Re: No Genius Left Behind

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Herman Rubin) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...

> >Also, much of "education" consists of educational psychology,
> >educational foundations,
> 
> WHAT foundations?

That's what it's called.  It's basically educational sociology,
and like much college-level sociology, loaded with left-wing
"progressive" propaganda.

> Sorry, they do not know foundations,
> and assume that everything starts with memorizing facts or
> how to carry out routine.

You mean that "Educational Foundations" are not *real*
educational foundations?  What a surprise!  :)

> It was difficult to do anything
> about the now not quite defunct whole word method of
> teaching reading.  A large proportion of those who learned
> to read by memorizing words were unable later to understand
> that there was a relation between letter combinations and
> the sounds they represented.

Educators into Holism and Eastern Mysticism, perhaps?

Why can't those educators understand that English is a
(mostly) phonological language?  Sure there are exceptions
such as "ghoti", but these are exceptions.  Holism has its
place; but teaching English is not one of them.

>       sensitivity training, motivational
> >seminars, etc. rather than the course material to be taught.
> 
> As the "progressive educators" considered that being with one's
> age group and "fitting in" was more important than learning
> subject matter, what else could be expected.

Agree 100%.

> >If I was taking high school chemistry, I would prefer someone
> >with a Ph.D. in chemistry to teach me, rather than a B.Ed.
> >I'm sure that's a common attitude among the gifted and
> >"geniuses".  Maybe ordinary kids would prefer, or need, an
> >educational psychologist rather than a chemist.
> 
> By the time they get to high school, certainly.  The chemist
> would try to get them to understand what is happening, instead
> of just memorizing and repeating on the tests.  The teachers
> were unable to understand the new math which had been taught
> to tens of thousands of children.

Even in elementary school, there needs to be more emphasis on
subject matter, and less on herd psycho-sociology.  It's no
surprise that the early grades are usually the worst for gifted
kids in regular schools.
 
> >And what of the money flushed down the basketball hoops and
> >football goalposts of schools, that could instead be spend on
> >labs and libraries?
> 
> This is an argument against putting all the tax money into 
> public schools.  The majority of the public believes in that
> type of expenditure.

Bread and circuses.