Comments on: Kozol on NCLB and the struggles of real teachers http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/ Weblog of Wesley Fryer Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:55:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mirella McNulty http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-41782 Mirella McNulty Mon, 15 Oct 2007 19:09:16 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/#comment-41782 "I agree that real teaching involves more than just conveying content.I strive to make relational connections with students and to make the learning experience fun." Mirella “I agree that real teaching involves more than just conveying content.I strive to make relational connections with students and to make the learning experience fun.”

Mirella

]]> By: Links and Commentary Worth Browsing at www.matthewktabor.com : Education and School Issues, News and Analysis http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-40541 Links and Commentary Worth Browsing at www.matthewktabor.com : Education and School Issues, News and Analysis Tue, 04 Sep 2007 23:28:20 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/#comment-40541 [...] Fryer on “Real” teachers [this is not a fashionable, snarky scare-quote - the issue at hand is the “real” [...] [...] Fryer on “Real” teachers [this is not a fashionable, snarky scare-quote - the issue at hand is the “real” [...]

]]> By: Gary Stager http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-40523 Gary Stager Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:58:06 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/#comment-40523 Wes, You might enjoy the interviews I conducted with Jonathan Kozol. "Jonathan Kozol Takes on the World" - http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1406 and "Speaking Out: An Interview with Jonathan Kozol" - http://stager.org/articles/kozolinterview1.html I'll be interviewing him again soon for District Administration Magazine. Stay tuned. Although I helped a wee bit behind the scenes (with research) on "Shame of the Nation," my favorite recent book (past 20 years) by Kozol is "Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope." http://tinyurl.com/2na7t7 It's a profound work of beauty. I'm glad there is so much of his work online and more importantly, on your book shelf. -=Gary Wes,

You might enjoy the interviews I conducted with Jonathan Kozol.

“Jonathan Kozol Takes on the World” – http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1406

and

“Speaking Out: An Interview with Jonathan Kozol” – http://stager.org/articles/kozolinterview1.html

I’ll be interviewing him again soon for District Administration Magazine. Stay tuned.

Although I helped a wee bit behind the scenes (with research) on “Shame of the Nation,” my favorite recent book (past 20 years) by Kozol is “Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope.” http://tinyurl.com/2na7t7 It’s a profound work of beauty.

I’m glad there is so much of his work online and more importantly, on your book shelf.

-=Gary

]]> By: Wesley Fryer http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-40521 Wesley Fryer Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:39:41 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/#comment-40521 Good question, Matthew. I had intended to draw out that distinction in the post but didn't-- my reference here is to the role Seymour Papert ascribes to "real teachers" in his book "The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer." I included a quotation in my post <a href="http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/07/31/striving-to-encourage-natural-learning-at-school/" rel="nofollow">Striving to encourage natural learning at School</a> from July 31st that highlights a distinction between what Papert calls a "technican" in the classroom, and a "real teacher." Real teaching involves much more than transmitting content and being on the mandated page of a scope and sequence curriculum guide. Real teaching involves teachers making relational connections with students, differentiating learning opportunities as well as assessment options, and striving to invite learners into contexts of authentic inquiry rather than coerced fact retention. I elaborated a bit on this approach to instruction on <a href="http://www.learning2.net.cn/?p=47" rel="nofollow">my learning 2.0 post</a> for the upcoming Shanghai conference. The connection to this article interview with Kozol is that NCLB and high-stakes, punitive testing environments encourage the role of teacher as technician, and discourage educators from taking on the role of the "real teacher." Real education is cultural work, as Freire contends, and it is essential for the continued development and survival of democratic government, according to Dewey. I did not flesh this idea out enough in this post, and probably need to write a longer one with included quotations from both Freire as well as Dewey. The excerpts of the book Kozol shared in the interview suggest that he's highlighting the struggle of "real teachers" who are resisting the pressures of our current educational environment to teach as technicians. That is encouragement I think more teachers need to hear. I hope this explains my post title a bit more. Thanks for asking for the clarification. I'll be thinking and working on a longer post I can write about this soon. Good question, Matthew. I had intended to draw out that distinction in the post but didn’t– my reference here is to the role Seymour Papert ascribes to “real teachers” in his book “The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer.” I included a quotation in my post Striving to encourage natural learning at School from July 31st that highlights a distinction between what Papert calls a “technican” in the classroom, and a “real teacher.” Real teaching involves much more than transmitting content and being on the mandated page of a scope and sequence curriculum guide. Real teaching involves teachers making relational connections with students, differentiating learning opportunities as well as assessment options, and striving to invite learners into contexts of authentic inquiry rather than coerced fact retention. I elaborated a bit on this approach to instruction on my learning 2.0 post for the upcoming Shanghai conference. The connection to this article interview with Kozol is that NCLB and high-stakes, punitive testing environments encourage the role of teacher as technician, and discourage educators from taking on the role of the “real teacher.”

Real education is cultural work, as Freire contends, and it is essential for the continued development and survival of democratic government, according to Dewey. I did not flesh this idea out enough in this post, and probably need to write a longer one with included quotations from both Freire as well as Dewey. The excerpts of the book Kozol shared in the interview suggest that he’s highlighting the struggle of “real teachers” who are resisting the pressures of our current educational environment to teach as technicians. That is encouragement I think more teachers need to hear.

I hope this explains my post title a bit more. Thanks for asking for the clarification. I’ll be thinking and working on a longer post I can write about this soon.

]]> By: Matthew K. Tabor http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/comment-page-1/#comment-40511 Matthew K. Tabor Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:27:21 +0000 http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/09/03/kozol-on-nclb-and-the-struggles-of-real-teachers/#comment-40511 Wes, Your post title includes the word "real," but you never address that distinction or use the word again in your post. Can you explain its relevance to your argument? Thanks, Matthew Wes,

Your post title includes the word “real,” but you never address that distinction or use the word again in your post. Can you explain its relevance to your argument?

Thanks,

Matthew

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