Comments by LeAnne Schmidt Most recent public comments by LeAnne Schmidt https://nowcomment.com/users/49860 “The rise of the nothing” — What end goal are we chasing? If Common Core and other homogeneous systems are focused on churning out likemindedness, then for the sake of employability and value in a demanding society, we must shift to what will fill gaps. https://nowcomment.com/documents/129754?scroll_to=1260178 https://nowcomment.com/documents/129754?scroll_to=1260178 The gaps of uniqueness are where the future will thrive, provided that the uniqueness is marketable and valuable. Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:01:17 -0500 “Technology always defines the value of talents.” With this comment, I began considering the words “outmoded” and “adaptive”. Outmoded teachers retire or transition out of education unless their position frees them from that concern. https://nowcomment.com/documents/129754?scroll_to=1260151 https://nowcomment.com/documents/129754?scroll_to=1260151 Adaptive teachers persist, but some are so adaptive that they have no stabilizing keel. Years ago I saw Ian Jukes speak and he talked about disruptive innovation, lifting up the example of telephone operators who moved a cable from on slot to another. Being outmoded made it possible for them to do work more valuable for human beings than mindless, repetitive tasks. Wed, 27 Nov 2019 10:36:06 -0500 If educational researchers can’t conduct experiments without the due diligence of a university research committee approval process, why would donors be able to dictate decisions without any empirical evidence of their method before implementation? https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218473 https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218473 Yes, I know that data and dollars are very different things, but I pray for better decision-making from admin and boards. Sun, 27 Jan 2019 01:42:40 -0500 “Seeing students as future workers” is both accurate and uncomfortable, in ythe same way as prior comments about students as resources. Commercialization of schools (from Channel One so that schools could get free TVs in every classroom to charter school https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218472 https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218472 Options to the Big History Project taking over social studies curriculum) has some value, but is often a sellout to interests not focused on the learning of students. As a school board member, we had organizations wanting to put up advertising inside schools for a tempting payback...and no one in the room pointed out that students have enough trouble focusing on school work and don’t need a Taco Bell ad right next to their English classroom door. Sun, 27 Jan 2019 01:36:19 -0500 The programs are not “saviors of education”; they are a tool to equip and inform the educator, who can allow self-directed students to progress while encouraging, challenging, even cajoling struggling learners who need skills to get out of their own way. https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218471 https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218471 Sun, 27 Jan 2019 01:17:08 -0500 NRI has been a great resource for teaching writing techniques. My colleague who teaches 8th grade has been using it for grammar, too. The students do get frustrated at having to demonstrate complete mastery before they can advance. https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218469 https://nowcomment.com/documents/125308?scroll_to=1218469 It’s great for personalized learning. I’ve got a few really struggling, but it’s often outside issues like attendance, homework completion, impulsiveness (answering the question before digesting the prompt), and lack of focus. Once I hurdle those obstacles, they can really get moving. Sun, 27 Jan 2019 20:27:22 -0500