EduBaloney
[email protected] Wed, 10 Apr 2002 15:42:51 EDT
| Newsgroups | gmane.psychology.behavior-analysis |
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--part1_143.caa2081.29e5efbb_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/baloney.html http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/DI.html=20 http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/rosenshine.html=20 http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents.html If It Quacks Like a Duck, It=E2=80=99s Probably Baloney=20 Martin A. Kozloff, Ph.D.=20 Watson School of Education=20 University of North Carolina at Wilmington=20 April, 2002 For the past thirty or so years, education professors, education gurus, and=20 education organizations (such as the National Council for Teachers of=20 English, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and=20 the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics) have managed to establish=20 and sustain dominion over public education=E2=80=94dominion over what is tau= ght, how=20 it is taught, how instruction will be evaluated, what education means, and=20 what a good teacher is.=20 This would be just fine if their ideas had anything to do with reality, if=20 their instructional methods were tested and validated by scientific research= ,=20 and if the curricula that they teach (and require new teachers to use; e.g.,= =20 whole language and constructivist math) actually worked. But they don=E2= =80=99t.=20 And the result is the high rate of student illiteracy in reading and math;=20 the low level of students' knowledge of history, logic, and science; and the= =20 high rate of teacher burnout from too many years trying to get students=20 engaged and learning using methods derived from education professors'=20 pseudo-progressive =E2=80=9Cstudent-centered=E2=80=9D fantasies=E2=80=94whic= h are disastrous for=20 students and teachers but do help the professors to get publications,=20 royalties, tenure, and nice retirement annuities.=20 Thankfully, enough parents, consumer organizations, state legislators,=20 serious educational researchers, and even federal agencies have tied togethe= r=20 two simple facts: 1. Too many students aren=E2=80=99t learning much.=20 2. This may have something to do with instruction.=20 And therefore, our nation has begun to look at scientific research on which=20 methods of instruction and which curricula in reading and math work best and= =20 which do not, and at what is taught in schools of education. (See =20 http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org and http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com= =20 and http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/teacherprep.html .)=20 However, in the meantime, ordinary citizens ought to know the difference=20 between sound instruction and snake oil.=20 Oil of Snake When you read or hear the following terms used to describe, advertise, or=20 justify a teaching method (what educators like to call =E2=80=9Cpractices= =E2=80=9D) or a=20 curriculum (e.g., in reading), you can be nearly certain that it is not base= d=20 on experimental research; it has not been field tested; it is not likely to=20 work.=20 1. =E2=80=9CBest Practices.=E2=80=9D The term =E2=80=9Cbest practices=E2= =80=9D is arrogant puffery=20 designed to sell methods and values that so-called progressive, =E2=80=9C child-centered=E2=80=9D educators want everyone else to use. There has neve= r been an=20 experiment, and there could never be an experiment, that shows one practice=20 or set of practices to be best. When an "educator" speaks about how they us= e=20 best practices, or says something like, "We don't teach phonics. It's not=20 best practice," ask them, "How can anyone possibly know what's best?" You'l= l=20 get a blank stare and a load of jive talk.=20 2. =E2=80=9CDevelopmentally appropriate practices.=E2=80=9D This phrase is=20= a rhetorical=20 device by which self-styled =E2=80=9Cchild-centered=E2=80=9D educators and p= ublishers try to=20 convince gullible education students, teachers, and parents that what they=20 sell (=E2=80=9Cinquiry learning,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cdiscovery learning,=E2= =80=9D =E2=80=9Cconstructivism,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cwhole=20 language=E2=80=9D) is good, and that direct instruction, practice, and teach= ing=20 elemental skills first are bad.=20 There is no serious research whatever to support claims about what is=20 developmentally appropriate. Instead, the validation is nothing more than=20 repetition of this vapid phrase=E2=80=94a chant. The evil side is that advo= cates of=20 "developmentally appropriate practices" believe that preschool kids should=20 not be taught in a systematic fashion how to read. Maybe some kids don=E2= =80=99t=20 need this, but disadvantaged kids often do. So, advocates of "dap" either d= o=20 not know (are so blinded by their beliefs that they do not care) that=20 disadvantaged kids will be denied exactly the sort of instruction they need=20 to catch up with their advantaged peers. This is how "educational=20 philosophy" means the same as "the higher immorality."=20 3. =E2=80=9CIt is best when the teacher is a facilitator rather than a tran= smitter=20 of knowledge. It is best for students to discover and construct knowledge o= n=20 their own.=E2=80=9D Would you want your children=E2=80=99s physicians to ha= ve been taught=20 this way? Would you want your children to discover how to swim by being=20= =E2=80=9C immersed=E2=80=9D in the ocean? Of course not. How so-called educators can= advocate=20 (in fact, insist on) =E2=80=9Cinquiry=E2=80=9D methods regarding reading, sp= elling, math,=20 and science is a great mystery. Staggering ignorance is one possible=20 explanation.=20 4. =E2=80=9CHomogeneous grouping for a short time each day for certain subj= ects=20 based on students=E2=80=99 current skills is bad. It lowers self esteem and= creates=20 tracks. It is discrimination.=E2=80=9D This is another weird idea that is s= upposed=20 to represent educators' democratic values and promote "social justice." In=20 fact, by denying many kids the amount of close instruction they need, it=20 actually produces injustice. Because in mixed groupings (called=20 "hetereogeneous") kids with the strongest backgrounds move the fastest and=20 the rest fall behind and feel like morons.=20 5. =E2=80=9CIt is better for teachers not to correct students=E2=80=99 erro= rs immediately. =20 Error correction makes students dependent on the teacher. Therefore, student= s=20 should discover errors themselves and learn to correct them.=E2=80=9D In fa= ct,=20 research on error correction shows that failure to correct errors results in= =20 chronic error patterns and worsening knowledge gaps. For example, if a=20 teacher does not immediately correct reading errors, a student will not be=20 able to read math problems accurately either. Timely error correction yield= s=20 higher achievement and self-esteem.=20 6. =E2=80=9CHaving students frequently practice skills is not an effective=20= way to=20 foster mastery and self-esteem. Frequent practice inhibits creativity and i= s=20 boring.=E2=80=9D There is absolutely no research to supports this bogus pro= position.=20 In contrast, 100 years of serious research shows that practice makes perfec= t=20 and that perfection makes for pride. Ask any musician, dancer, writer, karat= e=20 master, marksman, cook, medical intern, or barber.=20 7. =E2=80=9CIt is best for teachers to create their own curricula and lesso= n plans,=20 rather than follow programs. Following programs disempowers teachers and=20 stifles creativity.=E2=80=9D These are the words of a person who believes he= or she=20 is in education to develop himself or herself first, and perhaps children=20 later. All of the serious professions (medicine, engineering, architecture)= =20 create protocols (techniques) for accomplishing routine tasks (surgery,=20 designing buildings), and skilled professionals follow the protocols. =20 Creativity is in adapting the protocols in unusual situations.=20 Besides, teachers are not prepared to develop and test curricula they invent= .=20 [Teachers take perhaps one course in instructional design.] Besides, do you= =20 want teachers testing curricula on your children? That some teachers insist= =20 on creating their own =E2=80=9Cway=E2=80=9D to teach reading or math, rather= than using=20 effective curricula that have been tested for 20 years, is a good definition= =20 of malpractice.=20 8. =E2=80=9CHigher-order thinking.=E2=80=9D This phrase means no more than= thinking. Some=20 educators use this phrase to make themselves appear scholarly. It's a cop=20 out that enables them to by-pass instruction on elemental skills first. "We= =20 don't work on the elemental math routines first. We work on higher order=20 math skills, as in solving problems." [Working on problem solving before=20 students know the basic techniques and concepts means that students won't=20 learn how to do math at all.]=20 9. =E2=80=9CReflection.=E2=80=9D Some educators never tire of using this wor= d and associated=20 practices, such as journal writing, because it=E2=80=99s easier than actuall= y=20 teaching hard subjects. =E2=80=9COkay, everyone, let=E2=80=99s write a jour= nal entry on how=20 we feel about The Diary of Anne Frank.=E2=80=9D [Of course, students have be= en taught=20 nothing about fascism.]=20 The Real Thing=20 Here, in a nutshell, is what you do want to see.=20 1. The teacher knows and can state exactly what she wants students to learn=20 at all times; i.e., she can say exactly what students will be able to do.=20 "I am teaching the strategy for decoding words. By the end of the week,=20 students will be able accurately and rapidly to sound out sit, mit, sam, am,= =20 can, man, fit, and ran."=20 "I am teaching the concept democracy. By the end of the lesson, students=20 will be able to state the verbal definition of democracy, to distinguish=20 between democratic and nondemocratic forms of political society, and will be= =20 able to develop examples and non examples of democracies."=20 "I am increasing fluency at math facts. By the end of the week, students=20 will be able to solve about 15 one-digit adding and subtracting problems per= =20 minute with at least 90 percent accuracy."=20 When objectives are this clear, teachers are able to plan exactly how to=20 teach and how to evaluate the effects of instruction. If teachers can't=20 state objectives this clearly and precisely, how well do you think they teac= h=20 what they can't even identify?=20 2. The teacher moves at a brisk pace=E2=80=94to sustain attention and get mo= re=20 taught.=20 3. The teacher stays focused and keeps students focused on the task at hand.= =20 Lectures, demonstrations, and discussions do not wander off.=20 4. The teacher corrects all errors immediately. "That word is 'snap.' What= =20 word? snap. Spell snap.=20 s n a p. Okay, start that sentence again."=20 5. The teacher immediately tests or checks whether students are getting what= =20 she's is trying to teach. "Okay, your turn to read these words" or "Now, you= =20 solve this problem yourselves." If some students make errors, the teacher=20 re-teaches the problem spot. This shows that the teacher understands down t= o=20 her bones that:=20 (1) the only solid measure of teaching effectiveness is students' using what= =20 the teacher taught; and (2) you have to check teaching effectiveness every=20 single time you teach something new--the next letter/sound relationship (m=20 says mmm), the next vocabulary word, the next rule, the next fact. This=20 means that the teacher might be checking understanding 30 or more times per=20 lesson.=20 6. The teacher often asks questions of the whole group, and has the whole=20 group respond together. "Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of=20 Independence?" The teacher also calls on individual students, asking the=20 question first. "When was the Declaration signed? (Pause for think time) =20 Johnny."=20 7. The teacher gives specific praise. "Excellent for reading that passage=20 with no errors!" Not, "Good reading."=20 8. Instruction is a logically progressive sequence. It begins with elementa= l=20 skills (e.g., counting, math facts); and moves to increasingly complex skill= s=20 (adding, subtracting; solving word problems; using these skills in other=20 places; e.g., adding the number of plates and cups in a cupboard at home). =20 Students are always taught pre-skills needed for next lessons.=20 9. The curriculum focuses on a skill (e.g., the strategy for multiplying=20 two-digit numbers) until it is mastered before the teacher moves to another=20 kind of skill (e.g., decimals). Otherwise, students master nothing, and=20 basically have to start all over next year.=20 10. Homework is not used to teach the skill; e.g., how to multiply, or how t= o=20 spell new words, or how to write a paper. (This should be done in school.)=20= =20 Homework is used to generalize or apply skills learned in school.=20 Here are some other sources that report on the massive amount of research on= =20 what works.=20 http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/DI.html=20 http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/rosenshine.html=20 http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents.html forwarded by Dr. David Feeney [email protected] Director of Digital Education, http://foxonline.temple.edu FOX School of Business & Management, http://sbm.temple.edu Temple University, http://www.temple.edu 300 Speakman Hall 215-204-2727 office 215-204-5698 fax --part1_143.caa2081.29e5efbb_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en <HTML><FONT FACE=3Darial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=3D2 FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" FACE= =3D"Arial" LANG=3D"0">http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/baloney.html<BR> http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/DI.html <BR> http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/rosenshine.html <BR> http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents.html<BR> <BR> If It Quacks Like a Duck, It=E2=80=99s Probably Baloney <BR> Martin A. Kozloff, Ph.D. <BR> <BR> Watson School of Education <BR> University of North Carolina at Wilmington <BR> April, 2002<BR> <BR> For the past thirty or so years, education professors, education gurus, and=20= education organizations (such as the National Council for Teachers of Englis= h, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the Nat= ional Council for Teachers of Mathematics) have managed to establish and sus= tain dominion over public education=E2=80=94dominion over what is taught, ho= w it is taught, how instruction will be evaluated, what education means, and= what a good teacher is. <BR> <BR> This would be just fine if their ideas had anything to do with reality, if t= heir instructional methods were tested and validated by scientific research,= and if the curricula that they teach (and require new teachers to use; e.g.= , whole language and constructivist math) actually worked. But they do= n=E2=80=99t. <BR> <BR> And the result is the high rate of student illiteracy in reading and math; t= he low level of students' knowledge of history, logic, and science; and the=20= high rate of teacher burnout from too many years trying to get students enga= ged and learning using methods derived from education professors' pseudo-pro= gressive =E2=80=9Cstudent-centered=E2=80=9D fantasies=E2=80=94which are disa= strous for students and teachers but do help the professors to get publicati= ons, royalties, tenure, and nice retirement annuities. <BR> <BR> Thankfully, enough parents, consumer organizations, state legislators, serio= us educational researchers, and even federal agencies have tied together two= simple facts:<BR> <BR> 1. Too many students aren=E2=80=99t learning much. <BR> 2. This may have something to do with instruction. <BR> <BR> And therefore, our nation has begun to look at scientific research on which=20= methods of instruction and which curricula in reading and math work best and= which do not, and at what is taught in schools of education. (See&nbs= p; http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org and http://www.mathematicallycorrect.= com and http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/teacherprep.html .) <BR> <BR> However, in the meantime, ordinary citizens ought to know the difference bet= ween sound instruction and snake oil. <BR> <BR> Oil of Snake<BR> <BR> When you read or hear the following terms used to describe, advertise, or ju= stify a teaching method (what educators like to call =E2=80=9Cpractices=E2= =80=9D) or a curriculum (e.g., in reading), you can be nearly certain that i= t is not based on experimental research; it has not been field tested; it is= not likely to work. <BR> <BR> 1. =E2=80=9CBest Practices.=E2=80=9D The term =E2=80=9Cbest prac= tices=E2=80=9D is arrogant puffery designed to sell methods and values that=20= so-called progressive, =E2=80=9Cchild-centered=E2=80=9D educators want every= one else to use. There has never been an experiment, and there could n= ever be an experiment, that shows one practice or set of practices to be bes= t. When an "educator" speaks about how they use best practices, or say= s something like, "We don't teach phonics. It's not best practice," as= k them, "How can anyone possibly know what's best?" You'll get a blank= stare and a load of jive talk. <BR> <BR> 2. =E2=80=9CDevelopmentally appropriate practices.=E2=80=9D This phras= e is a rhetorical device by which self-styled =E2=80=9Cchild-centered=E2=80= =9D educators and publishers try to convince gullible education students, te= achers, and parents that what they sell (=E2=80=9Cinquiry learning,=E2=80= =9D =E2=80=9Cdiscovery learning,=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9Cconstructivism,=E2=80=9D=20= =E2=80=9Cwhole language=E2=80=9D) is good, and that direct instruction, prac= tice, and teaching elemental skills first are bad. <BR> <BR> There is no serious research whatever to support claims about what is develo= pmentally appropriate. Instead, the validation is nothing more than re= petition of this vapid phrase=E2=80=94a chant. The evil side is that a= dvocates of "developmentally appropriate practices" believe that preschool k= ids should not be taught in a systematic fashion how to read. Ma= ybe some kids don=E2=80=99t need this, but disadvantaged kids often do. = ; So, advocates of "dap" either do not know (are so blinded by their beliefs= that they do not care) that disadvantaged kids will be denied exactly the s= ort of instruction they need to catch up with their advantaged peers. =20= This is how "educational philosophy" means the same as "the higher immoralit= y." <BR> <BR> 3. =E2=80=9CIt is best when the teacher is a facilitator rather than a= transmitter of knowledge. It is best for students to discover and con= struct knowledge on their own.=E2=80=9D Would you want your children= =E2=80=99s physicians to have been taught this way? Would you want you= r children to discover how to swim by being =E2=80=9Cimmersed=E2=80=9D in th= e ocean? Of course not. How so-called educators can advocate (in= fact, insist on) =E2=80=9Cinquiry=E2=80=9D methods regarding reading, spell= ing, math, and science is a great mystery. Staggering ignorance is one= possible explanation. <BR> <BR> 4. =E2=80=9CHomogeneous grouping for a short time each day for certain= subjects based on students=E2=80=99 current skills is bad. It lowers=20= self esteem and creates tracks. It is discrimination.=E2=80=9D This is= another weird idea that is supposed to represent educators' democratic valu= es and promote "social justice." In fact, by denying many kids the amount of= close instruction they need, it actually produces injustice. Because=20= in mixed groupings (called "hetereogeneous") kids with the strongest backgro= unds move the fastest and the rest fall behind and feel like morons. <BR> <BR> 5. =E2=80=9CIt is better for teachers not to correct students=E2=80= =99 errors immediately. Error correction makes students dependent on t= he teacher. Therefore, students should discover errors themselves and learn=20= to correct them.=E2=80=9D In fact, research on error correction shows=20= that failure to correct errors results in chronic error patterns and worseni= ng knowledge gaps. For example, if a teacher does not immediately corr= ect reading errors, a student will not be able to read math problems accurat= ely either. Timely error correction yields higher achievement and self= -esteem. <BR> <BR> 6. =E2=80=9CHaving students frequently practice skills is not an effec= tive way to foster mastery and self-esteem. Frequent practice inhibits= creativity and is boring.=E2=80=9D There is absolutely no research to= supports this bogus proposition. In contrast, 100 years of serious re= search shows that practice makes perfect and that perfection makes for pride= . Ask any musician, dancer, writer, karate master, marksman, cook, medical i= ntern, or barber. <BR> <BR> 7. =E2=80=9CIt is best for teachers to create their own curricula and=20= lesson plans, rather than follow programs. Following programs disempow= ers teachers and stifles creativity.=E2=80=9D These are the words of a perso= n who believes he or she is in education to develop himself or herself first= , and perhaps children later. All of the serious professions (medicine= , engineering, architecture) create protocols (techniques) for accomplishing= routine tasks (surgery, designing buildings), and skilled professionals fol= low the protocols. Creativity is in adapting the protocols in unusual=20= situations. <BR> <BR> Besides, teachers are not prepared to develop and test curricula they invent= . [Teachers take perhaps one course in instructional design.] Besides,= do you want teachers testing curricula on your children? That some te= achers insist on creating their own =E2=80=9Cway=E2=80=9D to teach reading o= r math, rather than using effective curricula that have been tested for 20 y= ears, is a good definition of malpractice. <BR> <BR> 8. =E2=80=9CHigher-order thinking.=E2=80=9D This phrase means no= more than thinking. Some educators use this phrase to make themselves= appear scholarly. It's a cop out that enables them to by-pass instruc= tion on elemental skills first. "We don't work on the elemental math r= outines first. We work on higher order math skills, as in solving prob= lems." [Working on problem solving before students know the basic tech= niques and concepts means that students won't learn how to do math at all.]=20= <BR> <BR> 9. =E2=80=9CReflection.=E2=80=9D Some educators never tire of using this wor= d and associated practices, such as journal writing, because it=E2=80=99s ea= sier than actually teaching hard subjects. =E2=80=9COkay, everyone, le= t=E2=80=99s write a journal entry on how we feel about The Diary of Anne Fra= nk.=E2=80=9D [Of course, students have been taught nothing about fascism.] <= BR> <BR> The Real Thing <BR> <BR> Here, in a nutshell, is what you do want to see. <BR> <BR> 1. The teacher knows and can state exactly what she wants students to learn=20= at all times; i.e., she can say exactly what students will be able to do. <B= R> <BR> "I am teaching the strategy for decoding words. By the end of the week= , students will be able accurately and rapidly to sound out sit, mit, sam, a= m, can, man, fit, and ran." <BR> <BR> "I am teaching the concept democracy. By the end of the lesson, studen= ts will be able to state the verbal definition of democracy, to distinguish=20= between democratic and nondemocratic forms of political society, and will be= able to develop examples and non examples of democracies." <BR> <BR> "I am increasing fluency at math facts. By the end of the week, studen= ts will be able to solve about 15 one-digit adding and subtracting problems=20= per minute with at least 90 percent accuracy." <BR> <BR> When objectives are this clear, teachers are able to plan exactly how to tea= ch and how to evaluate the effects of instruction. If teachers can't s= tate objectives this clearly and precisely, how well do you think they teach= what they can't even identify? <BR> <BR> 2. The teacher moves at a brisk pace=E2=80=94to sustain attention and get mo= re taught. <BR> <BR> 3. The teacher stays focused and keeps students focused on the task at hand.= Lectures, demonstrations, and discussions do not wander off. <BR> <BR> 4. The teacher corrects all errors immediately. "That word is 'snap.'&= nbsp; What word? snap. Spell snap. <BR> s n a p. Okay, start that sentence again." <BR> <BR> 5. The teacher immediately tests or checks whether students are getting what= she's is trying to teach. "Okay, your turn to read these words" or "Now, yo= u solve this problem yourselves." If some students make errors, the te= acher re-teaches the problem spot. This shows that the teacher underst= ands down to her bones that: <BR> (1) the only solid measure of teaching effectiveness is students' using what= the teacher taught; and (2) you have to check teaching effectiveness every=20= single time you teach something new--the next letter/sound relationship (m s= ays mmm), the next vocabulary word, the next rule, the next fact.  = ; This means that the teacher might be checking understanding 30 or more tim= es per lesson. <BR> <BR> 6. The teacher often asks questions of the whole group, and has the whole gr= oup respond together. "Who wrote the first draft of the Declaration of= Independence?" The teacher also calls on individual students, asking=20= the question first. "When was the Declaration signed? (Pause for= think time) Johnny." <BR> <BR> 7. The teacher gives specific praise. "Excellent for reading that pass= age with no errors!" Not, "Good reading." <BR> <BR> 8. Instruction is a logically progressive sequence. It begins with ele= mental skills (e.g., counting, math facts); and moves to increasingly comple= x skills (adding, subtracting; solving word problems; using these skills in=20= other places; e.g., adding the number of plates and cups in a cupboard at ho= me). Students are always taught pre-skills needed for next lessons. <B= R> <BR> 9. The curriculum focuses on a skill (e.g., the strategy for multiplying two= -digit numbers) until it is mastered before the teacher moves to another kin= d of skill (e.g., decimals). Otherwise, students master nothing, and b= asically have to start all over next year. <BR> <BR> 10. Homework is not used to teach the skill; e.g., how to multiply, or how t= o spell new words, or how to write a paper. (This should be done in sc= hool.) Homework is used to generalize or apply skills learned in schoo= l. <BR> <BR> Here are some other sources that report on the massive amount of research on= what works. <BR> <BR> http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/DI.html <BR> http://www.uncwil.edu/people/kozloffm/rosenshine.html <BR> http://idea.uoregon.edu/~ncite/documents.html<BR> <BR> forwarded by<BR> <BR> Dr. David Feeney<BR> [email protected]<BR> Director of Digital Education, http://foxonline.temple.edu<BR> FOX School of Business & Management, http://sbm.temple.edu<BR> Temple University, http://www.temple.edu<BR> 300 Speakman Hall<BR> 215-204-2727 office<BR> 215-204-5698 fax</FONT></HTML> --part1_143.caa2081.29e5efbb_boundary--