample transcripts, I get "We don't know. This conference is for you teachers to tell us what a typical graduate should be able to do and be." Ask for sample curricula, or sample frameworks, or sample anything and you get "We can't tell you because we don't have any of that and you have local control." That law was passed four years ago and this conference was one month ago!<br />
<br />
Much of the Vermont AOE website focuses on convincing people that this
is a good idea, rather than on what this idea actually should look like
in practice. Here, <a href="http://education.vermont.gov/student-learning/proficiency-based-learning">you can look for yourself</a>.<br />
<br />
The Supervisory Union has openly admitted that they have no real idea of how PBE is supposed to work. "We're not sure. Nobody has done this before. We're on the cutting edge. We don't know what the Graduation requirements should be -- you teachers have to decide. Write your modules to this template, but we're not going to look at them critically - you have to do that."<br />
<br />
The principal and other school administration are just as much in the dark but, to their credit, are willing to let teachers do this exploration and possibly fail on our way to succeeding.<br />
<br />
I'm going to focus at first on what I feel PBE should be and why I feel it's a good idea, then on some of the things that are really making this transition problematic and may end up destroying the initiative and ruining the educations of many students in the meanwhile.<br />
<br />
Hopefully, this exploration will prove useful to both of us.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-49473217375954781532017-11-19T12:26:00.000-05:002017-11-19T13:07:01.961-05:00Another Problem with Computer-Based LearningI am not a fan of computer-based courses except when the alternative is nothing. If the choice is Moodle or nothing, then Moodle wins, but it's not a great solution. Even a mediocre teacher is better than an online course. Charter schools who offload the majority of teaching onto computer programs are doing a real disservice to their students. Computer programs are far too often limited in what they accept as correct answers, too limited in their explanations, and not particularly well thought out.<br />
<br />
Style and colors win out over physics. <br />
<br />
The example that prompted this note is below. In the exercises for an online edition of a physics textbook, there was this unit conversion problem that asked students to convert km/hr to m/s, a fairly simple but important task. The student had to drag and drop circles onto a fraction structure - the task was to replicate this pattern:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVAPh3zo5c0As-r5GTLMvIuemdBTLbWN3uSK2rKqAaPxDLJ6OQNhvP7XC8JwVGqCwKtoz5y-HmM-5D0uH9pxciv59_x8NSiGt3xFjeRbHcIIo3jMt8R-Xc_7_2j8-fR6NVEcPXv8jwUVN/s1600/the+right+answers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="741" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVAPh3zo5c0As-r5GTLMvIuemdBTLbWN3uSK2rKqAaPxDLJ6OQNhvP7XC8JwVGqCwKtoz5y-HmM-5D0uH9pxciv59_x8NSiGt3xFjeRbHcIIo3jMt8R-Xc_7_2j8-fR6NVEcPXv8jwUVN/s320/the+right+answers.PNG" title="" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
This is the only acceptable answer, however. Any different arrangement was deemed incorrect:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW_QphXLTNpOqVQtwX32LI8nefk-f-qwVbOJMWSh8Heywes7WXJL4AMmdn4I5vAnbTJPjq_1BYRVX4_hxKqxYqt0A1-0ATkPbBsGPAg0ZO_ie2rX-m9eTPjG847UsGfWsfgld6aPIPCps/s1600/the+wrong+answers.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="745" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiW_QphXLTNpOqVQtwX32LI8nefk-f-qwVbOJMWSh8Heywes7WXJL4AMmdn4I5vAnbTJPjq_1BYRVX4_hxKqxYqt0A1-0ATkPbBsGPAg0ZO_ie2rX-m9eTPjG847UsGfWsfgld6aPIPCps/s320/the+wrong+answers.PNG" width="550" /></a></div>
<br />
Those "Learn more" links simply repeated the advice to convert the length measurement first without ever giving any reasons why the fractions should be in that order.<br />
<br />
It's programmed that way. No exceptions allowed, even if they are correct.<br />
<br />
The worst part? It hasn't been fixed. I sent a note three months ago. This content was written and published at least four years ago. Why the holdup? Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-59282025477688323592017-10-13T15:37:00.003-04:002017-10-13T15:37:43.268-04:00Consistency of MessageShort speech this afternoon included the following statement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"We believe that all students should be able to take any or all AP courses at our school."</blockquote>
<br />
This was the concluding talk of a day-long conference on Proficiency-Based Education which has as one of its guiding tenets that <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Students should not progress to the next proficiency until they have mastered the first one and should not be allowed to move from course 1 to course 2 until they have reached proficiency in all of the predetermined areas in course 1."</blockquote>
These two statements seem to directly contradict each other, yet both were met with applause and approval from the assembled. How can you take AP Calculus if you haven't reached proficincy in the topics of precalculus, and before that in algebra 2, and before that in geometry, and before that in algebra 1? (Granted that the geometry course is not strictly in that place across the country.)<br />
<br />
What am I missing?Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-76794476927030962922017-09-20T18:32:00.001-04:002017-09-20T18:39:01.315-04:00More PBE IdiocyMy school is implementing Proficiency - Based education this year. (Some people call it Standards-Based Grading)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOQ78reZUPXe4GisORU4OixIVRfulA3KWoI8SJquOAcOB4Op3702Wkw1Oy7QDlE8SUrf_yl7PiDJHQEAQMjb2lELORHcSze58Gbxr0ls9ccAzlSIdXDPsO1erRD-p6Vt_tLqvVUbNUpCB/s1600/construction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="347" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnOQ78reZUPXe4GisORU4OixIVRfulA3KWoI8SJquOAcOB4Op3702Wkw1Oy7QDlE8SUrf_yl7PiDJHQEAQMjb2lELORHcSze58Gbxr0ls9ccAzlSIdXDPsO1erRD-p6Vt_tLqvVUbNUpCB/s200/construction.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
We're behind the curve; the State of Vermont has decreed that ALL schools in Vermont will be using PBE so that the Class of 2020 will have had four years of PBE by the time they graduate. That's this year's sophomores.<br />
<br />
Yes, that means we're a year behind. Our school's faculty made the decision last May to push forward with this
initiative against the wishes of the SU -- we didn't want to wait two
more years to begin, putting us three years late according to the directive from the State.<br />
<br />
Our reasoning was that, if this is truly a Good Thing, then why should we wait to put it into place?<br />
<br />
But our supervisory office and it's IT staff are hopelessly unready. Incompetent isn't a unfair characterization. They have no transcript format ready to go, no sense of how to ascertain academic ineligibility, etc.<br />
<br />
So we faculty are doing it for them and fighting against their bad decisions the whole time.<br />
<br />
Faculty: "Don't average proficiencies. In fact, don't even think of them as percentages."<br />
<br />
"Hold my beer," they said.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Faculty: "Wait, you shouldn't do that ... and what's with the gaps between the levels? .... and what's with 'Not Attempted' being 0% to 15%?"<br />
<br />
SU: "Uh, we don't know, and we don't know how to change it." <br />
Faculty: "If you insist we keep percentages AND that they must average, would you at least fix the gaps?" <br />
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<br /></div>
SU: "Uh, we don't know how to change it." <br />
SU: "Uh, leadership team needs to make that decision."<br />
SU: "Uh, it's your fault for moving too quickly."<br />
<br />
Faculty: sigh.<br />
<br />
SU: "Uh, you know there's two different scales, right?"<br />
<br />
Faculty: "Wait, what? That's ridiculous, and wrong on so many levels. No one would do anything that stupid."<br />
<br />
SU: "Yeah, check this out. Hold my beer."<br />
<br />
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<br />
Faculty: "Okay, so the percentages are the same but why is it called Approaching in this scale and 'Nearly' in the other?"<br />
<br />
SU: "We thought it would be fun to change it two days before school starts, but not everywhere. You'll randomly see one or the other."<br />
<br />
Faculty: "Whaaaat?"<br />
<br />
Faculty: "By the way, if I enter a 3 out of 4, I get an NP. It should be Four Levels means One thru Four, but it isn't working that way. Please explain that."<br />
<br />
SU: "Uh, we don't know what you're talking about and we don't know how to change it."<br />
SU: "But, we just figured out that if you use a 5-point scale, and enter a 4 out of 5, then you'll get proficient. Think of it as a feature."<br />
<br />
Faculty: "You went out of your way and insisting that it was four levels, not five. Would you please get it straight?"<br />
<br />
SU: "BTW, did we mention there's a third scale? Check this out!"<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
Faculty: "WTF is with those percentages changes?"<br />
Faculty: "If I enter a 3 out of 4, I get an NP again. Please explain that. While you're at it, why is 'Emerging' now 0%-50% instead of the 15%-45%?"<br />
<br />
SU: "Uh, we don't know what you're talking about and we don't know how to change it, but all three are active in your gradebook at the same time."<br />
<br />
Faculty" "Are you serious?" <br />
<br />
SU: "Yep. We're kinda proud of all the work we've done."<br />
<br />
Faculty: "It's been all different, the kids and parents are fuming, and we're going back over everything and rescoring everything to make things consistent. THIS HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL."<br />
<br />
SU: "Don't be ungrateful ... BTW, you know how you asked that all of the Common Core State Standards for math be put into the gradebook?"<br />
<br />
Faculty: "(Nervously) Um, yeah?"<br />
<br />
SU: "We changed the names of each one of them."<br />
<br />
Faculty: "Keep your goddamn beer."<br />
<br />Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-5375577187719451772017-09-17T21:07:00.002-04:002017-09-17T21:14:14.616-04:00Don't Average Proficieny-Based GradesEither you are proficient or you are not proficient.<br />
<br />
You can pretend to other "Levels" but that is the crux of standards-based education, or Proficiency-Based Education as it has been recently renamed.<br />
<br />
What you can't do is assign a percentage to each level, then average them to get an average proficiency, then average the proficiencies to get a final score.<br />
<br />
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How is "Nearly Proficient = 70%" even valid? Right, it isn't, but in the exciting world of education, there's a difference between what the state of Vermont mandated and what our school is doing and what the superintendent and the district chief IT person seem willing to support.<br />
<br />
So we get to start the year with everyone up in our shit over Proficient being a 75% ... and instead of eliminating the percentages, they changed it to 80% hoping that parents and students would shut up and return to their homes.<br />
<br />
Can we turn off percents already?Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-76265115012638309552017-09-08T17:15:00.002-04:002017-09-14T17:22:11.681-04:00The Students You HavePeriodically, one hears the clarion call:<br />
"Raise Your Standards and the Students will Rise to meet them!"<br />
<br />
Bull.<br />
<br />
To paraphrase Dick Cheney:<br />
"You teach the kids you have, not the kids you wish you had."<br />
<br />
(Dammit. The history teacher reminded me that it was Rumsfeld.)<br />
<br />Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-63354839731425067072017-07-15T17:18:00.004-04:002017-07-15T17:50:26.282-04:00Education Research, part 2<adminfantasy><br />
Peer Tutoring is great. All the best teachers set it up in their classrooms. Research says it raises achievement. After all, studies prove that "Teaching something is the best way to learn it."<br />
</adminfantasy><br />
<br />
I personally hate it. I've hated it since 7th grade when teachers started "encouraging" me to tutor other kids. I hated it in high school because I always got paired up with kids I didn't like or who resented that I was smarter than they were. Call me selfish? Tough shit; I was a teenager. It was NOT MY JOB. Teenagers have enough stress in their lives.Telling them they're responsible for some meathead's education? Oh, yeah, that is a *great idea*. <br />
<br />
I won't require anyone to do it. EVER.<br />
Purely voluntary, "working together"? Absolutely.<br />
Homework club? Bring it on.<br />
Labs? I'll encourage collaboration but if a student wants to go it alone, I won't stop them. <br />
<br />
<adminfantasy><br />
But studies show ...<br />
</adminfantasy><br />
<br />
From dcox, <a href="https://missdcoxblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/research-in-education-is-great-until-you-start-to-try-and-use-it/">Research is great until you have to use it.</a> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The EEF toolkit rates ‘peer tutoring’ as having a positive possible
effect. I could see this and tell my staff ‘I want to see ‘peer
tutoring’ in all your classes because that will enhance learning by ‘+5’
months.<br />
However, the evidence behind this summary wouldn’t support this
action. It specifies that the tutoring is most effective with cross-age
tutoring, with two years between the students. That wouldn’t be the case
in one class in the UK.<br />
And crucially it also states:<br />
<blockquote>
‘Peer tutoring appears to be less effective when the
approach replaces normal teaching, rather than supplementing or
enhancing it, suggesting that peer tutoring is most effectively used to
consolidate learning, rather than to introduce new material.’</blockquote>
Research in the wrong hands and with superficial or no in-depth analysis can be dangerous….</blockquote>
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<br />
John Hattie's Visible Learning is a great tool but you've got to pay attention.<br />
<br />
Perhaps Dan Willingham's <a href="http://www.danielwillingham.com/daniel-willingham-science-and-education-blog/draft-bill-of-research-rights-for-educators">Bill of Research Rights for Educators</a> is appropriate here.Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8705078887057341738.post-83491433429735088452017-06-11T10:08:00.000-04:002017-06-11T10:13:42.081-04:00The Problem with Education Research "Education Research." Even in these times of political ignorance of research, science, and fact-based decision-making, there's still a place in every American's brain for education research.<br />
<br />
It's probably due to the ever-present mantra of "Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?" coupled with an ferocious need to believe that one's own children would be superstars if only the damned teachers weren't so terrible. Parents tweet, post, and search for information about "best-practices", proCCSS or anti-CCSS, pro-disease or pro-vaccination, in a desperate search for confirmation that they have a brilliant child.<br />
<br />
The problem, of course, is that the searchers don't connect with the research.<br />
<br />
Linda Graham, in an article on TES, <a href="https://www.tes.com/news/tes-magazine/tes-magazine/teachers-need-learn-trust-research-again">Teachers Need to Trust Research Again,</a> complained that<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Just over a year ago, I was disturbed to read the suggestion – tweeted
by a teacher attending a ResearchED conference at the University of
Cambridge – that education academics should be made to pay schools for
access to research participants. I was shocked because education
research was clearly not being perceived as a public good; something we
should support in the way that we do other forms of research. </blockquote>
I'll say this: it takes a certain chutzpah to complain that education researchers should be any different from others and pay subjects for their time. If you can't do that, then the taxpayer funded research based on studying taxpayer's kids in taxpayer-funded schools should at least be made available to read after its completed, without a $49.95 access fee. It's not that I think this research is a public bad, it's that few understand it and I want to see that it says and means what those above me think it says and means.<br />
<br />
This giant game of "telephone" is getting frustrating. I've named it the "Workshop Effect". Here's how it works:<br />
<ol>
<li>Educational researcher (e.g., Kamii) presents results from her research (e.g., examining 3rd and 4th graders and the appropriateness of the common algorithm for subtraction) at large conference with consultants and workshop presenters in attendance. These folks take notes. Some completely understand what's being said, others less so. Not everyone is an elementary school teacher with a nerd-on for math.</li>
<li>Consultants and presenters then travel, collecting $3000 for a day's workshop in Central Vermont. The presenter has collected several sets of research results and displays them all. Superintendents and Principals from K-12 are here because that's $3000 and "let's make the most of it." They pick up some details to bring back.</li>
<li>High School Principal hold faculty meetings or PD and mandate that "Research has shown that students should not be taught the common algorithm for subtraction." </li>
<li>Curriculum coordinators and teachers spend months adapting curriculum to the new paradigm. Anyone who objects, or wants verification, is called "Anti-Team Player", a "Naysayer", a "Curmudgeon", or is criticized or written up for "not obeying District policy."</li>
</ol>
And that's how the rot begins. Why should my 10th grade Geometry students be bound by research on third-graders, research that expressly states that it is done on 3rd graders? Nothing in the paper said that extrapolating 7 or 8 years held any meaning. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Underlying much of the critique of research in education is the
charge that it doesn’t tell stakeholders “what works”. My first
objection to the “what works” mantra is that this is based on a very
insular view of what is important in education. My second objection is that it completely discounts the importance of
researching what doesn’t work, particularly from the viewpoint of the
largest stakeholder group: students. Nonetheless, the value of research in education is increasingly being
judged in relation to the “what works” agenda: if something works, then
there must be evidence to prove that it works. If there isn’t evidence
(perhaps because the research is not about what works but what doesn’t),
then that research has no value.</blockquote>
Maybe the criticism that Graham reads is like this, but mine is over not being able to see the original documents. I am not going to spend the money to download and read this research. I only got the Kamii paper because someone sent it to me (Grant Wiggins, Dave Coffey, Bowen Kerins? I can't remember). I understand that research often is intended to find a connection, a correlation, and that a cause is more elusive. I understand that sometimes we need to run the same study again and again to confirm (or not) previous findings.<br />
<br />
The problem is in the interpretation and filtering that happens between the researcher and the teacher. What did the research actually say, and what can I actually take from it?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Teachers are now being encouraged to “challenge” education researchers
for “evidence” to support their views. That’s OK – if the request is
accompanied by an understanding of the research process and how
knowledge is accumulated.</blockquote>
Sure. It's called peer-review.<br />
<br />
It would be nice to be able to tease out findings instead of leaving it up to the ex-fifth grade teacher - turned curriculum coordinator.<br />
<br />
Publish your work or face the criticism. <br />
<br />
If you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to work. Curmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04323026187622872114noreply@blogger.com2