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‘Obstacles’ Category

  1. Crafting the Servile Mind

    July 3, 2014 by Tunya

     

    Posted as comment on Jay P Greene blog, 20140703, Common Core Political Naivete and the Enemies List http://jaypgreene.com/2014/07/02/common-­‐core-­‐political-­‐naivete-­‐and-­‐the-­‐enemies-­‐list/

    Crafting The Servile Mind by Tunya Audain

    Common Core has its parallels in Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand. 21st Century “transformation” of education is the common theme. The projected paradigm shifts are similar — from sage on the stage to guide on the side — from content to competency skills of collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and community. Students are to work in groups. Throw in social emotional learning (SEL) and social justice and you have it.

    (Australia is due soon to release the findings of two reviews probing the “transformations” in the national curriculum and teacher training.)

    Concerning the CC the expectations and intentions are declared, even before standards or measurement and accountability criteria have been developed/tested/validated.

    It’s not necessarily the intention that sticks out as “ugly”, it’s the “authoritarian” style that sticks out; and sticks in the craw of many. AND now triggers a sober second look at the intention itself.

    Authoritarianism demands obedience and submission. It’s the stealth and coercion in implementation on top of the imposing curriculum details that are causing the backfire — across the political spectrum.

    If lockstep agreement was really expected, then the designers have misread their audience. Not all constituencies are falling into line. This overconfident bloodless coup may very well prove to be a supreme “teaching moment” that we should be grateful for. I hope researchers can chronicle and analyze how this could have happened practically behind our backs. Just how servile were the adopters to be? Just how servile are the “career and college ready” graduates to be after 12 years of CC schooling?

    Kenneth Minogue in the Preface to the paperback issue of his book (2012), “The Servile Mind” said: “Only profound changes in human nature can make possible many versions of justice. The individualist must, as we have seen, give way to the comrade.”

    And, in the home education movement we had John Holt, fearing fascist leanings within public education, say in the 80s: “Today freedom has different enemies. It must be fought for in different ways. It will take very different qualities of mind and heart to save it.” 

    Category Obstacles, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Reporting To Parents Legally Essential

    June 6, 2014 by Tunya

    [My comment to Vancouver Sun, June 6, 2014, to story "Province moves to make exams, report cards essential services —  

    Application to LRB asks for ruling to prevent ‘serious and immediate danger’ to affected students"

     http://www.vancouversun.com/business/moves+make+exams+report+cards+essential+services/9916083/story.html#Comments }

    Of Course, Progress Report Cards To Parents Are An Essential Service !


    After all, it is the parents who are ultimately responsible for the education of their children. If parents have chosen to send their kid to a government school, then said government school has to keep parents informed — parents then can choose to stay, advocate for more services, get supplementary tutoring, or choose an independent school or home educate. That’s how parents make “informed decisions” in the best interests of their child.

     

    What happened in the last teacher strike in 2011-2012 school year was lamentable and illegal. Report cards were withheld or blank ones were sent home by mail. Those that were withheld had the LRB to thank for granting BCTF teachers permission to do so. Those school districts that sent home blank report cards felt they were following the letter of the law, bizarre as it was to do so — and costly.

    There are to be three formal written student progress reports.

    See Student Progress Report Order http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/legislation/schoollaw/e/m191-94.pdf

     
     

     

     

    Category Obstacles, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Education Takeover — Where To Start ?

    April 23, 2014 by Tunya

    Education Takeover — Where To Start?

    I don’t use the word “takeover” lightly.  Yes, it also has these other tones of meaning — invasion, conquest, penetration, capture . . .

    I had my “awakening” one year ago when an Education Ministry Official told a small group of parents — one month before our provincial election that the “transformation” of BC education (being planned for several years already) was a go ahead, regardless of which political party would win the election (May 13, 2013).  “It’s international!” we were told.

    I was astonished because we had left, right, and center parties running.  How could it be that the public and an elected government would have no say in this radical “transformation” called Personalized Learning?

    I researched and found this was indeed part of a global effort, related to the Common Core in the US and 21st Century Learning under various names in other places.  So far, it’s a go-ahead in BC, Alberta and Ontario.

    Some features of this international shift are:  quiet implementation; parents and public and everyday teachers not consulted; shift from content and knowledge to competencies that include collaboration, inquiry-based learning and critical thinking; cross curricular themes such as sustainability and social justice embedded into most subjects; social/emotional emphasis in classrooms. 

    While some people have become concerned because the methods of implementation themselves are suspect and foreign to our democratic expectations, it’s emerged that Math is becoming a flashpoint for gathering alarm.  Math is not a “soft” “abstract” subject easily sabotaged and it is here where parents and some educators are starting to challenge this “transformation” by stealth.

    This is no small-time politics.  Even the UN with its Agenda 21 is mixed in.  It is seen as indispensable that “human (which may include spiritual) development should be integrated in all disciplines”.  (Ch.36)

    I wish I could recommend one place to start.  Of course, the Internet will provide both pros and cons for the topics I’ve touched upon.

    This cartoon will help us understand the Big Shift http://www.parentsteachingparents.net/2013/11/zack-hill/

    To Edmonton Journal  http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/04/22/manitobas-education-minister-take-a-swipe-at-albertas-not-as-successful-math-curriclum/

     

    Category Education Reform, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | 1 Comment

  4. Matthew Effect Is A Concern

    April 22, 2014 by Tunya

    Matthew Effect Is A Concern

    Look up Matthew Effect on the Internet. Basically it refers to the observed result 
    that children who fail to read at grade level start slipping — not only in the skill of reading but also in other respects, demonstrating diminished love of reading, diminished love of learning as a whole, diminished self-esteem, etc.

    In other words, they become “disabled” and incrementally become “more disabled” due to poor reading ability or poor or absent teaching of reading skills. In medicine this 
    acquired disorder is called an iatrogenic outcome, induced by the treatment — an infection, complication of treatment, etc.

    What a coincidence.

    I’m from Canada and a friend just happened to be in Las Vegas when this story broke. This is what she wrote:

    “You know, if a Martian were to visit Clark County and try to find out what to do about the board's poor literacy results, it would probably take the Martian about an hour to learn that additional spending and trying harder haven't worked elsewhere, while abolishing Balanced Literacy and instituting systematic phonics has worked elsewhere. One has to wonder why these truths elude the new superintendent of the Clark County School District.”

    Well, your superintendent certainly has it right about the Grade Three turnaround point: “We know students have to be successful by the end of third grade.”

    The news story goes on: “Skorkowsky set one overarching goal that must be met by students, even though the details of getting there remain unclear. All children must show grade-level reading skills by the end of third grade, the pivotal point where students transition from learning to read to now reading to learn. “

    What about pinpointing the problem closer to the Reading Program? Why not consider systematic phonics in elementary years instead of Balanced Literacy? Will this upset the “consultants” in Head Office?

     

    [published Apr 22, 2014 on Las Vegas Review-Journal   http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/education/school-district-chief-pledges-full-review-all-spending ]

    Category Obstacles, Opinions in media, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

  5. Adjusting Worldviews To “Sustainability” Agendas

    April 10, 2014 by Tunya

    HUNDREDS Of Worldviews Stripped To FIVE For Ecology Purposes

    If someone tells you they have a firm worldview that consistently governs their behavior and beliefs do you believe him?

    There are many tricky issues around the topic “worldview”.  Just see Amazon.com and Search for “worldview”.  Tons of books come up. And it’s interesting to read the reviews— many differing views.

    Worldview is NOT a settled matter.

    But now worldviews need to be grouped, classified, and measured.  And to make things simple five is better than 100s. In the cause of global ecology there will need to be instruments to psychometrically measure and pigeon-hole people.  Just as IQ tests were developed to help screen soldier recruits for war, worldview tests are to be developed to advance the ecology movements and to deal with resisters. 

    Here is the glossy cover of one such effort  — Worldviews and the transformation to sustainable societies http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/bitstream/handle/1871/48104/cover.pdf?sequence=6

     If the language seems inscrutable here is the paper on this topic  http://www.ivm.vu.nl/en/Images/Exploring%20Worldviews_tcm53-355582.pdf

    Still inscrutable?  Well here is the first sentence of the above article:

    “A change of behaviors in a more sustainable direction is generally considered to be of vital importance for realizing the urgently needed transition to an ecological economy and society.”  (Annick Hedlund-de Witt)

    I am fairly certain this paper was written with generous funds  — public or private.  I am fairly certain, also, that this resulting paper is just another plea for more (probably massive) funds to start developing these instruments of measurement, selection, coercion and treating resisters.  

    A lot of it reads like highly charged propaganda in the name of “how society should be organized.”

    If one is following the epidemic of theories, experiments and proposals to “transform” society via global education — and said person is showing some deep foreboding and fear — then one could easily be labeled a conspiracy theorist.  But more people are starting to see some pattern to this foisting of massive changes on schools and society and starting to ask questions. Why are children told in schools they can change the world?  Why is sustainability being built into curriculum across subjects?

    It takes decades to understand and deal with medical epidemics.  How long will it take before this man-made mind-change epidemic is fully understood before too much damage is done? 

     

    Category Book Reviews, Obstacles, Parent Tribal Memory | Tags: | No Comments

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