sad, sad, sad: a visit to a data-driven school (the gates/broad education model)

[Hannah Bell]

http://queensteacher2.blogspot.com/2010/07/educators-in-community-consolidated.html

[Systematic Chaos]

1. Watching that turned my stomach.

I honestly don't know how that teacher is going to retain her sanity.

Gobsmacked am I....

[The Wielding Truth]

2. It actually seems from the clip to be a productive tool ,if used occasionally.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Sure, maybe once at the end of each quarter or semester.

But the video made it clear that this data-driven clusterfuck involves getting these kids to fill out forms damn near every day, which are then collected and collated by people whose time would be much better spent with the kids. During the entirety of my education, the only "evaluation" forms I ever filled out were for my college instructors and professors. This does not belong in a setting with children as young as those were. Even high school is quite a stretch.

[Hannah Bell]

4. it's used after every lesson. the evaluation process seems to take as much time as the lesson itself

it's pitiful.

what lessons are actually being taught during this evaluation process? i.e. what's the *real* lesson?

"a productive tool" - like this is some new idea, like teachers didn't already know how to do student evaluations.

it's canned curriculum produced by ed deformers.

and the so-called lesson? a debate about "who was more evil"? really?

what are the ed deformers teaching kids?

[burnsei sensei]

7. Evaluation is not education.

nt

[Catshrink]

11. Evaluation is an important tool if used correctly.

It's a way to see if the lesson objectives are met. Was the "message" sent the message "received?" Kids take what they "learn" and integrate it with what they already know to come up with their new understanding of the content. We need to know what that is. Evaluation doesn't need to be via scantron form, test, or quiz. There are other kinds of assessments.

I think what you mean is that the standardized testing frenzy is not education - and that I agree with.

[burnsei sensei]

12. Great tasks are not accomplished with few tools.

nt

[Hannah Bell]

16. it actually is, indirectly. it trains children in certain skills and teaches certain lessons.

implicitly.

thus the question: what is being taught by using this form of evaluation after every explicit lesson?

[burnsei sensei]

19. Yes, and so do foreign languages and SRA

for reading comprehension.
I don't sense very much enthusiasm for actual content.
Much emphasis on format and preparation for evaluation.

[flyarm]

5. k&r

[burnsei sensei]

6. The students are learning

how to manage.
They are not becoming educated.
They are learning only statistics.
Education should not be driven by market research. That's what's going on here.

[madrchsod]

8. widgets....

[madrchsod]

9. oh yes.....

notice the nice clean cheerful room? the row of computers? it`s palatine illinois. 80% white and middle to upper class suburb of chicago.just went there several weeks ago....it`s not like some districts in cook county.

[Reader Rabbit]

10. Jesus wept.

And some people think this is a good thing.

[YvonneCa]

13. Wow. I have SO many thoughts on this...

...clip.

1. It is TOTALLY a staged lesson, probably for an evaluation or just to create the video. If you look at the kids faces you'll notice some who react differently from what was needed in the video. Most of the edits and closeups avoid that being obvious in the video.

2. My former district was going in this direction. While I support some data to guide instruction, its overuse inhibits instruction. If this process is used ALL the time, there will be no time for teaching.

3. ELL students will have difficulty with the questions they are being asked to respond to. Will they get a different form or will their responses skew the data? ;)

4. 'The data show' that the students want more teacher help and support...that's what the kids asked of the teacher. If you saw the clip of the teacher on the computer inputting(sp?) data, THAT is where her time will be spent. She will have LESS time to do what the students want...support and help them.

5. Notice the age of the teacher...most creative, experienced teachers having to do this voice real concerns. A 'newbie', TFA-type staff is easier to manage.

6. Finally...and this is not from watching the video...the goal may be teacherless classrooms. My last years of teaching felt less like teaching and more like 'data entry clerk' and 'crowd control specialist'. Is that where we really want to go? Food for thought.

[Hannah Bell]

15. i think teacherless classrooms is one of the goals of some, yes. the it crowd, for sure.

canned lessons distributed via internet, with low-paid administrators doing the bookwork.

[Smarmie Doofus]

14. I'll "aggregate" YOUR data, Buster Brown. nt

[struggle4progress]

17. I read a report once about a study on how to teach English:

one group of kids was forced to write during each class period, the papers being collected and filed away but (without the kids knowing it) the instructors never even looked at the papers

the other group had a more common regime of regularly writing and handing in an essay that was graded and handed back

the group that wrote every day, but got no regular feedback or evaluation, actually performed rather better in a final evaluation than the group that wrote less frequently but got regular feedback and evaluation

practice ... practice ... practice ... makes perfect

[Starry Messenger]

18. This looks totally staged to me.

Even if it is a real classroom, how many teachers really have such small classes? That whole video just looks like some Arne Duncan fantasy school setting. All those happy, prosperous, well-cared for children who don't have a care in the world but to fill out TPS reports.

[Hannah Bell]

20. i agree. which is funny, since i guess it's supposed to present the best possible

picture of what they're doing & in fact seems creepy.

[adnelson60087]

21. The superintendent shown used to be mine about a decade ago.

Feelin' a little discouraged right now.