Statistics WanklearnteachNovember 20 2009, 17:27:18 UTC
Are the statistics real? 1. Are the children ready for a disciplined culture of class respect without physical reminder? 2. Is the language in the tests accessible to these children? 3. Is the other economic reality of no books/no parental influence a factor? Non-disadvantaged means more parent time, often. 4. Does this study eliminate the bias from ESL learners? 5. Does it eliminate the bias from immigration? About a quarter of my students last week started school in Mexico.
I'm not sure it's even the right question. I'm back to wondering if schools are the answer at all. Access to education, sure. Mandatory education with no options--college track or failure, on THE MAN's timetable...not so much.
The no magic is the hard part...hunrvogtNovember 20 2009, 17:33:41 UTC
Having a largely private education...I always wonder how much parental involvement plays a role in childhood success. Is it that expensive pre-schools are crucial or is it that parents that make an investment in early education are looking for a return on that investment and thus push for some level of success?
I think the thing that we can do without changing human nature is focus early education on the fundamentals - reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic. I would rather see our education structure focused on giving a really solid grounding to students than worrying that every student can run a PCR gel by tenth grade. I'd much rather that they can read and comprehend what PCR is as an adult. If that means foregoing some of the breadth of knowledge early on, I am ok with that.
Love of learningdame_cordeliaNovember 20 2009, 18:02:19 UTC
When we were small, shortly before bedtime mom would pile us up in the parental bed and read to us. The authors were Beatrix Potter and Carl Sandberg, along with many others. She believed in exposing us to good literature at an early age. I was seriously not happy that I had to wait until I went to school before I could start learning to read for myself.
This scenario obviously cannot be repeated in many minority homes, but I am convinced that reading to children is one of, if not the most, important early keys to learning. There are public libraries that do this in the afternoons for children, I am told. If I am ever in a position to be a retired person, I want to participate in such a program because I think it is important to expose children early to the delights of learning.
I really think that this problem has a lot to do with parental example. Parents have to show their children that education is important. I don't think that a parent needs a college education to do that. Talking to kids about what an education means to their future and treating education like it is important is a really good start. Kids need to know that homework is a priority. Reading regularly, both to children and for pleasure is a great example. Parents who view school as something to do only because it has to be done are probably not going to have highly motivated children. Whether we like it or not, small children pretty much echo the thoughts and feelings of their parents. Mandatory preschool can't help with that. To many, it would just be one more thing that they are forced to do whether they want to or not.
Comments 7
1. Are the children ready for a disciplined culture of class respect without physical reminder?
2. Is the language in the tests accessible to these children?
3. Is the other economic reality of no books/no parental influence a factor? Non-disadvantaged means more parent time, often.
4. Does this study eliminate the bias from ESL learners?
5. Does it eliminate the bias from immigration? About a quarter of my students last week started school in Mexico.
I'm not sure it's even the right question. I'm back to wondering if schools are the answer at all. Access to education, sure. Mandatory education with no options--college track or failure, on THE MAN's timetable...not so much.
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I think the thing that we can do without changing human nature is focus early education on the fundamentals - reading, 'riting, and 'rithmatic. I would rather see our education structure focused on giving a really solid grounding to students than worrying that every student can run a PCR gel by tenth grade. I'd much rather that they can read and comprehend what PCR is as an adult. If that means foregoing some of the breadth of knowledge early on, I am ok with that.
Reply
I was seriously not happy that I had to wait until I went to school before I could start learning to read for myself.
This scenario obviously cannot be repeated in many minority homes, but I am convinced that reading to children is one of, if not the most, important early keys to learning. There are public libraries that do this in the afternoons for children, I am told. If I am ever in a position to be a retired person, I want to participate in such a program because I think it is important to expose children early to the delights of learning.
Reply
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Reply
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