All posts by Mike Deutsch
The leaky STEM pipeline – terrible metaphor
There are some important reasons that this is a terrible metaphor.
It assumes that all students with STEM aptitude will automatically stay…
IT is zero-sum with other fields, when of course.
Lost in another research paper
Sighing to myself as I try once again to orient myself in the midst of a 30-page article on an educational study — one that has section headings and everything, and is pretty well organized, but still is a bear to read.
Research articles should have a table of contents. Jeez.
When I’m in charge, were adding that to the style guide.
The President Wants Every Student To Learn Computer Science. But not for the right reasons.
Confusing article seen on NPR Ed, following President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union address. So ok, Obama has laid out the goal of CS for everyone. Great. But the thrust of the article
- Obama: Kids should learn to write computer code. Should be job-ready. (write computer code?) – wrong focus.
- Kamenetz: Big goal. Don’t question that.
- Kamenetz: But what about the logistics? Rollout? Whither curriculum?
It’s hard to argue with the
obama: “hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on Day 1.”
Adding a new, complex, technical subject to the curriculum won’t be easy. We hear from students, teachers, entrepreneurs and educators about the challenges.
Source: The President Wants Every Student To Learn Computer Science. How Would That Work? : NPR Ed : NPR
Needed: Educator Inventors – Modern Learning – Medium
Please do learn to code
Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Learning How to Code
The World is Flat: Teachers as Innovators – The Synapse – Medium
Content Changes Key for Teacher Success – The Atlantic
3 Challenges As Hands-On, DIY ‘Maker’ Culture Moves Into Schools : NPR Ed : NPR
Three challenges:
- link making to curriculum that teachers are doing in the classroom
- not corporatize it with tests, common core alignment, accountability, structure (BUT WHAT’S WRONG WITH STRUCTURE?)
- make it not only the purview of middle/upper-class white kids and white teachers whose schools can afford laser cutters, drones, 3d printers.
Creative and fun “maker spaces” are popping up in more schools. But administrators and teachers face big hurdles if they want them to be a sustainable part of the curriculum.
Source: 3 Challenges As Hands-On, DIY ‘Maker’ Culture Moves Into Schools : NPR Ed : NPR