How can they do that when they don't seem to be able to think themselves?
This contradiction has variously amused and enraged me, but it seems to be a systemic problem. As a "school in need of improvement" we have had cadres of experts come in purporting to teach us how to teach "higher order thinking skills." It is no exaggeration to say these gurus were so thick they would have been challenged to suggest a way to evacuate a phone booth.
I keep remembering the interesting data point from ETS that those who go on to get graduate degrees in Educational Administration have a mean GRE Verbal of 419 -- meaning a goodly number were well below that. A GRE score of 419 loosely correlates to an IQ of 90.
Not the sharpest knives in the drawer, folks.
A GRE score of 419 loosely correlates to an IQ of 90.
ReplyDeleteIt does?
IQ of 90 AND no common sense.
ReplyDeleteWe are doomed.
Gotta' love those consultants, eh?
ReplyDeleteI have a class with (variously); a boy who simulates masturbating his pencil while holding it on his (gyrating) fly, another who shakes his jowls (randomly) like a slobbering St. Bernard, a half dozen who can't see the board while standing in front of it ( 3' away), 3 who barely speak English, 2 who range from catatonic to just nuts (depending on time of day), and the rest who can't multiply with a table pasted to their desk.
Critical thinking skills? Right!
It's just a bit too nuanced for my blood, like washing windows at a train wreck.
My personal favorite moments come when our beloved administrators (who have advanced degrees in Education, natch) insist that the key to getting parents and families on board with new educational practices (read: Fad of the Moment) is "educating them." We need to "educate" the parents about what these new practices (fads) are all about and, should parents or even other teachers (!!) express reservations, well...they just need more "education"! The underlying principles and assumptions of these new fads are never questioned since, of course, they come from "experts" who have done "studies", so we all should just shutu....err, educate ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading this blog but this is the first time I've been inspired to comment:
ReplyDeleteI'm in a program improvement school too. I always wonder where all these consultants were 10 plus years ago when we needed them. I mean, I had struggling students then too. If they knew what we needed to do back then, why so coy? Were all these consultants planning to keep their magic knowledge secret forever? Thanks to NCLB, a whole host of retired administrators now have brand new careers.