US Schools To Become Even More Dystopian

[Balkan Communities]

There's more to life than being a mindless cog in an inhumane system. One of the main goals of education ought to be to help the students develop their critical thinking skills. Reading good fiction helps the more intuitive, non-linear aspects of the mind develop.

Learning sonnet 116 or mice and men increase development of critical thinking skills than say learning applied chemistry book?

practical intelligence =/= abstract intelligence

[Strykla]

The Iliad needs to be required reading. Seriously. It's only one of the most influential works of literature of all time - And, unlike the Bible, most people wouldn't take offense at it as a religious work.

[Farnhamia]

Which is a fine novel, and gave us an extraordinary movie. And in neither does some sod fight some other guy for three days.

You'll never let that go, will you?

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What non-fiction book is going to teach reading comprehension?

Reading Comprehension For Dummies?

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He's from Nepal but he's been living in the U.K for years.

Dang, almost.

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No, it doesn't. Do you have any idea what a decent private school costs? A lot more than the pittance the vouchers are worth. When the vouchers hand over 20 or 30 thousand bucks per child, we'll talk.

Some will talk. Some will cash those vouchers in for liquor.

Sorry. I'll be good.

[Caninope]

I'm not sure I really trust that that article is 100% accurate- but it wouldn't surprise me too much, either. I'd like to see more Americans invest in the voucher system, which still funds the education of the poor but gives them a choice of which school to attend.

Recommended reading- "Lies My Teacher Taught Me".

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a horrible book that engages in fallacious arguments, and in an attempt to point out it's version of the truth, ends up with a bias and as much cherrypicked evidence as any other textbook.

It's like A People's History of the United States or A Patriot's History of the United States- all have strong points, and all do well to point out the things that they do, but they all have biases. A People's History essentially acknowledges it's bias, and I'm fine with that. Same with A Patriot's History. My problem is when Lies My Teacher Told Me tries to come off as the unvarnished, unbiased truth, which is what I picked up from the author's tone and attitude while reading it.

[EnragedMaldivians]

Learning sonnet 116 or mice and men increase development of critical thinking skills than say learning applied chemistry book?

If the student prefers reading them to applied chemistry, yes. There are many ways to develop critical thinking; if you believe reading non-fiction is the only way, you need to stretch your mind a little.

Yet as we all know analysing fictional literature could in no way, shape or form contribute to the development of abstract thought or reasoning.

[Quebec and Atlantic Canada]

I'm 16. I have been for most of my life.

Anyways, even if the story is exaggerated, it still represents a disturbing trend towards education being stripped of artistic and intellectual qualities due to the increasing prioritization of work.

See Caninope's post.

Literature

“The Canterbury Tales,” by Geoffrey Chaucer

“The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“As I Lay Dying,” by William Faulkner

Informational Texts

“Common Sense,” by Thomas Paine

The Declaration of Independence, by Thomas Jefferson

“Declaration of Sentiments,” by the Seneca Falls Conference

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass

“Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences,” by John Allen Paulos

“Working Knowledge: Electronic Stability Control,” by Mark Fischetti

“Politics and the English Language,” by George Orwell

It's not that bad. With regard to the underlined, that's still massive exaggeration.

Obviously this is only the first stage and years later those texts will have been replaced with dull manuals.

[Indira]

Hopefully not the full story, at least I hope the story is exagerrated

[Oceanic Vakiadia]

snip

If that's the case then I see no problem. Common Sense is a fantastic thing for students to read.

[Caninope]

I'm 16. I have been for most of my life.

Anyways, even if the story is exaggerated, it still represents a disturbing trend towards education being stripped of artistic and intellectual qualities due to the increasing prioritization of work.

See Caninope's post.

Literature

“The Canterbury Tales,” by Geoffrey Chaucer

“The Great Gatsby,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“As I Lay Dying,” by William Faulkner

Informational Texts

“Common Sense,” by Thomas Paine

The Declaration of Independence, by Thomas Jefferson

“Declaration of Sentiments,” by the Seneca Falls Conference

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass

“Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences,” by John Allen Paulos

“Working Knowledge: Electronic Stability Control,” by Mark Fischetti

“Politics and the English Language,” by George Orwell

It's not that bad. With regard to the underlined, that's still massive exaggeration.

The increase in nonfiction reading doesn't have to come exclusively from English, either.

So you would read something from the EPA in, say, Biology. The FedView papers referred might be read in Government or Economics class.

[Sommorragh]

I just wish they'd have you read more interesting non-fiction books like: The Last King of Scotland.
Man, that's a weird non-fic story

[Farnhamia]

I just wish they'd be more interesting non-fiction books like: The Last King of Scotland.
Man, that's a weird non-fic story

Yes, but the number of job openings for delusional dictators in Central Africa is small.

[Northwest Slobovia]

snip

If that's the case then I see no problem. Common Sense is a fantastic thing for students to read.

Do note that that list is only partial; it appears to also contain:

“FedViews,” by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2009) and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” published by the General Services Administration.

Boy, what exciting reading!

Fundamentally, my problem is with this part:

The new standards, which are slowly rolling out now and will be in place by 2014, require that nonfiction texts represent 50 percent of [English class] reading assignments in elementary schools, and the requirement grows to 70 percent by grade 12.

So 70% of English class reading will be non-fiction, in addition to all the non-fiction in math, science, and history.

Edit: source, for anybody who missed it.

[Grand Britannia]

Ignorance is Strength.

Goodthink Ingsoc. Oceania doubleplusgood. Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc.

Oldthinkers ungood.

[Nova Imperius]

Fairly Horrific. Something that shall slap USA right back in the face

[Quebec and Atlantic Canada]

If that's the case then I see no problem. Common Sense is a fantastic thing for students to read.

Do note that that list is only partial; it appears to also contain:

“FedViews,” by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2009) and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” published by the General Services Administration.

Boy, what exciting reading!

As Caninope pointed out, stuff like that can be read in other classes than English.

Fundamentally, my problem is with this part:

The new standards, which are slowly rolling out now and will be in place by 2014, require that nonfiction texts represent 50 percent of [English class] reading assignments in elementary schools, and the requirement grows to 70 percent by grade 12.

So 70% of English class reading will be non-fiction, in addition to all the non-fiction in math, science, and history.

Oh no, nonfiction! Not nonfiction! The horror, the horror!

[Northwest Slobovia]

Do note that that list is only partial; it appears to also contain:

Boy, what exciting reading!

As Caninope pointed out, stuff like that can be read in other classes than English.

Nope. These are the English class standards.

[Caninope]

If that's the case then I see no problem. Common Sense is a fantastic thing for students to read.

Do note that that list is only partial; it appears to also contain:

“FedViews,” by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2009) and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management,” published by the General Services Administration.

Boy, what exciting reading!

Fundamentally, my problem is with this part:

The new standards, which are slowly rolling out now and will be in place by 2014, require that nonfiction texts represent 50 percent of [English class] reading assignments in elementary schools, and the requirement grows to 70 percent by grade 12.

So 70% of English class reading will be non-fiction, in addition to all the non-fiction in math, science, and history.

EDIT: Also, more people should read economics papers. That would be a good thing. That is all.
Edit: source, for anybody who missed it.

Maybe you should learn to read the whole article, because 70% of English class will not be nonfiction, it will be 70% of school reading.

Yes, the standards do require increasing amounts of nonfiction from kindergarten through grade 12, Coleman said. But that refers to reading across all subjects, not just in English class, he said. Teachers in social studies, science and math should require more reading, which would allow English teachers to continue to assign literature, he said.

[MadBasstid]

I'm not sure I really trust that that article is 100% accurate- but it wouldn't surprise me too much, either. I'd like to see more Americans invest in the voucher system, which still funds the education of the poor but gives them a choice of which school to attend.

Recommended reading- "Lies My Teacher Taught Me".

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a horrible book that engages in fallacious arguments, and in an attempt to point out it's version of the truth, ends up with a bias and as much cherrypicked evidence as any other textbook.

It's like A People's History of the United States or A Patriot's History of the United States- all have strong points, and all do well to point out the things that they do, but they all have biases. A People's History essentially acknowledges it's bias, and I'm fine with that. Same with A Patriot's History. My problem is when Lies My Teacher Told Me tries to come off as the unvarnished, unbiased truth, which is what I picked up from the author's tone and attitude while reading it.

Eh, you're entitled to your opinion, but I wonder can you really think that there aren't problems with the way textbooks are written?

My impression of the book is that it was quite astute; very right-on. It certainly rang true to my own high school experience, & I've heard the same from my friends who are high school teachers.

The purpose of the book is to examine problems with the text books used by public school students, & it does just that' the author is very upfront about his personal reasons for writing the book, which is one way that an author can reveal what his biases may be. I don't recall a "fair & balanced" sticker on the cover of my copy.

IMHO the book really does a fantastic job at pointing out how history is not properly taught in the public school system; ie, how students are not taught to see history as something that is sometimes in debate. It's not a very controversial premise. All the points he makes are backed up with evidence. The work is updated regularly & cites its' sources.

Even if you ultimately find you disagree with some of the points being made, it's still a worthwhile read as it presents some interesting things to think about, which a lot of people are unaware of.

[Caninope]

As Caninope pointed out, stuff like that can be read in other classes than English.

Nope. These are the English class standards.

Do learn to read your own sources.

Yes, the standards do require increasing amounts of nonfiction from kindergarten through grade 12, Coleman said. But that refers to reading across all subjects, not just in English class, he said. Teachers in social studies, science and math should require more reading, which would allow English teachers to continue to assign literature, he said.

[Avorez]

Being a sophomore in High School, I can testify that we shouldn't switch over to non-fiction books. You think kids don't pay attention now? Just watch. I predict that my class mates will most certainly just stop paying attention. I just finished reading Julius Caesar, and it was one of the best plays I have ever read. Would I exchange the experience of watching Caesar die or listening to Mark Antony's famous speech where he claims Caesar will come back from Hell, and a goddess will unleash the hounds of war and tell them to give no quarter to instead read a book about (to use the example on the first page) invasive plant species? No.

[Quebec and Atlantic Canada]

As Caninope pointed out, stuff like that can be read in other classes than English.

Nope. These are the English class standards.

Maybe you forgot this part:

Yes, the standards do require increasing amounts of nonfiction from kindergarten through grade 12, Coleman said. But that refers to reading across all subjects, not just in English class, he said. Teachers in social studies, science and math should require more reading, which would allow English teachers to continue to assign literature, he said.

Social studies teachers, for example, could have students read the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From a Birmingham Jail,” while math students could read Euclid’s “Elements” from 300 B.C.

No.

[Caninope]

Lies My Teacher Told Me is a horrible book that engages in fallacious arguments, and in an attempt to point out it's version of the truth, ends up with a bias and as much cherrypicked evidence as any other textbook.

It's like A People's History of the United States or A Patriot's History of the United States- all have strong points, and all do well to point out the things that they do, but they all have biases. A People's History essentially acknowledges it's bias, and I'm fine with that. Same with A Patriot's History. My problem is when Lies My Teacher Told Me tries to come off as the unvarnished, unbiased truth, which is what I picked up from the author's tone and attitude while reading it.

My impression of the book is that it was quite astute. It certainly rang true to my own high school experience, & I've heard the same from my friends who are high school teachers. The purpose of the book is to examine problems with the text books used by public school students, & it does just that' the author is very upfront about his personal reasons for writing the book. IMHO he does a fantastic job at pointing out how history is not properly taught in the public school system; ie, how students are not taught to see history as something that is debatable. It's not a very controversial premise, most educators you talk to agree, & all points made are backed up with evidence. The work is updated regularly & cites its' sources. Even if you ultimately find you disagree with some of the points being made, it's still a worthwhile read as it presents some interesting things to think about.

My problem isn't with it's sources or with it's fundamental premise.

My problems are with his fallacious reasoning that he sometimes resorts to (including nearly bashing every other textbook, who are constrained in the scope they can devote to any one event) and the high and mighty attitude he sometimes resorts too.

I'd be much more likely to recommend Zinn, and this is coming from conservative.

[The Skyheld]

It's an attempt at being surprisingly intelligent. But it's stupid anyway so while the following image does not really apply, I'll post it anyway.

[Kengburg]

The United States is on a decline, we need to stop it, the American way of education has been a failure from the early 2000s, why you ask? Testing, people focus more on the results you get on the final exam at the end of every year than what you actually learn. If the flaw is so obvious, why have we not stopped it? Basically, the schools are like someone reading from a book, telling you your homework, and no concern for what you learn, only for your grades and what you do on the test. I recently switched from a Private School to a Public, and I was flabbergasted, I literaly, was learning stuff I did 2 years before, and the lack of teacher-student interaction. Also I think Teachers Unions are partly to blame, if one of those few good politicians actually wants to make a reform, they have to negotiate with the unions. If they want to fire a bad teacher, you got to go through the unions. I could not belive what I saw in Chicago on the news a few months ago, teachers, who are among highest paid in the US, protesting for more money. I could understand if they were underpaid, but DAMN, your making $74,000! Your making more than a Nurse and a Dentist there! So that is just my overall opinion on education.

[Femineity]

Practicality is important, very important. But on the other hand, skipping some important pieces of literature isn't all that great solution. Why not keep all the fiction, while increasing the amount of non-fiction. In fact, the better option would be to increase both, while slightly favouring non-fiction.