Readings

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Why Johnny Won’t Read (Washington Post)

More on the growing gender gap in terms of school achievement. This Washington Post article focuses on the decline of reading among boys. Reading has declined for both boys and girls, but more for boys.

The author suggests political correctness might deserve much of the blame. Though current offerings to young people include lots of strong and heroic female characters,

Few strong and active male role models can be found as lead characters. Gone are the inspiring biographies of the most important American presidents, inventors, scientists and entrepreneurs. No military valor, no high adventure. On the other hand, stories about adventurous and brave women abound. Publishers seem to be more interested in avoiding “masculine” perspectives or “stereotypes” than in getting boys to like what they are assigned to read.

From examining my own psyche and observing many boys, not the least of which are my grandsons, I believe that many boys are genetically predisposed to slaying dragons. Though this makes civilizing them somewhat difficult (lots of studies confirm male children are harder to socialize, and more likely to become involved in crime during teens and early twenties) it’s not simply a bad trait, since it so happens that dragons are in plentiful supply and seem to be multiplying.

Expect more on this, since Laura Bush has made helping boys succeed her issue for the next four years and since the National Endowment for the Humanities is doing followup studies.

In addition to putting boys into contact with stories they like--"adventure tales, war, sports and historical nonfiction"--two other things seem worth thinking about. One, supporting a fairly widespread interest in big hard drives and other macho computer tech (I’m told boys today like computers in somewhat the way boys in the 1950s liked cars) and paying attention to the almost ready to explode development of educational gaming software.

Note to Jeff and other parnoid delusionals: log on using (that’s Winston Smith) and for a password use the project’s phone number: 7452600

Sunday, January 23, 2005

“Roots and Branches” back in print

Teachers looking for good resources to meet the requirements of the Indian Education for all Act, or just for recommendations for good readings and good pedagogical strategies might want to take advantage of the reoffering of Roots and Branches: A Resource of Native American Literature.

This award-winning book sold out earlier but has been brought back into print by the National Council of Teachers of English. It is written by heritage teacher Dorothea Suag.

Susag examines the historical and literary contexts that frame the literary work of Native peoples. Lessons, units, and activities keyed to grade level offer practical support. Detailed annotated bibliographies direct the teacher to a wealth of possibilities and to other resources—historical, cultural, and educational.

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Education and Learning Papers

Prepared by Chris Lucas

Consciousness and Education: A Process Perspective - Steve Mashalidis

Criticality in Learning - Jeff Sale

Democracy and Education - John Dewey

Designing Effective Learning Environments: Cognitive Apprenticeship Models - Sue E. Berryman

Dynamic Learning Communities: An Alternative to Designed Instructional Systems - Brent Wilson and Martin Ryder

Education As Real Life - Douglas S. Johnson

Education For & With Values Immanent in the Emergent Levels of Socio-Cybernetic Being - Gary McI. Boyd

From Theory to Practice: Classroom Application of Outcome-Based Education - Janet Battistini

How High School Students Become System Thinkers - Scott Guthrie & Diana Fisher

How Julie’s Brain Learns - Eric Jensen

Knowledge as a Complex Evolutionary System: An Educational Imperative - Derek Cabrera

Making Ecology Make Sense: The Six Disciplines of All Species Project - Chris Wells

Organization Theory and Ethics - Eric Bredo

Partners in Life: Syntony at Work - Kathia and Alexander Laszlo

Paths Of Learning: An Introduction to Educational Alternatives - Robin Ann Martin

Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism - Martha Nussbaum

Patterns That Connect:: Rethinking our Approach to Learning & Teaching - Jeffrey W. Bloom

Pluralisms for Education: An Ethics of Care Perspective - Ann Diller

Positioning Sustainability as a Global Goal - Michael O’Callaghan

Radical Perspectivism: Chapter on Education - Alexander Makedon

Rethinking the Benefits of the College-Bound Curriculum: Escaping Academic Captivity - Nel Noddings

Scientific Ideas and Education in the 21st Century - Ash Hartwell

Seeking Common Ground: Piaget and Skinner on the Nature of Learning - Pat Duffy Hutcheon

Situated Cognition and the Culture of Learning - John Seely Brown, Allan Collins and Paul Duguid

Sociocultural Approaches to Learning and Development: A Vygotskian Framework - Vera John-Steiner and Holbrook Mahn

Synergic Inquiry (SI): An Alternative Framework for Transformative Learning - Yongming Tang

Teaching System Dynamics to Teachers and Students in 8-12 Environment - Diana M. Fisher

Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days - Michael Umphrey

The Case Against Competition - Alfie Kohn

The Development Of Systems Thinking Skills Using System Dynamics Modeling Tools - G�nther Ossimitz

The Education of the Complete Moral Person - Marvin W. Berkowitz

The Missing Context in Science Education: Science - Jay Lemke

The Need to Belong: Rediscovering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - Norman Kunc

The Wandwaver Solution - John N. Warfield

Three Views of the Agentic Self: A Developmental Synthesis - Todd D. Little, Patricia H. Hawley, Christopher C. Henrich & Katherine W. Marsland

Toward a New Continuing Higher Education - Irene Karpiak and Bill Kops

Two Roles for Complex Systems in Education - Jim Kaput, Yaneer Bar-Yam, Michael Jacobson, Eric Jakobsson, Jay Lemke, Uri Wilensky & Collaborators

What does Research on Political Attitudes & Behaviour tell Us about the Need for Improving Education for Democracy ? - Margaret Stimmann Branson

When the School Doors Close: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Linda Dobson