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Do your share, show you care. . . .It turned out this was prepared by a fellow student as part of her project on the topic of global warming. All students have been assigned similar projects, and the theme seems to be environmental causes. I think we all know the drill. Take a huge topic. Assign an elementary student to research the Internet. Make a poster along with dioramas, poems, songs or puzzles. Present to class. Yuck!!
If you don’t do your part:
- everyone will die
- the Earth will burn
- there will not be any community in the world
Having watched my kids progress through the public school system being assigned numerous time-wasting projects that teach very little practical academic content or skills, I have developed an abhorrence for most of these. Additionally, I’ve observed the alarmist, unscientific message about global warming that seems to pervade much of the curriculum.
However, this particular example sent me over the edge a bit.
(Of course, I don’t fault the child or even the teacher in this case. In fact, my observation is that this student is unusually bright and probably completed this project without much parental help. Good for her!)
17 comments:
Cheer up, it could be worse (and it will be!)
This week our middle school is celebrating its second annual Violence Against Women fest.
Last year the halls were festooned with posters bearing the legend, "Every 30 seconds a woman is struck by her partner."
Middle school response: boys stood around counting down 30 seconds then shouting BOOM!
This year's posters merely state the dates of VAW so the boys are telling each other, "After December 15 we can go back to beating women."
The folks who run our middle school seem to have no concept -- none -- that middle school children are not short adults.
Ed had dinner with a professor in Paris who ranted about the global warming meme (against, not for).
She said all the things he's heard me say: heavily politicized science suppresses debate, distorts research, etc.
She said, too, that the French don't like Al Gore --- which I can certainly imagine, having spent some time there.
I have the sense that global warming evangelism is an Anglophile thing (don't know, but that's my sense....)
everyone will die/the Earth will burn...
doesn't really capture the spirit of inquiry
Amen, Tex....
We're in the throws of an Egypt project that includes constructing an artifact "that could fool an archaeologist!" That last bit is from the rubric (the same that I mentioned in a comment on SteveH's "Rubric Burn" posting).
In our house, this is the third Egyptian artifact (this time it's an ankh staff -- whoopee!). But despite their hours of effort, neither of my kids has a firm grasp of the timeline of Egyptian history, the major players, or the reason that any of it matters. (Well, I take that last part back -- they have what I taught them at home.)
Projects have a place in education, but it seems like the heads of curriculum and instruction have forgotten that it's not at the head of the table.
Cheryl (whose kids attend a private American school in Singapore but still suffer through the Crayola Curriculum -- even in middle- and high school)
Most environmental topics are handled in policy wonk manner; i.e., we should all drive less, we should find alternative fuels, etc. There is little to no instruction on the scientific principles involved. Like how about a definition of global warming; how might it occur? How are pollutants dispersed in the atmosphere? I recall experiments in science in which a blue dye was put in a glass of water that had been standing, and a glass of water that had been stirred slightly so we could watch how each dispersed.
I'm just waiting for the project where we get to tell those dang Martians what they should do to prevent global warming on Mars. I'm thinking fewer long-distance flights and more fluorescent bulbs* might be helpful.
* Fluorescent bulbs are the Official Bulb of both Syrtis Major and Nix Olympica.
There is little to no instruction on the scientific principles involved. Like how about a definition of global warming; how might it occur? How are pollutants dispersed in the atmosphere?
YES!
YES!
YES!
What exactly is global warming; how does one measure it; what does the geological record suggest?; etc.
One of the commenters at dy/dan says he's going to start having students do math projects in order to increase relevance, I think...
If they didn't work so hard to get rid of the applied math in science class they wouldn't have to do what really amounts to science projects in math class.
"Average rate of plant growth" is a botany problem, not a math problem.
Here's a math problem: "Give mathematical justification for why the product of two negatives is a postive." Nothing real world or relevant about it. Completely useless. But after being fed a steady diet of "utility" as the only motivation behind their education, it's little wonder that students have no appetite for abstraction or a priori propositional knowledge.
Cheryl van Tilburg - If you're interested The Teaching Company has a fantastic lectures series on Ancient Egyptian history AND the Pharoahs of Egypt by Bob Brier. I've used them in our homeschooling and they had my nine year old hooked.
back to your regularly scheduled comments....
Hi Dana --
Thanks so much for the info. I'll have a look!
Cheryl vT
Ed had dinner with a professor in Paris who ranted about the global warming meme (against, not for).
I’ve read that France generates 75% of its electricity by nuclear plants. They do seem to have a different perspective on environmental issues.
Most environmental topics are handled in policy wonk manner; i.e., we should all drive less, we should find alternative fuels, etc.).
You are sooo right! I’m going to start looking out for exceptions to this. At the very least, the texts usually have sidebars with precautionary commentary about how humans are screwing up the planet.
This guy is making a web page which lists everything ever claimed to be caused by global warming. Minneapolis bridge collapse to Lyme disease, includes reference links:
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm
There should be a sister page listing all the things that CAUSE global warming as well, from beer to divorce.
In reference to the above comment, "Last year the halls were festooned with posters bearing the legend, "Every 30 seconds a woman is struck by her partner. Middle school response: boys stood around counting down 30 seconds then shouting BOOM!"
I know it's totally inappropriate of me to say so, but that is very funny!
ec - you are WAY inappropriate!
They're all supposed to wear their Violence against women t-shirts tomorrow.
Then go home and celebrate Chanukkah.
Speaking of which, Andrew rejected TWO Chanukkah presents last night. The look of scorn on his face when he opened his present and discovered an NYU sweatshirt was priceless.
Who says autistic people can't form "disgust" expressions?
Apparently Andrew thinks he was supposed to get an Arthur tape for each day of Chanukkah.
The good news: I get the sweatshirt.
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