Video of Chicago teachers being treated like children in meeting. It's humiliating. [View all]

[madfloridian]

Professional Development meetings, sometimes called In-Service, are supposed to be offering up intelligent new developments in the field of education. Looks like someone in the back of the room took this video.

Published on Feb 17, 2014
This presenter was one of several consultants flown in from California and the United Kingdom for the Chicago Public Schools' Office of Strategic School Support Services' special network. This is a professional development for teachers of Saturday ISAT preparation classes.

This woman actually gets paid for this terrible presentation.

From CBS News Chicago:

In Video, Consultant Treats CPS Teachers Like Small Children

CHICAGO (CBS) — A video posted on You Tube apparently shows a consultant running a professional development seminar and treating Chicago Public School teachers like kindergartners.

The woman running the class on several occasions in the one-minute video asks the group of teachers to repeat single-words, or short phrases, back to her.

Consultant: “So repeat after me. We will”

Class: “We will”

Consultant: “Use”

Class: “Use”

Consultant: “Accurately”

Class: “Accurately”

Consultant: “Grade appropriate”

Class: “Grade appropriate”

Consultant: “General academic”

Class: “General academic”

Consultant: “In domain specific words.”

Class: “In domain specific words.”

Consultant: “And phrases”

Class: “And phrases”

Just like little children being asked to memorize something.

Canadian Education blogger Joe Bower had a whole lot more to say. He's right.

Here is what Education Hell looks like

He makes 4 valid points.

1. Roller coaster of emotions. I experienced a roller coaster of emotions as I watched this apocalyptic video. First, I was in shock. I couldn't believe this was happening. Second, I was angry. I couldn't imagine sitting in that classroom chanting without speaking up or walking out. Third, I was profoundly sad. If this is the nature of education reform and the future of our schools then I want nothing to do with it. Lastly, I am energized and hopeful. The only thing that cancerous education policies and practices need to survive is for good teachers to say and do nothing.

2. This is not Professional Development. This is at best a very poor inservice. This is precisely why teachers need a powerful Union that has a strong Professional Association focus to make sure that teachers have control over their own professional learning.

3. Teaching or testing? Teaching to the test and excessive test preparation invalidates inferences that can be drawn from the scores – yet they are the inevitable response to pressure to produce good test scores.

Leaving out #4 to add his last paragraph, to which I think the answer is yes...unfortunately.

One last bonus horror: Is this being done to the teachers to encourage them to return to their classrooms and do exactly this to their students?

Before I retired this kind of mindless stuff was already beginning. Our last few development days were jokes. We were all stifling laughter, or perhaps tears as well.

Wasted time, wasted money to that consultant, and even worse degrading to the teachers.

That is not just Rahm's Chicago school system (yes it is his because he has mayoral control). It is happening on various scales around the country.