tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post8858059926833641627..comments2023-04-24T23:09:57.655-04:00Comments on All Things Education: In Defense of Non-fictionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-81205650186492403792012-07-11T14:11:14.956-04:002012-07-11T14:11:14.956-04:00Sorry for the borderline spam but I cannot find a ...Sorry for the borderline spam but I cannot find a contact email for Rachel. However, this is important information for those of us in the DC area. <br /><br />There is a DC Council hearing this week on education and there is still time to sign up to testify about the issues most important to you and your community. Please see below for more info.<br /><br />Public Education in DC: Council 19 Priorities<br /><br />Date:July 13, 1:00 PM<br />Address:Room 412, John A. Wilson Building<br />1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW<br />Washington, DC 20004<br /><br />PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: WHAT PRIORITIES SHOULD THE COUNCIL ADDRESS DURING THE REMAINDER OF COUNCIL PERIOD 19<br /><br />Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces the scheduling of a Public Roundtable by the Committee of the Whole to discuss what priorities the Council should address during the remainder of Council Period 19. The Public Roundtable is scheduled for Friday July 13 at 1:00p.m., in Hearing Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building.<br /><br />The purpose of the public oversight roundtable is to receive testimony regarding the important issues confronting public education in the District, and what the Council ought to address during the remainder of this year. In as much as Council leadership has changed, this hearing is a useful opportunity to reassess the priorities that need legislative or oversight attention.<br /><br />Those who wish to testify should register online or contact Ms. Erika Wadlington, Legislative Assistant, at (202) 724-8124, by fax at (202) 724-6664, or via e-mail at ewadlington@dccouncil.us, and provide their name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Thursday, July 12, 2012. Persons wishing to testify are encouraged, but not required, to submit 15 copies of written testimony. If submitted by the close of business on Thursday, July 12, 2012 the testimony will be distributed to Councilmembers before the hearing. Witnesses should limit their testimony to five minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses.<br /><br />If you are unable to testify at the roundtable, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to Ms. Wadlington, or to Ms. Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council, Room 5 of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 27, 2012.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-28475997181352447522012-07-03T18:11:11.758-04:002012-07-03T18:11:11.758-04:00Rachel,
Thank you! And thank you for pointing me ...Rachel,<br /><br />Thank you! And thank you for pointing me to your post on textbooks.<br /><br />I especially appreciate your point about the amount of education it takes to teach a subject well. Teachers faced with unfamiliar subjects end up depending on textbooks, study guides, and so forth. It's difficult, while in the midst of teaching, to rise above that level, though it does happen over time, if the teacher is given that time. By contrast, when a teacher is well prepared in a subject and has a good sense of how to teach it, she can do all sorts of interesting things and doesn't rely on limiting materials.<br /><br />You make an additional point: that one can be well versed in U.S. history and at a loss when it comes to world history (and vice versa--though world history seems just a bit too big, period). Someone with a Ph.D. in history could struggle with one of those courses.<br /><br />There are ways for teachers to gain the background they need to teach such courses masterfully and discerningly. Yet somehow PD rarely goes there....Diana Senechalhttp://www.dianasenechal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-29027143179813601042012-07-03T15:21:49.943-04:002012-07-03T15:21:49.943-04:00Diana,
So great to hear from you--your point #7 m...Diana,<br /><br />So great to hear from you--your point #7 made my week. I am a big fan of your work.<br /><br />Yes, the proportions should depend on the nature of the course and I agree with you about reading and writing for history books. I try to use the textbooks only as reference books. I wrote about that in a post on textbooks in <a href="http://allthingsedu.blogspot.com/2012/03/textbook-dependence.html" rel="nofollow">this post</a> .Rachel Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844728669493681943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-39354611915102535852012-07-02T21:52:20.282-04:002012-07-02T21:52:20.282-04:00One of my sentences got chopped off (or I thought ...One of my sentences got chopped off (or I thought I finished it but didn't). Under point 2, the second sentence should have read: "I disagree with Tom Hoffman's assertion that the proportions should depend on the individual students' needs."Diana Senechalhttp://www.dianasenechal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-87046015509369384412012-07-02T19:06:41.547-04:002012-07-02T19:06:41.547-04:00Rachel,
This is an excellent and persuasive piece...Rachel,<br /><br />This is an excellent and persuasive piece. I just want to point out a few things about the CCSS (in which I see much good):<br /><br />1. It was a bad mistake to call nonfiction "informational text" in the standards themselves. This distorts the picture. As you rightly point out, nonfiction is not only informational, but the denomination "informational text" sure does emphasize that aspect.<br /><br />2. The current emphasis on "literacy" distorts the picture a bit, I'm afraid. I disagree with Tom Hoffman's assertion that the proportions should depend Rather, I believe, instead, that the proportions should depend on the nature of the course. If you're taking a Shakespeare course, you'll read a lot of Shakespeare. If you're taking a course in British lyric poetry, you'll read a lot of British lyric poetry. If philosophy, then philosophy. A philosophy course shouldn't have to "work in" drama, any more than a lyric poetry course should have to "work in" analytical nonfiction. Certainly there's room for such things, but it need not be forced.<br /><br />3. Not all subjects have to have a lot of reading. It is refreshing to have courses that are less verbal than others--courses that teach a different sort of language. The idea that we must read, read, read across the subjects might not be entirely true. <br /><br />4. If there were more reading and writing for history class--if courses relied less on those huge, poorly written textbooks and included more primary and secondary sources--then students would learn more AND read more nonfiction than they are reading now. That in itself would make for more meaningful nonfiction reading.<br /><br />5. I recognize that the boundary between fiction and nonfiction is fuzzy; I am using the terms loosely.<br /><br />6. I am enumerating these points only to keep track of them myself and to make sure I don't go on too long! Eight points would be too many, I believe.<br /><br />7. I respect your courage in thinking for yourself and putting forth sometimes unpopular views. I love reading your blog.Diana Senechalhttp://www.dianasenechal.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-20515224243930289952012-06-04T08:48:50.576-04:002012-06-04T08:48:50.576-04:00Really thoughtful comment, Tom. That's part of...Really thoughtful comment, Tom. That's part of the point I was making in the previous post, that with such a rigid, top-down structure in place, the standards are bound to be mandated to be done in rigid ways, in ways they were not intended to be done, and the current climate does not allow for much teacher critique. And yes, the fiction vs. non-fiction meme is distracting.Rachel Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06844728669493681943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2836584065506164163.post-83291543775340476432012-06-03T16:07:27.596-04:002012-06-03T16:07:27.596-04:00It is important to understand that the entire &quo...It is important to understand that the entire "fiction vs. non-fiction" debate is essentially off topic when it comes to understanding the Common Core standards. The standards themselves do not, and really cannot, determine the amount of time spent on different tasks or types of reading.<br /><br />In fact, the entire premise of standards-based and data-driven education is that the amount of student time spent on different tasks should be determined by their strengths and weaknesses on various assessments. Different students may need more or less time reading fiction or nonfiction texts to reach proficiency across all disciplinary literacy areas.<br /><br />Similarly, if one wants to add more non-fiction text, there are few, if any, existing standards documents which restrict this.<br /><br />This is a red herring, and one has to wonder if it is intentional disinformation.Tom Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08577165613934129833noreply@blogger.com