It’s not a good way to start a day at a distance learning conference. Internet has been down since we arrived last night at the Crown Plaza Resort hotel in Asheville. Brenda and I have a wonderful view of the city, the air is fresh and only slightly tinted with the blue haze that characterize the Blue Ridge Mountains, and It is also worth noting that the Rhododendron are in bloom, a plant that is indigenous to the North Carolina mountains and that grows in vast abundance.
So there is much to be thrilled about. But the front desk reported last night that they had called an IT guy in to fix the Internet, and this morning they (a different shift) say that the IT guy doesn’t get in until 9:00. I’m sorry to be a crotchety old geek, but this is not acceptable. It’s why Will Richardson is investing on one of those USB thingys from Verizon that gives you broadband access over their wireless network (in participating towns and cities).
At any rate, very few of the conference folks are here yet. The event does not begin until after lunch, so most people are driving in this morning. I did run into Patrick Keough, a community college teacher from Carteret County, on the coast — perhaps a nine or ten hour drive to Asheville. He told me that in just the last year, they have started blogging and podcasting and now have a presence on iTunes U. He’s doing a workshop tomorrow morning about setting your college up with iTunes U and the hoops you have to jump through. I’ll plan to attend that one, because I do not know enough about the service.
The main presentation I’ll be doing today will be Flat World, Flat Information, and Flat Schools. It’s becoming one of my standards, but I am trying to keep these things fresh. One idea that I am trying to insert is the mistake that I believe we are making when we emphasize science, math, and technology. Don’t get me wrong. It’s important that we emphasize these subject areas, because they are the engine that drives progress. The mistake is that we are pushing these practical sciences, at the expense of art, music, literature, drama, etc. These subject, I believe, should be equally emphasized — because they are the fuel that runs the engine.
Although there are exceptions, we buy a car with an engine, so that we can get some place. We don’t buy it for the sake of the engine. We buy it for the sake of going someplace we want to be. When you buy an HDTV, it isn’t for the sake of the enginering and the circuitry. Again, there are certainly exceptions, people who want the latest tech toys. But most of us buy it because we want a better story, better pictures, better sound. We are actually buying the products of the creative contributors — the actors, directors, writers, musicians, sound and video editors — those whose expertise is in engineering our experiences — and for the most part, this isn’t learned in science class. It’s learned in art, and music, and…
So again, it’s another flatism thing. Trying to flatten the subject areas, to understand that they are part of a whole, part of our world experience that we seek to improve effectively, efficiently, equitably, and interestingly. And I suspect that figuring out how to teach art, music, and drama, via distance learning, might be an interestingly creative endeavor in itself.
WOW! Internet’s Working! Outstanding!
What about Social Studies and Social Sciences. I teach in an elementary school in which doesn’t teach Social Studies because of the lack of time. Where is this leaving our children. Our teachers have basically been told indirectly that the important subjects are the the ones that are being tested on by our Maryland State Assessments. Our students are spending about 4 hours a day with reading, writing, and math thrown in their faces. From my observations, this is causing a whole generation of kids in which lack social skills and hate reading, writing, and math. We are moving backwards in our society.
When I get back into the classroom next year, there will be changes made. I plan on plucking some feather up top. I can’t wait!!
It’s been great talking to you on SL – I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you!
On a different note, don’t forget about foreign language, please. I’m from Michigan, and our state just passed new laws about how many classes students have to take in order to graduate. They have upped the ante for math, science, English, and history (to name a few). Foreign languages are increased for the class of 2016 (this year’s 3rd graders), but not before. What we are finding is that in order for students to meet the increased demands of their schooling, they must drop their electives – including foreign language.
If the world is flat – which I believe it is certainly becoming that way – we can’t afford to drop foreign language. My students are seeking out their own penpals on the internet to improve their language skills. They WANT to learn how to text in other languages.
I do, however, agree with your points on the arts. We can’t afford to lose them, either. I think that we are now (more than ever) at a point where students have to be a jack of all trades in terms of their education. This is especially true since we don’t really know what types of jobs our students will need to be prepared for.
Sorry – it is too early in the morning for a rant. 🙂 Good luck on your presentation – but don’t forget to smell those pretty rhododendrons!
So very sorry!. It’s one of the best reason to learn science, that you get a sense of context, of where you live and the physical and biological laws that govern our place. And social studies, of course, giving us a sense of social and cultural environment. And, most certainly, learning more about the global cultural environment and it’s richness through foreign language.
You just can do a list without leaving something important out.
BRAVO!!! As a music educator of course, I agree 100%. As an agent of change and a catalyst for reform, I am committed to showing how the Arts can be integrated into the Core Curricular areas such as Math and Science.
When students see how subjects that they are required to study relate to subjects that they are passionate about, magic happens! It deepens their understanding of both, and the engagement is increased a thousandfold!
I have had great success in my band classroom demonstrating the principles of how energy waves work and how that relates to intonation and tone production on musical instruments. I have also widened their eyes when I show them how a variable in algebra relates to how we figure out rhythms!
We have a golden opportunity as Arts Educators to show that we merit the “Educator” part of that title! We CAN ENHANCE the learning in other areas! Even- gasp- high stakes testing!
Wow, David, I hear your points about wanting all subjects to be equal, but it seems you are setting up the various subjects as stealing attention from others. You’ll get a cheer from music and art teachers, or any teacher who feels their favorite subject is being marginalized, but how does this equalization and flattening allow students to focus on their interests, which may be in very specific areas? How do you differentiate “flat” from “one size fits all”?
Recently, I’ve put myself onto a pesonal crusade to have a mandate for social studies testing included in the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. Yes, music and art are very important. But without social studies students won’t learn civics. Without civics our democracy has the potential to come to an end. When that happens art and music will be significantly constrained. Individuals who take on American citizenship are required to know about our government, according to the federal government, why aren’ people who are born here?
Andrew,
The best way to kill something you love is to test it. Be careful what you wish for.
Would you like your favorite subject to be reduced to multiple choice norm-reference tests?
The solution to NCLB, is no NCLB not more of it.
Perhaps if we had more students who enjoyed a sound civics education, atrocities like NCLB would have been impossible.
FYI: “Hotels” in your title should not have an apostrophe; it is plural, not possessive.
For years I taught Language Arts, and had to hold my jealousy in check when I walked past the science classrooms. There sat a room full of computers for the kids to “experiment” with. Meanwhile, I had to take my kids down the hall to the computer lab to use a word processor. I always thought the Language Arts teachers needed the roomful of computers as well.
I often argued that one of the first applications for computers was a word processor, and it’s one that is most used today. Shouldn’t students have ready access to this tool? Add that to the power of Web 2.0, and the ability for kids to publish to the world and not just the teacher. Now you have a powerful teaching tool.
Hi All,
Great discussion. How about we take a page from elementary teachers (of course, that would be me 😉 ). Integration is the answer. There is no way we can insist education emphasizes every subject but the truth is each subject is important in its own way. So integrating content…teaching history through music and art, as Owen suggests…using literature in science…learning a foreign language using any topic…this will allow us to give students the well-rounded education they need, while teaching each subject.
And, Bravo Gary. Get rid of NCLB…let’s get back to teaching for learning’s sake.
Yea, Lisa! I am a music teacher turned tech person for my school. Integration is GREAT! One of the classes I teach for the Community College is Music for the Elementary Teacher and I push finding ways for the classroom teacher to use music to teach other stuff. It works! The kids are “just learning a song”, to quote a past superintendent who didn’t believe in cross curricular plans. How did we all learn our alphabet? How do we file papers when we have to? We use a song! Do you ever sing along with the radio in the car (OK….when you’re alone???) and have you ever seen the words to those songs? No, you just learned them – they are “just” songs! That’s what I try to get across to my pre-service teachers. They can pretty much teach anything with a song. No, that’s not the focus of my music classroom, but would you expect that? I do some stuff that teaches my kids “core” stuff, but in my room I teach music – the basics of it along with the songs and a bit of history. Most of the time the kids don’t know what all they are learning because I use lots of games to do it.
As far as NCLB – PLEASE out of here! More testing??? Gary’s right! The best way to kill a love for something is to test it – and that goes both for the students and the teachers!
Dave, I just had to comment on the music aspect. Something that I have just found out and found totally incredible is that Bethel College in McKenzie Tennessee gives scholarships to it’s music students at the same level as it’s athletes! My daughter has finished her Associates of Arts degree and is moving to a four year school to complete her Music Education degree. We thought she was all ready for one institution and then she decided it just wasn’t right. (As a mom, AAARGGG!!!) Anyway, she went back on the hunt. Now, she is VERY pleased with Bethel and I’m pleased with the attitude, and from what I’ve found out, pleased with the education offered.