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Building

Better Schools

Commentaries by

Abraham S. Fischler

Quotations toGuide

Teachers,Principals,

Parents andStudents

With Hillary Gorski-Howrey and Steve McCrea

Lulu Press


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2 Building Better Schools

Contents

Introduction

Short Quotations and Commentaries

Excerpts from the blog TheStudentIstheClass.com

Longer Readings

Links for Additional Reading

Questions

Whats Next

Endnote

About the Authors


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Abraham Fischler 3

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to introduce teachers,administrators, parents and students to ideas of education

that might be missing in their lives. As Dan Pink hasobserved, most institutions have changed dramatically inappearance and in how they operate since the 1950s banks, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals all havedifferent procedures and employ architecture to improvethe customer's experience. The exception: publicschools. Free Agent Nation (chapter 15).


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The Problem

At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are still not

fulfilling the demands of our students or our society. Why not? The

schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers are

responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time is fixedand the only variable is performance some pass and others fail. And, if the persons who

fail do not make up and achieve the proficiency that the test is

measuring, they drift further and further behind. The consequences

are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love of

learning? This approach does not take into account a truism: all

students can learn, but they learn at different ratesand have different preferential learning styles.

Instead of asking the student to fit the administrative structure (i.e.,

the class and arbitrary time periods for learning subjects and

achieving competencies), we must provide each student with the

time and means to succeed. Rather than punish the

student who learns more slowly than the arbitrarily

chosen period, we must treat each student asthe class.

We must find a way of doing this. Other industries have made

similar changes* and it is now time for education to do the same.

*FedEx can tell you where any package is at any time. Look at

banking, which is now available 24 hours a day through ATMs and


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Abraham Fischler 5

you can go to almost any ATM to withdraw or deposit funds. Both

industries invested in information and delivery systems to meet the

needs of their clients rather than asking their clients to

accommodate to a fixed structure. Now the automobile industry is

enabling customers to order on demand rather than requiring them

to accept whatever is available in the dealers lot. In the business

world, however, there is competition that requires companies to

adapt education has not had this catalyst.

My vision and strategy for educational change

I believe that we in education must make the investment to do the

same for our clients, i.e., each student. What investment is

needed?

There are three modes of instruction: 1) self-

paced or CAI, 2) project or problem-solving

and 3) discussion. Self-paced or computer-

assisted instruction (CAI) requires that each

student have access to a computer and modem

and access to the curriculum on a server on a 24/7basis. Projects and problems should be relevant to

students so they can relate to the given subject

area.


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For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the 1st grade

(and continue thereafter). The reason English and Math are chosen

is that these are the two cultural imperative languages. If you know

these two languages and are motivated as a self-learner, you can

teach yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of the

goals of education is to create self-learners.

For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or problem

that is relevant to the student. Once the problem is defined, the

class can be broken down into groups of 4-5 students in order to

research the solution to the problem. If complex, each of the groups

may study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the

student uses the computer as a research tool (after having learned

to read). Students are taught to use search engines such as

Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made available by teachers

gathering information relevant for the students.

Students working in a group learn cooperation, shared

responsibility and communication (face-to-face as well as e-mail).

Having produced a written solution to the problem utilizing the

computer (power point) as a tool, they can then present to the class

for discussion. They can also use email or a written report to other

students as well as the teacher.


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Abraham Fischler 7

Arbitrary learning within fixed timeperiods would be eliminated, i.e., no 1st, 2nd, 3rd,

etc. grades. Instead, students would be grouped chronologically

with materials appropriate to their learning level and style using theCAI approach for English and Math, and the project-problem-

discussion modes for other subjects. The projects given to the

students match the level of English and Math competencies and

are related to the students (their interests and their lives). For

example, in 3rd grade, how would you study the amount of water

that a plant needs to grow? I would utilize the students Math

knowledge (learned through CAI) for science learning. Likewise,

rather than studying history through memorization and chronology,

it can be studied through problems based on the immediate

environment for younger children and more abstract concepts in

later grades.

What do we need to make this happen?

In order for this to be implemented, what do we need?

1) We need the people on board

parents, teachers, community leaders,

etc.

2) We need the hardware computers

with modems and Internet access for

each student.


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3) We need the management system

(many existing solutions can be

adapted).

4) We need the curriculum

Computer Assisted Instructions (CAI) for

Math and English and creative, relevant

problems and projects for other

subjects.

5) We need teacher training.

In order to begin to implement change, we need all of these things

in place. I would like to see a group of elementary and middle

schools, and the high school into which they feed (a demonstration

zone) of some size agree to adopt a vision where time is a

variable and mastery what is expected from each student. A

computer company can be found to donate (or the zone can buy) a

laptop with a modem for each student. The zone needs to build an

integrated management system in order to be responsive to what

students do and how they learn. Part of the management system is

administrative, part is the CAI component, and lastly, the

management system needs to record and reflect the students

learnings in non-CAI instruction (student portfolios). The CAI

component must be self-correcting and use artificial intelligence so

that the component improves as more students utilize the program

for English and Math. Teacher training is critical and must be done

during the summer prior to implementation.


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Abraham Fischler 9

The Purpose of This Little Book

We will need teachers to buy intothis vision. Parents, administratorsand students will have new roles,too. It will take a village to pulltogether the transformationdescribed here. The process ofbuilding the new school systemrequires a new mindset: We must

agree that the Student is theClass. From that central mantra wecan build a new way of looking ateducation and the roles we play inmaking schools work.


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Intentionally left blank


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Abraham Fischler 11

Short Quotations and

Commentaries


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Commentary: The way that classrooms areorganized, because of the pressures that teachersand students are under since No Child Left Behind,

more and more time is now being spent helpingstudents learn at a comprehensive level. Little time isleft for the skills of analysis, synthesis and self-

judgment.

We put information in but we don't give them time tomassage the information and go through Piaget'sprocess of assimilation and accommodation at theconcept level.

Education is not the filling ofa pail, but rather the lightingof a fire.W. B. Yeats


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Ability is what you're capable of doing.Motivation determines what you do.

Attitude determines how well you do it.Lou Holtz

Commentary: This is one of those quotes that belong on a wall toremind students of the importance of self-confidence.


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Abraham Fischler 15


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I hope that in the century ahead studentswill be judged not by their performance ona single test but by the quality of theirlives. I hope that students will beencouraged to be creative, notconforming, and learn to cooperate ratherthan compete.Ernest Boyer, president of Carnegie Foundation forthe Advancement of Teaching, 1993.

Commentary: My test is asking the following

question: Have we produced amotivated person with thetools and desire to keeplearning?

Our education system should becreating mindful learners. Littky


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Abraham Fischler 17

I have been a psychologist for 21

years, and I have never had to doin the profession what I needed todo to get an A in many of mycourses in college. In particular,I've never had to memorize abook or lecture. If I can'tremember something, I just look

it up. However, schools set thingsup to reward with As the studentswho are good memorizers, not justat the college level but at manyother levels as well. Robert Sternberg,

psychologist.

Commentary: It is clear that our schools should prepare

students for real worldconditions, where many workers haveaccess to information. Students and teachers should practiceusing smart phones and the Internet.


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Too often we teach peoplethings like "There's a right way

and a wrong way to doeverything." What we shouldbe teaching them is how tothink flexibly, to be mindful ofall the different possibilities ofevery situation and not closethemselves off from informationthat could help them. Ellen Langer,

professor of psychology

Commentary: I agree. Flexibility is the key.


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Abraham Fischler 19

I never let schooling get in theway of my education. Mark Twain

(Samuel Clemens)

Commentary: What is the goal? To keep teachersemployed? To hand students a diploma? Totransfer skills to a workforce? I believe that the goal

is to produce a motivated personwith the tools and desire to keep

learning. We need to have the humility to seethat we teachers and we principals don't have all ofthe tools. Students need to take responsibility for atleast part of their learning. Can we shape theclassroom and the curriculum to the shape anddimension of the student?


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No matter how far you have goneon a wrong road, turn back.Turkish proverb (from The Big Picture by Dennis

Littky)

Commentary: We have invested a lot ofmoney and training in the big-box public highschools. Bill Gates has put a billion dollars orso into making high schools smaller and intotechnology for education. We need to stop,turn around, and get back to square one. Let'sstart with elementary schools. By adding a

layer of computer-mediated instruction over theexisting system and by engaging parents,students, teachers and principals in a vigorousre-connection with the goal of education, wecan move toward making the student the class.


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Abraham Fischler 21

Commentary: Should teachers be entertainers? I

want to change this quote: Learningshould be fun to the learner.

Classrooms should be exciting. Students should bethe performers. Teachers should be facilitators andmotivators, asking students to think about challengingproblems. Teachers should reward success, usinglanguage that make learners feel good aboutthemselves. You can do it.

The teacher of the future

is an Edu-Tainer: giving an

education that is entertaining


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As the saying goes: The teacher is a guide on theside, not a sage on the stage.

It seems to me that schools primarily

teach kids how to take tests, a skill onehardly uses in real life (unless one is acontestant on a quiz show). Elementaryschool prepares kids for junior high;

junior high prepares them for highschool. So the goal (if we can call itthat) of schools is to prepare kids formore school. Tom Magliozzi, one of the CarTalk guys, writing in his book, In Our Humble

Opinion: Car Talk's Click and Clack Rant andRave (2000).

Commentary: For the learner, education is a continuumand it is not important where the student is housed. What

is important at the end is have we produced a


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Abraham Fischler 23

motivated person with the tools anddesire to keep learning? In order to do that,the learner must achieve competency in two languages,English and math. Everything else he can learn if he ismotivated to learn and to become a self learner.Professors make it easier by picking out what they think isnecessary in the particular field of knowledge. Thus youcan achieve more knowledge in a shorter time if you workwith advisors. They also provide guidance and help youachieve a number of life skills so you can functioneffectively with others and assume your share of theresponsibility for achieving the objectives.


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Abraham Fischler 25

Commentary: In order to do new things, they have aconcept of what ought to be. But now they areconfronted with a surprise, something that doesn't

fit.That's the discrepant event. Then the

individual has to go through assimilation, asking,Does that really happen? Is that real? What is true?What am I seeing or what have I been told ? What didI expect to happen?...and then it didn't happen. ThenI have to go through the process of accommodation. Ihave to modify my concept to take into accountsomething that occurred that I didn't expect. Then I'mat equilibrium, I'm happy again, until you introduce thenext discrepant event. When you talk to kids, you

have to know approximately what they have, so youknow what you can do to get them more sophisticatedand more knowledgable. That's what the individuallearner has to go through themselves. The teacherintroduces the discrepant event and the learners gothrough the assimilation and accommodation.

The principle good of education is to

create people who are capable of

doing new things, not simply ofrepeating what other generations

have done. Jean Piaget


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If the student doesn't have the basic comprehension,you will miss the mark the information that you thinkis a discrepant event will go over his head. Forexample, you can tell a six-year-old that the earth isturning and that creates day and night at 25,000 milesin a day. It's rotating on an axis. Why don't you feelit?If you were in an automobile and you put yourhand out of the window, you would feel it.

With a six-year-old, you're going too fast. You betterstart with day is when the sun is out and Night is

when the sun is hidden. You can ask, Why isthe night dark? What gives light tothe moon?So you can give a six-year-old a bitof this, but he doesn't really understand much.


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Abraham Fischler 27

After introducing a discrepant event, we need to givethe student time to process the information.

We tend to start with what the child can observe.Science for grades 1-to-3, the focus is over what canyou see?

To try to explain that the earth is turning is not goingto lead to understanding in younger students. Wait

until they begin to ask you about rotating. And theyweren't all going to be able to ask you at the sametime.


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Abraham Fischler 29

Commentary: There is a core of basic knowledgethat one expects from a person at a certain point intime. I don't expect people to be experts, but biologyis a science. You ought to have some knowledge ofthe animal kingdom, relationships, the human body.There are certain understandings that you can expectfrom a person at a certain level. Science is not acultural imperative. Our language and mathematics

are cultural imperatives. I expect every child to havea certain level. Knowledge and ability and with a basiccore of mathematics; able to handle fractions. But Idon't expect everyone to know everything abouttrigonometry. Robert Reich is right, as long as we

don't say master. We need a core in all

Given the widening array of

possibilities, theres no reason

that every child must master thesciences, algebra, geometry,

biology, or any of the rest of the

standard high school curriculum

that has barely changed in half a

century. Robert Reich, Secretary ofLabor (Clinton Administration)


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areas and you have to have the toolsfor self-learning: we can read English and we

can do some math... we know when to

doubt and we don't jump toconclusions.

You can teach yourself most of science if you haveEnglish and math.

One-third of the jobs that willbe around ten to fifteen years

from now haven't beeninvented yet.

We are now at a point wherewe must educate our childrenin what no one knewyesterday and prepare ourschools for what no oneknows yet. Margaret Mead

Commentary: What can we do if we don't know whatwe don't know? The education system of the futureneeds to be flexible, more so than our current system.


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Abraham Fischler 31

Excerpts from

TheStudentIstheClass.com

Beyond Memorization: Give 21st CenturyStudents Time to Understand

We can all agree that it is important for students to graduate

from high school. However, what happens when graduating

from high school does not necessarily represent anunderstanding of the basic skills needed in college and the

workplace? More than half of the students entering public

colleges and universities in Florida need remedial classes in

math, reading, and writing prior to starting their college

classes. The problem is NOT the amount of money we are

putting into our public schools; rather, the structure and

curriculum of public education needs reform. Memorizing

information for the FCAT or College Placement Test is not

going to equip students with the skills needed for the 21st

century.

Students need to learn to analyze,understand, and explain rather than memorize,recite, and regurgitate facts and information. A student cannot


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be expected to master division if he or she does not know

what dividing numbers truly means. Subjectsparticularly

reading and mathneed to be taught on a students individual

timeframe. Learning should be measured against each

students past markers of progress. We must enablestudents to learn at varying rates so theycome to understand and analyze information in a way that is

useful and accessible both to them personally and for the 21st

century.

We must change our expectations abouttime and make conceptual understanding (not rote

repetition) our first priority.


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Abraham Fischler 33

Time Must Be A Variable For Student Success

Nowhere in my readings have I found encouragement andfunds to reward systems that are trying to build an educational

environment based on students mastery and making time a

variable. As long as time is fixed, thenstudent progress is what is variablewithin the fixed time frame. Thus, 30% of thestudent population is punished through failures.

If we moved in core areas - mainly English and Math - to

Computer Based Learning ("CBL" or Computer Assisted

Instruction CAI), the student becomes theclass and each student is given time tomaster the materials. Further, what is learnedbecomes a tool for future learning. In science and social

studies, projects that are meaningful to students can be

agreed and assigned. Small groups then may use technologyfor research purposes as well as to make powerpoint

presentations to fellow students. This transformation cannot

be done without the community, without curriculum

design and without teachers who are trained to utilize the

environment correctly.


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Student management also is important so that the teacher, the

student and the parent see the progress of each student. This

type of system provides accessibility to all partners, including

the principal and state, as well as a vehicle to help determine

the effectiveness of the learning environment in the

classroom.


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Abraham Fischler 35

iSchool

A new model being used in select NYC schools, called

iSchools, seeks to integrate innovativetechnology with project-basedcurriculum and early results indicate highly successfuloutcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize virtualresources on the internet to complete research projects and indoing so take pride in their work and ownership of final results.Each student has his/her own laptop and access to a varietyof online resources, which can be monitored by teachers andparents using a learning management system. These are allsteps toward creating an environment in which time can be

varied to accommodate the learner. As the student becomesmore inclined to utilize technology and group-based projectresearch, the skills gained will better prepare the student toenter post-secondary education and the 21st Centuryworkforce.

Source: eschool.com

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/


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Technology to Make Time a Variable

I propose the use of technology in a computer assisted mode

(CAI) to track the progress of each student. When each has

demonstrated mastery of what s/he has learned through CAI,

we then can seek validation through State-implemented

examinations. In this way, time is varied and competency

relatively fixed; a standard that should be applied to public

schools as well as charter schools, so that all children will be

given similar opportunities to succeed.


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Abraham Fischler 37

It is Time for Change in K-12

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our high

school students to the dropout pool. No longer can we tolerate

the outdated agrarian industrial model. No longer can we

tinker around the edges, substituting book A for book B or

modifying a time dimension within a few courses. No longer

can we afford to leave the structure and organization of K-12

education the same.

This is the moment - this is the time for real change in thepublic schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the

tools and the necessary technology to create a positive

learning environment for the 21st century. We can focuson the student as the class and offerindividualized instruction based onstudents' different learning styles. We canvary time so that those who need more time to master a

concept have the opportunity to do so. The organization and

structure of our current K-12 system must be changed to

accommodate all learners.


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Don't Blame The Computer!

Some schools are dropping the computer because they failedto get the results they wanted. This is a mistake. A computer

is a tool which must be integrated into the fabric of the

instructional process. By itself, it will not change nor improve

results. The curriculum must be modified; the teachermust change his or her role frompresenter to a catalyst for learning.Opportunity must be given to students to work on real world

problems.

The computer can be utilized in many ways, including:

as a learning tool

acquiring and organizing information

communicating within a group

helping to analyze data

creating powerpoint or other presentations to the class

Remember: Do not blame the toolthe learning system mustbe changed, and teachers must be trained in a new learningparadigm.


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Abraham Fischler 39

Longer Readings

Techniques for Creative Teaching

I worked with a physics teacher who would tell students, There willbe times when you will turn in your lab books where you will writewhat you observe. Sometimes I will mark an exercise wrong and Iexpect you to come up and argue with me. The students generallyhated him because he appeared so arbitrary.

I loved what he did. He forced the kids not to cheat. He made surethat one or two kids would get something marked wrong eventhough it was right. This bothered kids. And they would come to meto complain. I told them, He's forcing you to think and If you don'targue with him, you will get the the lower mark.

'Disrupting Class', by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Hornand Curtis W. Johnson, published by McGraw-Hill.

Commentary: The authors explain why major changes arerequired in public education if we are to educate every child ofevery parent to finish high school with the knowledge and skillsneeded either to go into the world of work or continue theireducation in the 21st century. This book appreciates theuniqueness of each student (referencing the Multiple Intelligencestheory introduced by Dr. Howard Gardner) and recognizes that weneed to adapt instructional methods to match the learning styles ofeach student. Its 'disruptive innovation theory' explains why it is sodifficult to move public education from its current focus on the'class' to a new and needed focus on the 'student'. The authors'


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concept of a future classroom is one that incorporates technologyand software to provide alternative methods and options forstudents to achieve the required objectives. They also encouragean environment in which students work together on projects andshare and conceptualize learnings rather than memories bits of

information. Whilst this book recognizes the need for flexibilitywithin the organization and structure of the learning environment toaccommodate individual variations, it does not spell out sufficientlythe need to vary time because students learn at different rates.

Why Go To School? Steven Wolk, Phi Delta Kappa

May 2007, Volume 88, number 9

http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v88/k0705toc.htm

Commentary: The May 2007 issue of Phi Delta Kappan has awonderful article written by Steven Wolk entitled Why go toSchool?. It is a critique of what we are teaching and how we areteaching. In the article, he states the following: If the purpose ofour schools is to prepare drones to keep the U.S. economy going,then the prevailing curricula and instructional methods are probablyadequate. If, however, we want to help students become thoughtful,caring citizens who might be creative enough to figure out how tochange the status quo rather than maintain it, we need to rethink

schooling entirely. Mr. Wolk outlines what he considers to be theessential content for a new curriculum. The essence of what thearticle states is similar to the essence of the early writings found inthis blog.


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Abraham Fischler 41

Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark? by DaveNagel. T.H.E. Journal(March 2007)

Commentary: The nationwide survey polled approximately270,000 students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging from

technology, math, and science instruction to communications,collaboration, and self expression". The findings were veryinteresting.

The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project

Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey

shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage

students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and

science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels

of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in

the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to

professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.

We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country tocreatively address problems and challenges -- some that may havehappened before and others undoubtedly that will beunprecedented. We have gone through many ages as a nation andworld: agricultural, industrial, technological, information, and now

we must enter the age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination,innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning, problemsolving, and critical thinking. Listening, memorizing andregurgitating learned information is no longer sufficient. We need todo more in our schools through personalized education. And, infact, it is time even for us to consider how to integrate the homeenvironment into the fabric of the learning process.


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"Jobs, Dell appraise technology, schools"

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875

Commentary: Both Steve Jobs and Michael Dell make referencesto changes and the encouragement of the use of technology as atool for learning, research, and communication. However, neitherspeaks to the restructuring and reorganizing of a school system sothat each child becomes the class. By using computer assistedinstruction (CAI) for the core areas of English and math in a self-paced mode, students are able to receive the next appropriateobjective. While working on projects in a cooperative learningenvironment (groups of 3 or 4 students), they utilize their corecompetencies to do research, solve problems, and makepresentations using computer programs such as PowerPoint toinvolve the rest of their classmates who listen and ask questions.By learning these skills, students develop the ability to acquireinformation via the computer, use it to analyze and synthesizeinformation related to the problem, and share their findings withtheir student colleagues for the purpose of discussion. I am surethat you all would count these among the critical skills required tosucceed in today's world.

A comment from a blog reader: ... about Computers in theclassroom...Creativity is the key to making good use of technologyin education. To our learners, computers are part of the everydayinfrastructure of life - nothing new, or different, just a box thatprovides access to the the tools they use to communicate, findinformation, collaborate, create, learn and achieve. The learnerswe see in our classrooms now, are growing up with the web, theipod, digital TV, mobile phones, youtube, messenger, ip phones,blogs & wikis, and to them, these are no more exciting and new


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Abraham Fischler 43

than the colour TV.We can't place new boxes in classrooms andexpect our learners to leap up and suddenly achieve. As aminimum, there are two things that need to take place if we are to

take full advantage of new technologies in learning:1. We needto understand that our learners now haveaccess to a billion libraries of information and amultitude of communication tools. They use these tools every dayfor there own purposes and on the whole (i know there are manyexceptions) we are failing to guide that use to ensure safe andproductive learning. The world is available to them anywhere,anytime and they don't need a computer and a desk to do this.What they need, we aren't providing - they need guidance andsupport.We must now move away from Victorian era learningwhere remembering facts and figures was the key to success in anindustrial age. Memorizing such information is now completely

irrelevant, since information can be obtained anywhere in seconds.The knowledge required is one ofhow and where to looksafely, how to filter, how to validate andtriangulate and then finally how to use suchinformation creatively, critically andaccurately.That is not to say that memorizing facts does notstill have a place. Just that the emphasis should now be ondiscovery, analysis, process, assimilation and creativity - in otherwords, real higher-order thinking skills.

2. The vast majority of teachers were brought up under that oldVictorian system. To us the web, the mobile phone, the ipod are allrelatively new (and for some of us slightly scary) inventions. Howcould we possibly relate to and teach learners for whom these toolsare just an extension of their imagination? Simply throwing boxesof tricks into our classrooms and proclaiming that we have investedmillions in new technology will not help our learners. We need helpin changing the culture of teaching.


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It is possible and there are projects out there trying to provide thesetools. Check out:http://oc.intel-lehren.de/and:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070If you want to get involved - e-mail [email protected]

http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html
http://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070mailto:[email protected]://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070mailto:[email protected]://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html


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Abraham Fischler 45

Tough Choices or Tough Times (Commission Report)

http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

Commentary: A report by the Commission on the Skills of theAmerican Workforce (National Center on Education and theEconomy) entitled 'Tough Choices or Tough Times' has somewonderful recommendations that should be taken in seriousconsideration. Therein, Richard W. Riley, the former Secretary ofEducation states The question this report raises is whether ourcountry has the kind of education system that is needed to maintainAmericas standard of living for our children, our grandchildren, andfuture generations. I very much hope that it will spark the kind oftough, honest debate on that topic that it so richly deserves.Another notable quote from the report is by Thomas W. Payzant,Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. He statesPiecemeal reform of public education in America is insufficient todeliver the promise that every child will receive an education thatleads to a good job, productive life, and responsible citizenship.The New Commission Report is a coherent, comprehensive,systemic plan for how to enable public education in America to bethe best in the world. The report concludes that our current publicK-12 education system cannot be fixed, and therefore it must bereplaced.

The generalization which emerges relates to what I have been

advocating for a very long time. Every high school graduate has tobe competent not only in the two languages (English andmathematics), but also must be able to analyze, synthesize, usevalue judgment, and be able to communicate effectively usingmodern technology. In addition to these outcomes, every studentmust graduate with a salable skill to be employed, should he or shechoose not to go on to higher education. In order to achieve all ofthe above, we must reorganize and restructure public education toaccommodate every learner.


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Picture goes here...

How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century by ClaudiaWallis

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html

Commentary: On December 16th, 2006, we read the followingheadlines: More Teens Drop Out in the Miami Herald andDropout Rate in Broward Increases in the Sun Sentinel. This did

not surprise me, nor should it surprise you. The higher thestandards, the more difficult it is for students to achieve their goalsif the structure and organization of the learning environment is notchanged. In my previous blog entries, my theme is consistent-Children learn at different rates and have different preferentiallearning styles. Time must be the variable and mastery the goal. Ifstudents do not fully understand algebra, they will have a difficulttime learning trigonometry. If they have not mastered reading, theywill have a difficult time comprehending high school sciencetextbooks or the New York Times. The consequences of notmaking this change leads to an increase in dropouts and eventually

to an increase in the poverty-level class.

TIME magazine recently ran an interesting article entitled How do

we bring our schools out of the 20th Century? by Claudia Wallis

and Sonja Steptoe. It states The world has changed, but the

American classroom, for the most part, hasntkids spend much of


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below is a link to the total press release from the commission on

the skills of the American workforce.

Each Student Needs Creativity, Time and the Basics

Commentary: On Monday, December 4, 2006, I read a wonderful

article by Dorothy Rich in the Miami Herald. In the article, she

incorporates much of what I try to say in my blog. For example, she

states there are no magic answers for the many teachers and

students in our many classroomsI would like to have a magic

bullet. She points out that in every classroom there are individual

students, each with different sets of genes, learning at differentrates, and having different strengths.

Because of the states emphasis on testing, teachers are under

such pressure that there is little time for creativity, for allowing

students to derive joy from learning. Learners need hope and

optimism but unfortunately in our educational environment their

natural imaginations are often stifled.

In New York City, there is an area superintendent by the name of

Kathleen M. Cashin, who is responsible for one of the roughest

areas in the New York City School System. In her schools she

reinforces the opportunity for students to utilize their creativity

through group learning. She encourages students to write stories


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Signs of educational change . . . How do we make these the norm?

Commentary: It has been gratifying to read about teachers,

schools and school systems that recognize how important it is to

listen and respond to students needs, to use technology to

enhance learning and teaching, and to involve students in

addressing real world problems through a multidisciplinary and

cooperative approach. Here are a few shining examples -- lets

hope that these approaches become the norm.

1) eSchool News Onlines report on the The National School

Boards Association's 20th annual Technology + Learning. Thedescription of Kyrene Elementary School District in Tempe, Arizona,

which was named as one of three "Salute Districts" (given to

districts that effectively use technology to enhance teaching and

learning), said the following about the Kyrene Teaches with

Technology Project (KTTP):

One of the keys to the project's success is that district leaders

started with the question of what students need for learning--and

then designed an environment around these needs, instead of the

other way around. Another key to its success is that teachers can

draw upon the support of a "technology mentor" to help them

integrate the laptops into instruction.

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720


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Abraham Fischler 51

2) CNN.coms coverageof the School of the Future World

Summit: The conference, which drew 250 delegates from 48

countries, was held this week at Philadelphia's School of the

Future, where all students have laptops, there are few books or

pens, and teaching is done in multidisciplinary projects in which

academic skills develop through work on real-world problems.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/ind

ex.html

See also the article by Neal Starkman in T.H.E. Focus, which

discusses one-to-one learning and a student-centered rather than

teacher-centered orientation toward learning.

http://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217

By contrast, coverage of a recent National Research Council study

by 15 education specialists states: U.S. Science Education lags,

study finds: Curriculum, teachers faulted for teaching too

simplistically. Quoting such coverage: Part of the problem is that

state and national learning standards for students in elementary

and middle schools require children to memorize often-

disconnected scientific facts, the report said.

"U.S. Science Education Lags, Study Finds Curriculum,

teachers faulted for teaching too simplistically

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518


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We must teach to each student rather than to a class. We mustteach more than reading, writing and arithmetic. We mustencourage problem solving skills, creativity, fluid enquiry -- this canbe done by involving students in real world problems. If you go

back to the Education System Change Model in my second blogpost, you will see that my definition of tutorial is where weencourage student-centeredness, problem solving, cooperativelearning, sharing of responsibility, and communication.

The Future of TeachingAs change comes about, the work of the classroomteacher will change drastically. Instead of leadinggroups through standalone lessons, teachers will

increasingly match individuals with learning solutionsaligned with their interests and abilities. Content willbe packaged and delivered asynchronously, allowingstudents to work independently and revisit lessons asneeded. Face-to-face experiences will be combinedwith digital interactions; geographic boundariesbetween teachers and studentsas well as betweenlearnerswill become increasingly irrelevant. BillFerriter

http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radi

cal/

Commentary: He is on target. We have had individual teachers doingexciting things but remember we are now speaking about total schoolswith thousands of teachers.
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/


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Abraham Fischler 53

Links for Additional Reading

Websites (schools)

BigPicture.org, the Dennis Littky / Eliot Washor organization

CHADphila.org, Charter High of Architecture and Design, Philadelphia

HighTechHigh.org, San Diego, Calif.**

MavericksinEducation.com, chain of charter schools

MetCenter.org, Providence, R.I.**

NewCitySchool.org, St. Louis (publishers of a widely used workbook forintroducing multiple intelligences in academics)

Tracy.MHS.schoolfusion.us, Millennium High School, Tracy, CaliforniaMotto: Aspire, achieve, advance

UrbanAcademy.org, New York City** Motto: A small school with bigideas

**These schools were profiled in High Schools on a Human Scale: How

Small Schools can Transform American Education (2003) by ThomasToch, introduction by Tom vander Ark, Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0807032459

Websites (reformers, publishers)


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ASCD.org, publishers ofThe Big Picture: Education Is EverybodysBusiness (2004) by Dennis Littky and Samantha Grabelle, ISBN 978-0871209719

EdReform.com, Center for Education Reform

EdReformer.com, Tom vander Arks blog

edSpresso.com, newsletter, served hot with a twist

emaginos.com, Jack Taubs site

RevLearning.com, vander Arks investment group

EssentialSchools.org, Coalition of Essential Schools, formed by the lateTed Sizer

GatesFoundation.org, funding for education reform

GuideontheSide.com, Steve McCrea, teacher training workshops

PZ.harvard.edu, Project Zero, Harvard University, teacher training

QBESchool.com, Will Sutherland, innovative curricula

StudentsFirst.org, Michelle Rhee (former superintendent of Washington,DC schools)

theLearningWeb.net, Gordon Dryden, New Zealand, author ofThe

Learning Web with Jeannette Vos: How to quit school at 14 andeventually write a top-selling book about learning.

TheStudentIstheClass.com, Dr. Abraham Fischler

2mminutes.com, Two Million Minutes, Robert A. Comptons project


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Abraham Fischler 55

WhatDoYaKNow.com, Dennis Yuzenas, master teacher and trainer,developer of workshops integrating digital portfolios

Youtube channels

Youtube.com/channelname

BPLearning by BigPicture.org

HTHvideo

QBESchool

AGuideOntheSide

VisualandActive

2MillionMinutes

Send your suggestions for additional websites and YouTube channels.


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Questions

Fifty years from now, what will education look like?

The Student will be the Class. We will have had years ofdeveloping the technology and skills and the communication banksthat exist. There will be new ways of communicating throughout theworld. Science experiments could be done remotely if we feedinformation to a central point. We can be doing a great number ofthings because of the network and because of our ability tocommunicate. Thomas Friedman is not wrong. The world is flat. Ineconomics it's already happening. The assembly plant is in onelocation and the component parts come from all over, fed into acentral assembly line. So cars are manufactured using componentsmade wherever people can get them made to meet the quality.Education is the same thing.

Perhaps textbooks won't have answers

In the textbooks I wrote for teachers, I never answered the questionWhat color did you get? -- I never gave the answers to theteacher. If you put too much acid in contrast to the base, you arenot wrong. Most books assume that you will do everythingaccording to the directions, so they assume that you'll get a specificcolor. But if you are not so accurate, you'll get another color. You'renot wrong whatever color you got, that's the color you got.

So, if I had described the color in the teacher's manual, the teacherwould have told the students You're wrong. It says that the color isintense pink and you have pale pink. So I tried where I could not togive the teacher the answer, especially with younger kids. Manyteachers didn't like my books.


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Abraham Fischler 57

Now imagine if the teacher says, Come over and see what color Igot. Why are our colors different?

That's where the learning takes place. It's not in the answer.

It takes time. It takes time away from pressure.

While you are working in the reflective environment, the studentsare not getting comprehension about what is being tested. So themore we go toward the testing model, the more rigid the classeshave to become.

That's why the school of the future needs the second class area forsmall-group projects. Teachers have to be ready to move studentsinto that area when it's time for analysis.

Do we really need more charter schools?

What are the advantages of charter schools over publicschools?

There is no reason that we cannot encourage public schools to

have the same liberties as their charter school counterparts.

Public schools tend to have a large number of children from low

income families and therefore have an increased need for the

freedom to accommodate 'each student as the class'. If children are

primarily in a success-oriented environment, they tend to behave

differently because they are rewarded in a positive manner. If they

have access to computers that contain software for computer


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Abraham Fischler 59

Why do so many students hate math?A good teacher can guide the discussion and the flow

of problems so as to allow the students to discoverand invent mathematics for themselves. The realproblem is that the bureaucracy does not allow anindividual teacher to do that. With a set curriculum tofollow, a teacher cannot lead. There should be nostandards, and no curriculum. Just individuals doingwhat they think best for their students.http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdfAMathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart.

Commentary: Many math teachers do not know the beauty of

math. They took one required course in math in college which iscalled College Math. Math is a cultural imperative, a language thatone needs to understand the world we live in. Where do you findthe teachers who can teach math the way that Lockhart describes?
http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdfhttp://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdfhttp://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf


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How should students be taught?Dr. Fischler, do you have any comments about these twostatements that I received from my students? Steve

How do you want to learn?

I think a student like me should use really modernmethods. To learn English (or another language),studying the perfect grammar at school is only thebeginning. The real way to learn English perfectly is

practicing. So it's a really good way using Facebook(for example, my best friend's American, so I alwaystalk in English with her and it really helps me) andthen talking about things we like. You should give thestudent all the things you know and then let herchoose the things he/she wants to do. Most teachersthink that being under pressure makes us give our

best. THAT'S NOT TRUE. When I'm anxious ornervous, I really cannot do anything. It's like I amblocked. So I think that the right way to improve isfeeling comfortable and doing things that interest us.-- Arianna Costantin, Milano, 13 August 2010

What makes aclass

interesting?A student'sopinion-- Ithink this classis interestingand I believe itis because wecan lead thelesson by

Most teachers

think that beingunder pressure

makes us give ourbest. THAT'S NOT

TRUE. -- Arianna
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=info


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Abraham Fischler 61

suggesting topics, discussing and discovering newthings on the net and changing the program if wedon't like it or find it boring. I can't really suggest away to make this class better since we have a lot offreedom and can change what we are doing

according to what we would prefer much more.

What makes a class boring? The wrong topics, aboring teacher, bad classmates are things that canmake a class terrible. Choosing a topic that is notfascinating or not putting passion in teaching destroysthe attention of the class. Not helping in creatingcooperation within the students is the worst thing ateacher can do.

I like the fact that students are nice and we get along.

I love choosing every day what I want to do and I'mfond of discovering something I didn't know, such as"Save the Last Dance For Me" (a song that was sungin our class).

How can we improve the method? We could readmore books, like the ones about the method we areexperimenting with. And this would be interesting.Or we could keep some books on our own as I wouldlike to do tomorrow, to practice with the reading withchapters that are more difficult than newspaper

articles. Giulia Mastrantoni, 6 August 2010

Note about Save the Last Dance: A teacherbrought his guitar and the lyrics for the song. Hestarted the class with this question: "Did youknow that the composer of this song was unableto walk? Now let's listen more closely to thelyrics." That's what interested Giulia...

Note: More books were brought to the class thenext week, giving the student a chance to readquotes and longer chapters about educationaltheories.


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Abraham Fischler 63

Commentary: Two responses1) It is best to know enough about your students that you can starta lesson from their interests. If they are interested, then they willwork. You may have to set up small groups based on interest.

2) Give students the opportunity to share with others what theyare learning, especially when theyreach a point when they are ready toshare. After they have completedtheir presentations, positivereinforcement is important. ASF

Give students theopportunity toshare with otherswhat they arelearning.


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Whats Next

We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The Student is theClass, at TheStudentIsTheClass.com . I continue to blog

about these issues and I invite you to send me questions tocomment about.


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Abraham Fischler 65

Endnote by a taxpayer

Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a well-rounded, well-designed CAI system. His first entry at

TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tieredsystem that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) couldinvigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who introducedtechnology to higher education and distance learning, Dr. Fischleraims to bring new learning methods and experiences to childrenand teenagers currently stuck in school systems that have changedlittle since 1950.

As a taxpayer, I'm always lookingfor better ways for my tax dollars

to be spent. As a teacher, I wantto work in a school wherestudents have a role in decidingwhat they will study each day. Asa trainer of teachers, I know mylimitations: I can show teacherswhat has worked in my classes,but I don't have the academic

background to explain why the techniques work that I pulled fromPiaget, Friedman, Littky, Gardner and Daniel Pink.

In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders inschools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In theclassroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back intocomfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on mystudents the same disciplines that I suffered through when I was ateenager. Some of the techniques work; others should beimproved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selectingmore effective methods. Computers can help students learn but
http://thestudentistheclass.com/http://thestudentistheclass.com/


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it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who arenot ready for the potential distractions of a multifaceted computer.

Dennis Littky, an educational pioneer in Providence, R.I., writes thatEducation is everybody's business. This quote and commentary

project began with you in mind. Teacher, student, parent, principal,taxpayer: you all will find something new and helpful in thesepages.

In the 1930s a little red book spawned a political and culturalrevolution in China. Eighty years later, why can't a small book ofcommentaries by the president emeritus of a pioneering universitymake a positive change in education?

If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would likeDr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please send

your request to [email protected].

Steve McCrea

Taxpayer, teacher, advocate of CAI

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Abraham Fischler 67

About the Authors

Dr. Fischler is President Emeritus and University Professor atNova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He

served as President of Nova University from July 1970 to July1992. Prior to coming to Nova in 1966, Dr. Fischler wasProfessor of Education at the University of California,Berkeley. He began his career in education as a scienceteacher and earned his Ed.D. degree at Columbia University.Subsequently, he became Assistant Professor at the GraduateSchool of Education, Harvard University. After his retirementas President, he served on the Broward County School Boardfrom 1994 to 1998. Dr. Fischler has been a consultant to theFord Foundation, to various State Departments of Education,

and to school districts in a number of states. He has authoredmany articles and publications dealing with science educationand advanced teaching methods. He is a fellow of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science and amember of numerous other educational and scientificorganizations.

Hillary Gorski-Howrey is a graduate student of psychology (?) and plans to xxxx.She is working on a research project involving. As an instructor at NovaUniversity, she sdsfgsd sfdasdflj asdfasflj;w werqwer;l;lk;q wqerqwerqwrqwerqw qwerqwe q weqrqw r wqer wqr qwer 23;lnmoijfdafg .s.

Steve McCrea is an advocate of using video in the classroom. His channel onYoutube (visualandactive) documents ways that teachers can support integratedlesson plans with technology. He leads the team of teachers that developed theblended curriculum for QBE schools (Dartmouth, England), harnessing thecultures of Aiglon College (Villars), the Met Center (Providence, R.I.) andMaverick Schools (Miami, Fla.): character development (planned hardships,delayed gratification), mentors, and computer-based instruction (based on thework of Dr. Abraham Fischler). McCrea is a candidate for Ed.D. in DistanceInstruction at Nova Southeastern University.


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TheStudentIsTheClass.com

draft ddd jan 3 bold page 59 faibsrcahhlaemr draft

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