Thursday, February 23, 2012

khan academy

http://www.mathalicious.com/2012/02/04/khan-academy-its-different-this-time/

incredible.. until end..
But it’s not Sal’s fault. It’s ours. We have allowed desire to trump reason, and a rose-colored media narrative to overshadow everything we’ve learned about how students learn (not to mention our own common sense). We’ve begun to beat the drums, and that rarely turns out well. There’s no question that we have a crisis in education, but fixing it requires more than a Wacom tablet. To address our challenges, we need to do what every other successful country has done: invest in professional development; give teachers more time to collaborate; and provide them with resources that help them not only meet the learning standards, but exceed them.
why the focus on pd for teachers... very disheartening..
why aren't we questioning what we mean by.. "what every other successful country has done"
successful by what merits? what is success. why are we not addressing that..
what do we mean by "not only meet the learning standards, but exceed them."
what standards? whose standards? ours?
why aren't we asking that as well.

why are we being so bold to question khan, yet heading right back to what he came in to rescue..
It’s worth remembering the origins of Khan Academy. Sal started the site to help tutor his cousins in math, not to become the so-called “Moses of math education.” And yet that’s exactly how we’ve coronated him.
and yet.. in the end we're right back there.. getting teachers ready to do just the same.

let's focus on self-assessment..
with nothing to prove to others.
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