Professional thought stretcher. Director of @ThoughtStretchr, host of the ThoughtStretchers Podcast.
Louisville
Joined January 2012
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“When you’re censoring someone, you are acting from a position of weakness.”
@TheFIREorg's Ronnie London on why students need to learn to hear people out, live from our Festival of Education panel 👇
wegrowteachers.com/thoughtst…
A core tension in the 'pedagogy wars' is that of the ideals of capturing the imagination of students in ways that spur wondrous thinking & making sure that the learning of knowledge isn't left out or too inefficient.
Progressives often over prioritize the former, SoL the latter.
How did “egregious” go from a compliment to an insult? And what happens when a 5th grader uses it on a soccer ref?
@smorrisey & @MrsK_Edu on the Word Mapping Project 👇
wegrowteachers.com/thoughtst…
Drew Perkins retweeted
The longer I’m in education, the less of an expert I feel. Experience hasn’t given me all the answers, it’s shown me just how complicated the questions are. I’m increasingly baffled by anyone who speaks about teaching and learning with absolute certainty.
I often note the importance of recognizing there are those who prioritize things differently than those who prioritize knowledge. That’s important b/c it determines instructional practices which may include things other than mostly explicit instruction.
This is one such example.
It puzzles me that James hasn't seen the binary thinking of explicit instruction v. inquiry that seems all too common.
"... abandoning the rigid explicit instruction versus minimal guidance dichotomy..."
Rethinking the Boundaries of Cognitive Load Theory
link.springer.com/article/10…
The leadership situation at my alma mater is a hot mess.
LAWSUIT: We’re suing Michigan State University for punishing an elected trustee who refused to sign a speech code that restricts criticism of university leadership.
Michael Balow criticized MSU’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal and its withholding of documents related to a $100 million athletics investment.
The board chair accused Michael and other trustees of “undermining the president” and MSU’s administration. The board then revised its ethics code, seen below, to require trustees to “uphold the university’s reputation” and support majority decisions.
When Michael refused to sign, MSU used the code to exclude him from university events and revoke his credentials, limiting his ability to carry out his duties.
Think about that. Elected officials tasked with overseeing a public university can be punished for questioning its leadership. And the very people they're supposed to hold accountable get to decide what criticism is permissible.
Trustees are supposed to provide independent oversight, not rubber-stamp university decisions. The First Amendment protects their right to dissent, even when the board majority doesn't like what they have to say.
Drew Perkins retweeted
Engaging projects are easy. Projects where students build real knowledge are harder.
Our free PBL handbook shows how: our model, a Driving Question template, worked examples and common mistakes to avoid.
wegrowteachers.com/thoughtst…
#PBL #edchat
The strange animus progressive educators have toward memorization is baffling to me because it’s something that even the lower kids can excel at if they put the work in.
It’s creativity and critical thinking that require a higher intelligence than some kids possess. Memorization is within their grasp though.
Reyes was born in Uruguay. As a young Spanish-speaking student, she received extra help learning English from her first-grade teacher.
Knowledge and explicit instruction are necessary but would those alone have empowered her to excel as she has?
BREAKING: Judge Reyes has issued a preliminary injunction over the golf course and begins with this:
"Rarely, if ever, has the United States Department of Justice urged a federal court not to believe the sitting President."
ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin…
Interesting and useful conversation about civics education moderated by @katebierlytx with @TimothySandefur, @AndrewFLang, and Thomas K. Lindsay, Ph.D.
Lots of resonance with our ThoughtStretchers School of Civic Thought (K-12) work: thoughtstretchers.org/
From a chapter @Map_Addict and I collaborated on. 👇
PBL and inquiry-minded teachers who downplay or denigrate the importance of knowledge and explicit instruction should generally disabused of that idea.
Drew Perkins retweeted
Looking to bring real-world civics to life? 💡
Check out this week's roundup from ThoughtStretchers School of Civic Thought:
• Student budgeting in action 🗳️
• Civil discourse models 🤝
• Classroom resources & grants 📚
thoughtstretchers.org/librar…
Scripted DI "will only ever elevate us from poor to adequate." 🤔
Why I don't believe in scripted approaches to teaching: On Direct Instruction and direct instruction, and why the distinction matters. danielmuijs.substack.com/p/d…
Drew Perkins retweeted
Hilarious. LOL. Not quite the gotcha you'd imagine, more a case of q.e.d. Unless of course, you really don't think students have prior knowledge and ideas worth exploring or if you don't understand that knowledge has to be constructed, meaning has to be made; you can't just zap your knowledge into your students' heads. But hey, seal claps all round eh?!
John Stuart Mill written about by Engelmann sounds fascinating. 🤔
Especially since Mill's work, as I see it, is primarily about the importance of inquiry which is a cornerstone of Enlightenment civics. thoughtstretchers.org/
