Marion Brady: How Ed Reformers Push the Wrong Theory of Learning

[Generic Other]

Theory T didn’t emerge from successful teaching experience, and it’s not backed by research, but it has something even more useful going for it: The Conventional Wisdom. It’s easily the New Progressives’ most powerful asset, for much of the general public (and a disturbing percentage of teachers) already subscribe to it. Because its validity is taken for granted, Theory T doesn’t even have to be explained, much less promoted.

Theory T says kids come to school with heads mostly empty. As textbooks are read, information transfers from pages to empty heads. As teachers talk, information transfers from teachers’ heads to kids’ heads. When homework and term papers are assigned, kids go to the library or the Internet, find information, and transfer it from reference works or Wikipedia. Bit by bit and byte by byte, the information in their heads piles up.

<snip>

Those who accept the alternative to Theory T don’t think kids come to school with empty heads, believe instead that the young, on their own, develop ideas, opinions, explanations, beliefs and values about things that matter to them. As is true of adults, kids’ ideas and beliefs become part of who they are, so attempts to change them may come across as attacks on their identity and be resisted.

Teaching, many long-time teachers know, isn’t a simple matter of transferring information into a kid’s head, but a far more complex, multi-step process. The teacher has to (a) “get inside” that head to figure out what’s thought to be true, right, or important, (b) understand the kid’s value system well enough to offer ideas sufficiently appealing to warrant taking them seriously and paying attention, (c) choose language or tasks that question old ideas and clarify new ones, (d) get feedback as necessary to decide how to proceed, (e) load the whole process up with enough emotion to carry it past short-term memory, and (f) do this for a roomful of kids, no two of whom are identical.

http://www.truth-out.org/marion-brady-how-ed-reformers-push-wrong-theory-learning63596

[Hannah Bell]

1. true, but irrelevant. the deformers aren't interesting in learning theory, but in profits.

[Nikki Stone1]

12. Exactly.

.

[sandnsea]

2. Theory T, Theory R, Theory UYA

All kids are different. Everything isn't relevant to a 9 year old. It takes a mixture of theories to be an effective teacher.

My 26 year old daughter gets it. They Theory R'd her adding to the point that she still has to count in her head to add 6 + 8. They drilled her multiplication so that she knows 6 x 8 without thinking.

You need both.

Just like you need phonics and whole language.

Just like you need relevant and hands on science projects, and memorization of the element table.

Just like you need relevant daily writing and memorization of the parts of a sentence.

And every damn teacher out there not only wants to do it their way, they think there's no damn problem with teachers from grade to grade teaching completely different methodologies.

That's what parents know that educators just can't get through their fat heads and that's why parents are throwing up their hands and going to charters.

[Pholus]

3. So every child learns exactly the same way then?

When I walk in the classroom I tend to find out that there are more than a dozen different learning styles.

That's what engagement is about. Figure out what works for each different kid. Actually, that's the fun and challenging part.

Of course, probing each student and varying my approach would be "doing it my way" wouldn't it? You're NOT a teacher.

Go on to a cookie cutter charter school. Their admissions policy will exclude all students who don't fit the style they want to teach so "one style fits all" will work.

[ananda]

4. I read that studies show that kids learn more from..

.. watching what adults do than listening to what they say.

[Pholus]

5. I don't work with little kids though I call them kids.

I teach physics and calculus. I'm proud that I get requested a lot. But I am darned tired of people trying to tell me that "All we have to do is X, Y, and Z" and the problem is SOLVED (especially when it gets dressed up in the rush to privatize another essential service).

I've been in a classroom and I can tell you that anyone who doesn't understand that it is a give and take cannot POSSIBLY understand enough to reform the system.

Nuff said.

[Catshrink]

7. Well said.

Do you teach college level or HS?

[Pholus]

8. Hey there. College, but I tutor high school -- especially college prep.

I love my subjects, I love talking about them. I have a lot of friends teaching grade school -- you can always tell the good ones mostly because they feel the same way. The goal is to figure out how to make my students see why I love what I do! Then the rest is easy.

Hence my absolute disdain over the current debates. Charter and private schools are a tactic, not a strategy. They have their value, don't get me wrong, but they will not "fix" education.

It's just that bean-counters LOVE one-size-fits-all solutions, and there will not be one for education.

Hence, the current demonizing of the system WILL NEVER replace it with something better.

[Catshrink]

16. Hey back

I teach HS physics (9th grade). I love it too - I especially love watching kids who think they don't know anything or aren't good at science figure something out for themselves. I'm not real keen on teaching math but I'm realizing that teaching math the first three weeks of the school year so the kids will have the skills they need is the way it's gonna be. They either didn't learn things like graphing or unit conversion in middle school or didn't retain it. Bummer.

One size fits all does not work! If I taught that way I'd lose most of my students' interest the first week.

[Pholus]

17. Exactly -- I use a "cool checklist"

Every semester, I try to get each and every one of them in a moment where they actually think what we're talking about is kind of neat. That moment where you realize that physics is close to magic at times.... That makes it worthwhile!

Keep up the good fight! :)

[sandnsea]

11. You can watch an adult for 50 years

And never learn how they read. Or how they do math. Or where South America is.

Honestly.

[sandnsea]

10. "All kids are different"

That's the first thing I said.

And most teachers do not probe each student to figure out them out. That would be "Theory T", which the article says doesn't work.

Theory R, that the article relies on, is hands on relevancy, which has been touted since the 70s and isn't a panacea either.

And your ARROGANT "you're not a teacher" remark is the ENTIRE problem that teachers have.

Even doctors and nurses encourage patients to learn everything they can and be a part of their health care solutions.

But not teachers, oh no. Show up but shut up, that's all a teacher ever wants from a parent. And would mostly prefer it from the kids.

And you wonder why we're getting more and more sick of your profession every day.

[Pholus]

15. On arrogance...

But then again, I'm just an arrogant teacher who will be replaced by someone in the privatized school system like the dinosaur I am. I'm not a grade school teacher and thank God, cause they have to WORK for a living. I get to play. But if you think you'll replace people like me with your new and wonderful privatized system...

In 50 years, Americans will not know what the quadratic formula is and we'll be working for the folks who do. Or the multinationals that pay them at least. Education is a national security issue and I'm watching a threat to the existence of my country unfold in folks like you.

But let's visit arrogance for a while.

Arrogance is the one parent that told a high school teacher friend one time that "I sucked at math and I don't see why it isn't okay for my child to suck at it too."

Arrogance is the principal in that same teacher's town who changed her students' grades so they'd pass without consulting her.

Arrogance is that same principal bowing to parent pressure and firing that same teacher "cause she was too hard." She landed well at least -- masters in computer science and a high paying job. Of course, the nitwit who replaced her probably was really good to pandering to parents as a result. Just like all teachers will be once tenure is removed.

Arrogance is the journalist that wrote in USA Today a year or so ago that the "Pythagorean Theorem" is cocktail party trivia at best because he cannot see the use of it.

Arrogance is Bill Gates, who was clever enough to learn by himself and is doing his damn best to make sure that this ONLY people who can learn like he did will succeed.

Arrogance is your little sermon which ended with "we're getting more and more sick of your profession every day." At least the tea partiers and the Texas State Board of Education are on your side. Should make you feel good.

[Bozita]

19. +1 ... Great post!

[Catshrink]

6. T for transmission?

Sure sounds like it. We prefer constructivist to tranmission but both have their place.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. If our Billionaire Boys Club was interested in pedagogy, this would be relevant

But they are not. Sadly.

Good piece though.

[laughingliberal]

14. +1000 nt

[xchrom]

13. Recommend

[LWolf]

18. Marion Brady was on MY shortlist of those I hoped might become Secretary of Ed..

Instead, we got Arne Duncan. :(