[Its.an.education.project] Constructionism (was Re: XP on OLPC - a contrarian view)

[Antoine van Gelder]

On 19 May 2008, at 19:21, Albert Cahalan wrote:
>> Are you serious? Are you really a Republican? No Child's Behind Left
>> is the worst disaster in education in decades, as John Holt would  
>> have
>> been the first to point out if he had lived long enough. Who claims
>> that NCLB is raising skills, as opposed to test scores? With what
>> evidence? The real skills aren't on the standardized tests.
>
> Accountability and measurement is critical. Without that, you have
> an unreliable system that produces a few winners and many losers.
> While I regret that NCLB doesn't do much for the brightest, it is
> extremely important for society that we raise the educational level
> of the low acheivers.



* What has gone wrong that teaching to the test so often ends up being  
seen as being in conflict with teaching to the skills ? To the extent  
that often teaching to the skills is neglected ?

* What has gone wrong that the claim "it is extremely important for  
society that we raise the educational level of the low achievers" is  
so often used as the justification for "a system which does not do  
much for the brightest" as if this the only way things can possibly be ?

  - a