Comments on: Thirty Days Hath September http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/ Free Education for All Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:50:19 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Deia http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-6444 Deia Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:56:45 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-6444 Pam - if the content isn't relevant, then quit wasting time teaching it. I could honestly live my entire life without knowing how to find the volume of a cylinder, but I need to know how credit cards work, how to change a tire, and how to do a mail merge. I learned these things (and many other useful things) outside of school because school wasted so much time teaching pointless stuff. (Wikihow is a beautiful thing.) BTW, that rhyme has never helped me any because so many months rhyme with "ember." I actually use my knuckles to figure it out: Index is January, it's tall so it's a long month; the dip between middle and index is February, it's low so it's a short month; middle knuckle is March, tall, long month, etc. When you get to your pinkie knuckle, you'll be on July (tall month). Repeat for August (also tall) and go back the other way. February is really the only tricky part. This might be a better way to remember for people who are tactile and not verbal learners. Pam – if the content isn’t relevant, then quit wasting time teaching it. I could honestly live my entire life without knowing how to find the volume of a cylinder, but I need to know how credit cards work, how to change a tire, and how to do a mail merge. I learned these things (and many other useful things) outside of school because school wasted so much time teaching pointless stuff. (Wikihow is a beautiful thing.)

BTW, that rhyme has never helped me any because so many months rhyme with “ember.” I actually use my knuckles to figure it out: Index is January, it’s tall so it’s a long month; the dip between middle and index is February, it’s low so it’s a short month; middle knuckle is March, tall, long month, etc. When you get to your pinkie knuckle, you’ll be on July (tall month). Repeat for August (also tall) and go back the other way. February is really the only tricky part. This might be a better way to remember for people who are tactile and not verbal learners.

]]> By: Teach http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-6266 Teach Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:18:14 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-6266 I see your point and your friend's point, but your friend doesn't encounter the day to day anguish of trying to teach students who care about nothing but themselves, putting each other down and video games. Has your friend ever put his heart and soul into trying to get across a new concept only to be insulted and dismissed? How can we teach students anything when they don't care about anything? In a society where the media encourages young people to be rude to each other and show disdain for their teachers, parents and elders, the real issue isn't what knowledge is deemed worthy, but what will happen to our society each succeeding generation continues to feel that education is useless and they are entitled to be rich without putting in any effort or having any kind of work ethic. I see your point and your friend’s point, but your friend doesn’t encounter the day to day anguish of trying to teach students who care about nothing but themselves, putting each other down and video games. Has your friend ever put his heart and soul into trying to get across a new concept only to be insulted and dismissed? How can we teach students anything when they don’t care about anything? In a society where the media encourages young people to be rude to each other and show disdain for their teachers, parents and elders, the real issue isn’t what knowledge is deemed worthy, but what will happen to our society each succeeding generation continues to feel that education is useless and they are entitled to be rich without putting in any effort or having any kind of work ethic.

]]> By: L. Smith http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-5261 L. Smith Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:08:43 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-5261 Yes, quality counts. But, we have paradigm paralysis! Why must we assume that the current approach for educating our children is the right one? So, "grading" is a topic that is inherent to this assumption. What if we allowed for our children to learn at their own pace? Why would grades matter in this context? Take a look at the interesting end-to-end treatment of the education problem, "Education in America -- What's to Be Done?" developed by Trigon-International. It's the kind of revolutionary thinking that is in this report that really needs to be given a hard look. Yes, quality counts. But, we have paradigm paralysis! Why must we assume that the current approach for educating our children is the right one? So, “grading” is a topic that is inherent to this assumption.

What if we allowed for our children to learn at their own pace? Why would grades matter in this context?

Take a look at the interesting end-to-end treatment of the education problem, “Education in America — What’s to Be Done?” developed by Trigon-International. It’s the kind of revolutionary thinking that is in this report that really needs to be given a hard look.

]]> By: Beth http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-5185 Beth Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:16:17 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-5185 You make a very valid point. Often times we as teachers are so focused on what we want to teach or what we have to teach, that we forget why we are teaching it. Our students need to learn things assuredly, but it certainly won't hurt to think about explaining the why of things sometimes. If our students know why we are trying to teach them something, it will become much more meaningful and hopefully more desirable to them. You make a very valid point. Often times we as teachers are so focused on what we want to teach or what we have to teach, that we forget why we are teaching it. Our students need to learn things assuredly, but it certainly won’t hurt to think about explaining the why of things sometimes. If our students know why we are trying to teach them something, it will become much more meaningful and hopefully more desirable to them.

]]> By: Janelle http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-1698 Janelle Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:41:08 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-1698 Great article! I agree that students learn better when the information is relevant to their personal lives. We as educators need to realize that not all of the students in our class are not as willing to learn as we are. These are the students we need to find other ways to teach. Great article! I agree that students learn better when the information is relevant to their personal lives. We as educators need to realize that not all of the students in our class are not as willing to learn as we are. These are the students we need to find other ways to teach.

]]> By: Virtualis http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-1292 Virtualis Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:06:19 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-1292 If the girl knew the nursery rhyme, would the relevance/irrelevance be important? Rather we would be focussing on the financial maths question at hand. If the girl knew the nursery rhyme, would the relevance/irrelevance be important? Rather we would be focussing on the financial maths question at hand.

]]> By: Pam http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-1229 Pam Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:48:21 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-1229 A very good story--but now what? Yes, students learn better when they feel the material has personal relevance. So how do we create that sense of relevance when the content doesn't do it on its own? A very good story–but now what? Yes, students learn better when they feel the material has personal relevance. So how do we create that sense of relevance when the content doesn’t do it on its own?

]]> By: Bill http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Bill Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:56:38 +0000 http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/19/thirty-days-hath-september/#comment-17 With a wife I need no calendar. With a wife I need no calendar.

]]>