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Can We Leave No Child Behind? (3)

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Friday, May 30, 2008 11:24:38 AM
A professor from a northeastern college has described for us what happens to the student who is pushed into college without preparation. Not everyone is ready for college work. Some will never be ready. Students need options. This has been the thrust of my short series on leaving no child behind. Not all students can or even want to go to college.

Why School?

We send students to school to prepare them to be successful adults. School isn't about creating happy children. It isn't about job training. It is about teaching basic knowledge and culture so that students can join America as citizens. It is also about teaching the skills needed to succeed in life and to improve one's condition if desired.

Slave owners in America's south kept their slaves from learning to read. By keeping the slaves ignorant it was possible to keep them from bettering themselves and thus easier to control. This is a desirable goal for slave owners or dictators or other such situations. We might imagine a place where the "peasants" are not taught to read. The peasant cleaning my floor can operate equipment from pictures. By that argument, how much education would really be needed. Such a school is depicted very well in the movie Fahrenheit 451. (The book did not depict the school so well.) In this school we listen to children parroting empty phrases. We teach children to read so that they can learn things for themselves.

America is a land of "free men, not slaves," to quote the old song. We trust our citizens. In return, we expect responsibility from them. Knowledge is needed to be responsible. History, literature, science, math, and art are all part of that knowledge. Until our own experience can teach us, we must rely on the experience and the knowledge of others. I still do. I have no experience with city life. I rely on other people's experience to understand city life as they write about it or make movies about it.

School Structure

My vision for a school is, in many ways, quite traditional. In some ways quite revolutionary. I will outline it today and flesh it out later.
  • As Kelly Flynn points out, students are responsible for their own education. This is where the rubber hits the road. There are things schools can do to help students to take responsibility, but ultimately, this is the area schools cannot touch.
  • Up to about 8th grade, I believe in a common education. This goes all the way back to the one-room schoolhouse. This is also the time when students who are behind or weak need to be pulled into additional tutoring to catch them up. Negative feelings toward school often stem from a lack of ability.
  • Beginning with freshman year, students should be given more choice. This is where they may start taking some vocational courses or some more advanced courses. However, these students are also immature and likely to change their minds. This age is too early to lock them into a career.
  • Beginning with junior year, students should be making real choices. Some will choose the academic curriculum as a foundation for college. Others will choose practical work experience. A student who wants to be a mechanic should start some real work experience. He may still be taking academic courses, but a structured internship would be much more useful that filling the day with "fluff" courses.
I'll flesh all of this out in my next entry.
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Can We Leave No Child Behind? (2)

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:14:55 PM
Previously, I raised the question of whether it was possible to truly leave no child behind. My answer is "NO." This is a disturbing answer when it comes from an educator and it reeks of elitism or worse. So let me explain.

Goals

Different kids have different goals. This is one of the weaknesses of No Child Left Behind. Currently, education seems focused on college. The truth is that not everyone will go to college. This is not an intelligence issue. It is a personality issue. It is also a practical issue. Not all careers require a college education.

Some sort of post-secondary education should be in most students' plans, but it may take a lot of different forms. Some are very practical: welding, machining, wiring. Others are more theoretical or bookish.

As a culture, we seem to have decided that those who don't go to college are somehow less intelligent or less ambitious. This is not true. Thomas Stanley's book The Millionaire Next Door noted that a surprising number of first generation millionaires do not have college educations. These are people who were successful because they were ambitious, did not give up, could face failure, could take risks, and because they found something they were passionate about. Don Aslett turned a college job as a janitor into a multi-million dollar janitorial service.

Our schools are only serving one segment of their population. NCLB only measures the performance on the goals of that one segment.

Environment

We aren't all privileged to grow up with middle class values. These are values of hard work, self-reliance, and the value of education. Some children are brought up to believe that they are victims of external forces. I have these children in my classes as well as other types.

I teach students who really believe that the grade they get in my class comes from how I feel about them. I've had parents tell me with a straight face that teachers are out to get their family. Apparently the teachers get together at the beginning of the year to choose which kids we're going to pick on for the year. (And you wondered why teachers go back to school before students!)

How does one reach this type of student? It can be done, but it's difficult. I've reached a few. I've also failed. Because of the home environment and other factors, there are students who will not be reached. We try, but they won't.

These students will not buy into our school's mission. In severe cases, such as the inner city or the reservations, these students will resist any attempt to improve in any way. Any change in culture will take a generation or two. Schools rarely plan like that.

Students will be left behind in our current system if they don't have a college focus or if they come from a background that is hostile to education or even success. Naturally, I can't leave it here without proposing solutions. Stay tuned!

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Can We Leave No Child Behind? (1)

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Saturday, May 24, 2008 8:04:04 PM
This year my school failed to make AYP. This means that I teach in a failing school. Now, before everyone piles on to condemn my school, let me point out why we didn't make AYP. We have a small subgroup that didn't make AYP: special ed students in the elementary school at one campus. (Our district runs 2 elementary schools in order to accomodate the enourmous land area we cover.)

We are not a failing school. We may be failing in regards to this one population, but not overall. That is one of the problems with the notion of AYP and No Child Left Behind. It is a blunt, broad brush that paints an entire school district. What it should do is target.

All of this begs a larger question: what should the goal of education actually be? Some say that all students should be prepared for college. Some say it should prepare kids to work. Perhaps nationalistic induction? Perhaps liberal induction? I could go on and get political, but this does point out a major weakness. As a society we aren't totally on the same page. How then do we agree on what a successful school is?

Certain features of a successful school are commonly accepted:
  • Students should be able to read, write, and communicate.
  • Students should be able to use math.
  • Students should understand how the world works.
Each of these can be controversial. Maybe you don't need to know how to read in some jobs. Maybe the nice lady who cleans motel rooms can get by with pictures. Maybe calculators have supplanted the need for mathematical computation. Maybe the world is a seething mass of white domination. Maybe science has all the answers.

Over the next few days, I'll spend some time exploring what schools should be. It will include some educational heresy.

Some background reading (that led to this short series) would include the following articles:

The Age of Educational Romanticism
Districts Want In On Tech School
Advanced Placement Diplomas Considered
Honors Courses Give Way to AP Rigor
Wimping Out on Standards?
College is Not For Everyone, But Success Can Be

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When in Doubt, Throw it Out (III) -- Corroded faucets

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Sunday, May 18, 2008 3:35:18 PM
I have to leave for graduation in about 15 minutes, so I thought I'd kill time by continuing my end of the year cleanup series.

My classroom is about 40 years old. It boasts its original furniture and fixtures. In the chemical room there are two faucets  and a gas jet. Due to their proximity to interesting chemicals, they have become quite caked with corrosion and a thick layer of...something.

I put my chemistry knowledge to work and took a tip from Kim and Aggie (two ladies I stumbled across on Youtube). I soaked some paper towels with vinegar, wrapped them around the fixtures, and then put plastic bags over this mess. I then proceeded with some other cleaning and filing (topics that are coming up). At the end of the day, I pulled off the sodden mass of paper towel and plastic bag.

With a quick wipe, the faucets were revealed in their almost gleaming glory. I say "almost" because the action of 40 years of fumes have pitted the fixtures. The pits are still there, but everything around them is gleaming and wonderful. If I'd been thinking, I'd have done before and after pictures.

I noticed some similar faucets in my basement, so we'll see....

Why did it work? Why not just use steel wool? It worked because of the acetic acid in vinegar. The acetic acid cut through any oils and also attacked the corrosion. This then wiped off with a damp sponge. Steel wool would have been bad because the damage to the metal would leave it even more open to future corrosion. Besides, it would have been too much elbow grease. A few minutes of applying paper towels and wiping and I was done.

Remember, chemicals are your friends!
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Testing in School

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Saturday, May 17, 2008 7:50:03 PM
All this recent talk of cheating on tests got me thinking about tests in general. This post really isn't about my cheating adventure. It is more about testing and evaluation. I'll get this out of my system today and then go back to my "end of the year" advice.

Test Question Types

This can be a controversial topic and seems to be invested with much emotion. I know because I've been the emotional one at times. For a long time I was attached to short essay tests. They usually had about 16 questions or problems. I got so they were 1/2 open notes and 1/2 closed notes. I liked them because kids had to explain themselves and think through things. I also had the belief that other question types couldn't involve thinking. For reasons I'll get to below, my tests are now a mix of problems, short essay, and multiple choice. First, though, I just want to give a partial idea of question types that are out there.
  • True/False: essentially a "right/wrong" type test. The student evaluates the truth of a statement. One weakness is that this sometimes involves one minor detail in the sentence such a a number in a date. Another weakness is that the student has a 50-50 chance of guessing correctly on each question.
  • Multiple Choice: student selects a correct answer from a list of possible answers. Some questions may have more that one right answer. These can be factual/detail type questions or more in depth.
  • Fill in the Blank: these are questions where the student supplies missing information to a sentence. Often this is a test of facts, terms, or dates.
  • Short Answer: these are questions that can be answered by, at most, a sentence.
  • Short Essay: these are questions that require several sentences of answer. Despite the requirement for writing, these can actually be just factual questions.
  • Essay: these are much longer questions that require several paragraphs of explanation. Usually these require integration of several ideas and application of knowledge. They can, however, be recall. For example, one may recall a process such as the path of blood through the heart and lungs.
  • Matching: This involves matching an item in one list with an item in another list.
  • Problem solving: this involves solving a problem; common in math and science courses
  • Ordering: putting a set of items in order

Writing a Test

I always feel that a test should evaluate what students know and can do. I have a problem with test questions that attempt to trick a student or which cover things that have not been taught. At the same time, students are human beings with real brains and were made in the image of God. They are not machines to simply remember and regurgitate facts. Students should be asked to apply their knowledge in age-appropriate ways.

I write my own tests as a mix of multiple choice and short essay. I reserve essays for assignments that they may take home. Multiple choice provide me with an objective measure. Short essay allow students to explain what they know and to show me their reasoning. Problems also fit here. Unless a problem is simple (what is the pH of a chemical whose hydronium ion concentration is...) I prefer to see their math. Sometimes a student simply hits the wrong button on a calculator.

In my recent round of cheating, I had students cheating on both types of question. The multiple choice were clear, and so were the short essay and problems. Why do a titration solution with sulfuric acid when the question is about hydrochloric acid? Aha! The other test asked the same question about sulfuric acid.

Students think with both types of question. For example, I can describe a situation. It involves sex-linked traits but I simply describe how the trait was passed through the family, who has it, and so on. Then I ask from whom was the trait inherited. Students have to think through how sex-linked traits work to understand it.

This is a bit more in depth than your stereotypical multiple choice  where one might ask "what type of trait is related to gender?" and have sex-linked as a choice.

I have helped write the state assessment for science, I've been involved with the ACT test, and I helped with the Praxis test for new science teachers. What is interesting about all of these tests is that they are multiple choice and yet require little memorization of facts. Some facts are needed, but more important are the things the kids can do. They are expected to read and interpret graphs, understand experiments, and apply natural laws. While they could certainly be better, I am impressed with their quality. These are good tests.

Later this summer, after I get done with my series on wrapping up the year, I'll revisit test-writing and test-taking.
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Cheating and Good Parents

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Thursday, May 15, 2008 11:15:03 PM
No parent is happy to get a call from his child's teacher that goes along the lines of..."Your child cheated on a test." The ones whose grades dipped down to failing because of this choice were even less pleased.

I really am fortunate, though. I live in an area where families teach right and wrong to their children. When children make the wrong choice, most parents do not support them or try to cover up for them.

That was my experience when I called my long, long, long list of parents. One was angry at me. One wanted to see the evidence but agreed that his child had chosen to do something that was wrong. The rest agreed that their child should suffer the consequences of their actions. None were happy about it, but what parent would be?

Here is the thing: for a few of these students (the ones who ended up with failing grades for the course) have suffered quite badly. The point has been made to all of these students that society cares about right and wrong and that decent people stand up for it. More to the point, this lesson has been sent to other students who watched this occur and wondered why they didn't take the short cut. This will help solidify their morals at a time when they are still somewhat flexible.

Finally, perhaps these students will remember this painful lesson when another choice of this sort presents itself later in life. It may be something with more serious consequences. My hope is that they will remember Chemistry and make the right choice later on when it matters.

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Cheating on Tests

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 6:43:56 PM
One third of the students in one of my classes recently cheated on a test. They were caught because I had 2 different versions of the test. Because of this, I'm soliciting advice from teachers in larger schools.

The Events

Here is what I believe occurred: several students were going to be missing on the day of the test. They took it early, but I only had one version of the test run off at that point. These students took it in study hall. The next day, the rest of the students took the test, but this time both versions were run off and mixed together.

What I believe happened was that one of the students who took it early photographed the test with his cell phone (or he wrote down answers, but I really do suspect the former). He then sent it to all of his friends. Cell phones are now so small that it's easy for kids to palm one while they do this, particularly in a study hall.

Consequences and Concerns

My school has a good policy on cheating and a good administration that believes in holding students accountable for their actions. According to policy, these students will receive zeroes on the test. This means several will not pass the course. I absolutely will stand my ground on this kind of issue. No student or parent will intimidate me into backing down.

I do have several concerns:
  1. I cannot prove that the student photographed his test, though I know he did. Errors are the same on all the tests and match his own.
  2. I cannot do anything about those who had the same version.
  3. Most importantly, I want to ensure that this doesn't happen in the future. Do I write entirely different tests for make-up work? Is there another option?
As I noted in another post, I am a problem solver. While I've been angry about this and probably done a bit of whining, I want to solve the problem. Part of that is looking for advice. As cell phones and other devices get smaller and more prevalent, this problem will grow. Schools need a solution.

The Moral Dimension

There is an additional dimension to all of this: morality. There is a right and a wrong. While we could argue, as one parent did, that "everyone cheats," this is not moral. There is a clear right and wrong. When students do this, they have done something wrong. The concern should not be that they were caught. It should be that they did something wrong.

I am frustrated. I tend to be trusting and I liked most of these kids. That they would lie and blame me for being caught in that lie suggests that their sense of right and wrong is not entirely developed. I hope that it will become more fully developed before they get out into the real world. I also hope that the decent majority of students will recognize that the school and society will take a stand for what is right.
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When in Doubt, Throw it Out (2): Glassware

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Monday, May 12, 2008 11:51:49 PM
No politics or controversy today: just a continuation of some ideas I started in "When in doubt, throw it out."

If you teach Chemistry or Biology, you deal with glassware. Physics teachers don't have so much. I'm lucky enough to teach them all as well as some others besides. At this point in the year, the glassware starts to get ahead of the cleaning.

Cleaning without (much) Scrubbing

Here are some ideas. Clean glassware is a Chemistry teacher's friend. There's nothing quite like the reaction starting before the kids add water! (Sorry, someone last year forgot to clean it out.) We ask our students to clean up, but a teen's idea of clean glassware is not the same as his teacher's idea. I've come to see my students' cleaning as a pre-soak.

What I do is set the glassware into hot, soapy water doused liberally with white vinegar. Then I go away. The benefit is that the vinegar will remove most of what is on the glass and the soap will remove the rest. Some will have to be scrubbed, but it will be manageable and quick. I then rinse the glassware with tap water and do a second rinse with distilled water. Depending on the water quality in your town, you might not need to do the distilled water rinse, though I recommend it. If you live in my town, you MUST do the distilled water rinse.

Stubborn Filth

You will find that some of your equipment is too dirty. Scrubbing and the soak just weren't enough. Time to bring on the "big dogs." I like to use leftover acid. Do you remember that 1-M sulfuric acid you didn't use up? Here's your chance. While wearing goggles, use it to attack more stubborn materials and then rinse it down the sink with plenty of water. You may even be able to use it on several stubborn items. I don't like to save my acid solutions because their concentrations seem to change over the summer.

Storage

After the glassware has dried, store it upside down to keep the dust out of it. If other glassware has not had this treatment, move it to the front of the shelf and put your properly washed stuff in the back. This may even be a prime time to organize the glassware. In a year or two you will have a cabinet full of fresh, clean glassware ready for a lab.

One last note: cracked, chipped, and scratched glassware will break, usually at the worst possible moment. Don't save money by keeping it. Don't set it in your cabinet as "spare." Throw it out!

Clean glassware will reward you next year when you start doing labs. You'll have it organized and it will just WORK!

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Problem Solvers are Happier

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Friday, May 09, 2008 12:16:54 AM
Who do you want to be? Are you the teacher who complains about how rotten the kids are? Do you feel helpless against the forces of a society that is in decline? Are you victim to the erosion of respect for authority in our society? If parents would just raise their kids instead of letting them raise themselves, you could teach.

What a depressing way to go through life. Why bother going on? You are the victim of external forces beyond your control. How could you ever control a classroom or successfully teach these budding savages?

Or, is it just possible that you can do something? Maybe you try something else (or many other things) with classroom management. Maybe you try some different teaching techniques. Maybe you read education journals and books and get new ideas. Maybe you talk to other teachers and get ideas.

This is a short entry, but I'm writing it to remind both of my readers to try new things. Don't surrender to problems. Solve them. Fail at solving them and try again. You may have to try many times but, eventually, you'll succeed. Better, you'll be a leader. You will be the one in control. You won't be a victim.

Victims are helpless and unhappy. Problem solvers are strong and realize that they can solve their own problems. Problem solvers do not give up in despair. They try something else.

The year is almost over. You have a summer to come up with solutions to problems you recognized this year. Take some classes, read in your field, and meet new people. You will win!

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When in Doubt, Throw it Out

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 1:14:04 AM
My first classroom was interesting. For nearly 30 years, it had been inhabited by a packrat. He retired and was replaced by a disaster for one year. (I'm being charitable. Some people do not belong in a classroom.) The room had a lot of potential, despite being rather old. This picture was taken shortly after I'd moved in and begun the process of organization.
My First Classroom
The room was huge, but so packed with disorganized junk that one could not move around in it. Lab table drawers were packed with old dittoes and tests that were apparently never corrected. Chemicals were a mess. They were not organized in any way. Many lacked labels. I picked up one blank bottle that burned my fingers badly and had carbonized the shelf.

The walls were painted three different colors. According to the janitor, there had been abortive attempts to paint the room, but none (except the first) ever ran to completion. It was a disaster. I wish I'd taken some "after" pictures. By the time I left, I had repainted the room, sorted the chemicals, and thrown away a lot of junk. The room became green (my favorite color).

Junk

Some subjects just lend themselves to junk collection. Science is one of them. We like our toys! We hate to throw things out because our administrators expect us to work on the same size budget as a math teacher. (I'm also a math teacher so I'm allowed to say that.) When we have something, we hate to give it up, even if it's broken. We always think we can fix it. We won't give up obsolete equipment because it's something at least.

The truth is, we won't (or can't) fix it. We won't use the obsolete stuff. Throw these things out! If you aren't using the stuff, toss it! You won't use it again. Really, you won't miss it!

Order

It's great when you can find stuff. I've learned to organize my shelves. I've organized my equipment with labeled drawers and cabinets. I learned to group things and put commonly used equipment in the most accessible positions. An orderly room that doesn't have a lot of junk laying around promotes order.

Chemicals

Chemicals are scary. Back in the day, schools bought a lot of chemicals. Now we're not allowed to have them. These need to be disposed of (safely and legally). No joke: some schools have dangerous radioactive sources. Some have chemicals that are a disaster  waiting to happen. These chemicals must be stored properly. Check your Flinn catalog for advice on this. Group them in families and they are less likely to react with each other. Pay attention to ages. Some of these chemicals are old and do strange things with age. Picric acid becomes extremely explosive in its anhydrous form.

Anyway, it's the end of the year. It's a great time to throw things out while the moment is fresh. You'll have too many things on your mind next fall. Trust me, you get more done in an orderly, uncluttered classroom. Compare to my current classroom. It's no good for Chemistry and not much good for Biology, but I pull it off because I'm organized.
SW corner

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Eliminate Senior Year?

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Sunday, May 04, 2008 1:43:58 AM
In my occasional work at the state level, a strange idea has floated around: eliminating the senior year of high school. The first few times I heard about it, I was horrified. The state of North Dakota saw it as a possible source of money savings. They had the idea that the senior year was not very useful. Since I would like to work for the state again, I'll be circumspect about identifying the exact sources!

This entry actually comes in as a sequel to an earlier entry about online education. By senior year, students should have a plan. They are choosing their lives, careers, interests, and half of the senior year of high school seems to come after all plans are set in stone. They don't care at that point. For a number of students, studying Shakespeare, math, and random elective courses to fill in the spaces is a waste of time.

I do not propose eliminating the senior year. However, it really does need to change. Many seniors are legally adults. In any case, they are all getting ready to enter the "real world." Senior year seems to be a waste of time to them. To many it does not apply to their world.

Here is my idea: juniors and seniors should be preparing to work in the real world. This should be a time of internships for some students. Some are entering the work world right after high school. Why not make a formal internship program part of these years of high school? Any classes these students take should be more targeted to their needs. Communication and practical math would work well.

Some students will pursue higher education. For some, this could be a continuation of the internship. A specialized trade school following an internship would be appreciated by students who already have enough "real world" experience to recognize the value of the education they are receiving.

College-bound students would benefit from classes that actually prepare them for college. Part of this should actually be courses for college credit. Classes could be more "college like". This would be a great time for students to take AP and dual-credit courses. This gives true value to the courses.

I think there is more to this and I know that this isn't what certain state officials had in mind. I see myself writing more about this in the future.

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Online School

Posted by Waski_the_Squirrel on Thursday, May 01, 2008 11:37:05 PM
Why should the students who don't try or who lack some of the basics hold back those who are ambitious and want to accomplish something? Sadly, with the way schools are run now, everyone moves at the same pace. The teacher daily leaves students behind. It's a danger of mass education and not entirely the fault of the teacher. With 100+ students in a day, it is difficult, if not impossible, to individualize instruction. Add to this the reality that most teachers have students from both ends of the ability spectrum in the same room with students from both ends of the ambition spectrum and students from both ends of the behavior spectrum, and the reality of a teacher's job comes clear.

While there are things that the teacher can do to reach some of these populations, the problem will remain as long as we continue our current school structure. Bright kids are held back by their slower classmates and, frankly, slower kids are held back by their brighter classmates as well.

So while there are lots of possible solutions out there, one I really like is the possibility of online courses. In some ways, these are a great innovation because they free the student to work at a more realistic speed. Some students may need more time, others need less. Online courses make this possible. Really good online courses may even provide additional practice for skills as needed.

I envision a school that is structured around outcome, not seat time. Courses are hybrids of online material and class time. For my own courses, students would need to come to school to do the labs. Additionally, they could come to school for help or for tests and  assistance.

At the same time, it is a waste to have these same students sit in class while I explain something that they already understand. I was once that student! Let them move on!

Meanwhile, if a student has difficulty with a concept, it may not be a lack of intelligence or ability. It could be a lack of background, confusion, or that the student just needs more time to understand the concept. An online course could offer this flexibility. It is now May and I still have students in Chemistry who can't balance a chemical equation. I will not hold up everyone else just for them. However, a flexible course that could give them more practice and more time to master the subject might be just the ticket, if they are motivated.

And therein lies a major drawback to my plan. Not all students are motivated. The structure and organization of school is what these students need. They may lack that structure at home and, given an online environment with scheduling flexibility, will accomplish nothing.

I worked at a school that tried a math program of this general type. Some students blasted quickly through it. Others did as little as they could and got by with it. Online is great, but there needs to be an incentive to work. If someone can solve that problem, let me know.

Meanwhile, the online school is already being done. I was inspired to write todays entry by a school in British Columbia. Even there, one student notes that he likes online schooling because it makes every day like a weekend.

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