Category Archives: Education Reform

Gaming Math

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Mike

In the December, 2010 Scientific American is an article on ten world-changing ideas that may influence our futures. One such idea is “game-ifying” real-life human activities in order to motivate and modify behaviors. I won’t try to explain it and, … Continue reading →

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The Flat World and Education – Recommended Reading

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Mike

I am currently reading The Flat World and Educatioon by Linda Darling-Hammond. Actually, I have been currently reading it for some time. I began it in October on the train to and from Minnesota.  I have laid it aside from … Continue reading →

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Performance Reviews

Posted on November 21, 2010 by Mike

This summer, 7-9-2010 to be exact, on NPR, I heard a review of Samuel Culbert’s book Get Rid of the Performance Review. Although Culbert’s book is aimed at the corporate world, I was struck by how many of his points … Continue reading →

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Good Teachers and Bad

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Mike

I taught for 44 years. The bulk of that experience was in public high schools. I was fortunate that in all that time, I never taught in a truly bad school, such as are depicted in the media as being … Continue reading →

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Grading the Teachers, part 2

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Mike

The L. A. Times published the school district’s test scores by teacher, by name, on or about August 14, 2010. The picture accompanying the article was of John Smith, a “bad” teacher. This struck me at the time as being … Continue reading →

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Teacher Bonuses

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Mike

The Politicians, Pundits, Polemicists, and even some Professors who, of all people, should know better, keep telling us that teachers, especially union members, keep up a mindless litany of “no” at any suggestion of progress. Well, there are some proposed … Continue reading →

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Figurative Language

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Mike

A friend recently sent me this list of examples of student writing. You have probably seen it before. It follows the comments. We English teachers (and perhaps others, if they assign writing) have always had our little chuckles over student … Continue reading →

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Teachers as Writers

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Mike

Once upon a time, a decade or few ago, the constituency of public schools considered it important for us English teachers to teach kids to write coherent, meaningful, and reasonably correct English prose. In those halcyon days of yore, we … Continue reading →

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Grading the Teachers

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Mike

Politicians, Pundits, Polemicists, and Professors Who of All People Should Know Better, love to lament that “teachers unions reflexively reject anything that smacks of accountability.” Or so said Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald, who usually hits the nail right … Continue reading →

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Digital School Books, Part One

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Mike

When I travel, I occasionally take a break from the local-wherever-I-am newspaper and indulge in USA Today. That’s how I came across the August 10 article “Learning Curve Goes Digital.” On the USA Today website, it is titled “Can college … Continue reading →

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