Sunday Reading

Federal attention to the need for early childhood education waxes and wanes. The Washington Post's recent article illustrates the complexities of addressing the topic; I find it problematic that someone would define a good ECE program as one that develops "skills and knowledge in language and literacy, math, science, social studies and the arts, while also addressing social, emotional and physical development." That sounds like a good approach to elementary school, but not to early childhood, where students are 3 and 4 years old. How about nurturing a love of learning, developing a sense of inquiry, providing opportunities for creative self-expression, and giving children the chance to play?

Public education in this country is under attack from all sides, and there's no easy answers to how to fund all the necessary programs. The Governor taketh and the Governor taketh again; he's cut $3 billion in funding (on top of about $18 billion cut by Arnold in the previous three years), and he lets schools charge fees for after-school sports - fees that function as an equity barrier for many students who find not only community connection and self-esteem, but also a reason to continue to pursue their academic studies, in the context of those sports teams. For an in-depth look at the value of non-academic programs on student learning, check out this article by June Kronholz on EducationNext.

Singapore Math has many similarities to the TERC: Investigations in Number, Data and Space curriculum that we use at TBS. As The Columbus Dispatch points out, at the core is a focus on understanding why an answer is what it is, not just what that answer is. It's a focus on process, not product, and it allows for the multitude of strategies that allow children to develop the necessary number sense to understand why the efficient, standard algorithm works.

I shared this blog post on digital citizenship by Mary Beth Hertz with the K-8 faculty, because it has a good perspective on what can and should be teachable, and resources to support that view.

Stateimpact from NPR offers a critique of flipped classrooms. I heard Salman Kahn of Kahn Academy speak last year at the NAIS Annual Conference, and I blogged about it then. Using videos of instruction that students can watch repeatedly is wonderful; for those who struggle to absorb all the necessary information the first time through a lesson, this is an enormous help. Likewise, having a benchmark standard to determine mastery of a concept, and an infinite number of problems to with which to practice that concept, is useful. And, the data analysis tools that Kahn Academy provides to teachers allow a detailed level of insight into the child's approach to tackling problems and returning to the instructional video for review. In fact, I was so excited when I returned home that one of our 4th grade teachers began experimenting with integrating Kahn Academy into the classroom for teaching math, and I watched several videos with my 8-year-old daughter. But there are deep issues with the flipped classroom as well, starting with the fact that all lessons are delivered as didactic lectures. There's no room for inquiry and discovery in this model.

Here's an inspiring post from Dave Saltman about the deeper legacy of Steve Jobs (hint: it's not the computer).