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Better Schools
Commentaries by
Abraham S. Fischler
Quotations to
Guide
Teachers,
Principals,
Parents and
Students
Lulu Press
2 Building Better Schools
Contents
Introduction
Longer Readings
Questions
What’s Next
Endnote
Introduction
The Problem
At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are still not
fulfilling the demands of our students or our society. Why not? The
schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers are
responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time
is fixed
and the only variable is performance –
some pass and others fail. And, if the persons who
fail do not make up and achieve the proficiency that the test is
measuring, they drift further and further behind. The consequences
are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love of
learning? This approach does not take into account a truism: “all
students can learn, but they learn at different rates
and have different preferential learning styles.”
For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the 1st grade
(and continue thereafter). The reason English and Math are chosen
is that these are the two cultural imperative languages. If you know
these two languages and are motivated as a self-learner, you can
teach yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of the
goals of education is to create self-learners.
For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or problem
that is relevant to the student. Once the problem is defined, the
class can be broken down into groups of 4-5 students in order to
research the solution to the problem. If complex, each of the groups
may study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the
student uses the computer as a research tool (after having learned
to read). Students are taught to use search engines such as
Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made available by teachers
gathering information relevant for the students.
is an “Edu-Tainer”: giving an
Excerpts from
TheStudentIstheClass.com
iSchool
A new model being used in select NYC schools, called
iSchools, seeks to integrate
‘innovative
technology with project-based
curriculum’ and early results indicate highly successful
outcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize virtual
resources on the internet to complete research projects and in
doing so take pride in their work and ownership of final results.
Each student has his/her own laptop and access to a variety
of online resources, which can be monitored by teachers and
parents using a learning management system. These are all
steps toward creating an environment in which time can be
varied to accommodate the learner. As the student becomes
more inclined to utilize technology and group-based project
research, the skills gained will better prepare the student to
enter post-secondary education and the 21st Century
workforce.
Source: eschool.com
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/
36 Building Better Schools
This is the moment - this is the time for real change in the
public schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the
tools and the necessary technology to create a positive
learning environment for the 21st century. We
can focus
on the student as the class and offer
individualized instruction based on
students' different learning styles. We can
vary time so that those who need more time to master a
concept have the opportunity to do so. The organization and
structure of our current K-12 system must be changed to
accommodate all learners.
38 Building Better Schools
Longer Readings
I worked with a physics teacher who would tell students, “There will
be times when you will turn in your lab books where you will write
what you observe. Sometimes I will mark an exercise wrong and I
expect you to come up and argue with me.” The students generally
hated him because he appeared so arbitrary.
I loved what he did. He forced the kids not to cheat. He made sure
that one or two kids would get something marked wrong even
though it was right. This bothered kids. And they would come to me
to complain. I told them, “He's forcing you to think and If you don't
argue with him, you will get the the lower mark.”
http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v88/k0705toc.htm
The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project
Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey
shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage
students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and
science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels
of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in
the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to
professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875
than the colour TV.We can't place new boxes in classrooms and
expect our learners to leap up and suddenly achieve. As a
minimum, there are two things that need to take place if we are to
take full advantage of new technologies in learning:1. We need
to understand that our learners now have
access to a billion libraries of information and a
multitude of communication tools. They use these tools every day
for there own purposes and on the whole (i know there are many
exceptions) we are failing to guide that use to ensure safe and
productive learning. The world is available to them anywhere,
anytime and they don't need a computer and a desk to do this.
What they need, we aren't providing - they need guidance and
support.We must now move away from Victorian era learning
where remembering facts and figures was the key to success in an
industrial age. Memorizing such information is now completely
irrelevant, since information can be obtained anywhere in seconds.
The knowledge required is one of how and where to look
safely, how to filter, how to validate and
triangulate and then finally how to use such
information creatively, critically and
accurately.That is not to say that memorizing facts does not
still have a place. Just that the emphasis should now be on
discovery, analysis, process, assimilation and creativity - in other
words, real higher-order thinking skills.
It is possible and there are projects out there trying to provide these
tools. Check out: http://oc.intel-lehren.de/and:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-
Learning/dp/1855392070If you want to get involved - e-mail me!!Bill
Howbill.how@ssatrust.org.uk
http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-
computer.html
Abraham Fischler 45
http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf
and discuss their ideas. She also encourages the teachers to take
the time to get to know each student. Through her efforts the
scores in Region 5 have been steadily increasing.
I call this blog “The student is the class”. I reiterate that we must
allow time for students to learn the basic core (English and Math),
allow them also to acquire the ability for self-learning through
working in groups, and finally do written and verbal presentations
where they can utilize their higher learning skills and interact with
their peers. The teacher is like a conductor blending all three
modes in a classroom setting, while the utilization of computers
facilitates in the process.
50 Building Better Schools
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radi
cal/
Youtube channels
Youtube.com/channelname
BPLearning by BigPicture.org
HTHvideo
QBESchool
AGuideOntheSide
VisualandActive
2MillionMinutes
Questions
So, if I had described the color in the teacher's manual, the teacher
would have told the students “You're wrong. It says that the color is
intense pink and you have pale pink.” So I tried where I could not to
give the teacher the answer, especially with younger kids. Many
teachers didn't like my books.
Abraham Fischler 57
Now imagine if the teacher says, “Come over and see what color I
got. Why are our colors different?”
That's where the learning takes place. It's not in the answer.
That's why the school of the future needs the second class area for
small-group projects. Teachers have to be ready to move students
into that area when it's time for analysis.
If we combine CAI
Can schools be saved?
with projects --
Yes, of course. We have working in small
to try. We can't not try.
Everything we stand for in groups on
the USA came through
schools, so we have to meaningful
transform our system of problems, students
public education.
acquire the skills to
use technology as
a communication
tool.
Abraham Fischler 59
I like the fact that students are nice and we get along.
I love choosing every day what I want to do and I'm
fond of discovering something I didn't know, such as
"Save the Last Dance For Me" (a song that was sung
in our class).
What’s Next
We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The Student is the
Class, at TheStudentIsTheClass.com. I continue to blog
about these issues and I invite you to send me questions to
comment about.
Abraham Fischler 65
Endnote by a taxpayer
Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a well-
rounded, well-designed CAI system. His first entry at
TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tiered
system that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.
Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) could
invigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who introduced
technology to higher education and distance learning, Dr. Fischler
aims to bring new learning methods and experiences to children
and teenagers currently stuck in school systems that have changed
little since 1950.
In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders in
schools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In the
classroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back into
comfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on my
students the same disciplines that I suffered through when I was a
teenager. Some of the techniques work; others should be
improved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selecting
more effective methods. Computers can help students learn – but
66 Building Better Schools
it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who are
not ready for the potential distractions of a multifaceted computer.
If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would like
Dr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please send
your request to Fischler@nova.edu.
Steve McCrea
TheStudentIsTheClass.com