Subj: [talk-kitchen] Re: [ncte-talk] Honors Students
Date: 4/4/00 7:57:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: tnellen@iris.host4u.net
Sender: owner-talk-kitchen@ncte.org
Reply-to: talk-kitchen@serv1.ncte.org
To: ncte-talk@serv1.ncte.org
Teresa, you have described most eloquently why and even how the technology
can address your situation. This is the ideal and perfect bunch of kids
for the computer room.
Now if you were to mix up the classes you'd find by allowing for
collaboration, cooperative work on the computers with the right software
and programs and technology knowhow (which isn't scary, just a new way)
you'd find nirvanah(sp). Levels of achievement are not only met by all but
surpassed esp as more collaboration allows for more to be done. the
technology allows for various styles of learning to co-exist while
instead of teaching you are guiding. most of the problem you encounter
as the sole deliverer of info is that you can't really do it for all at
the same time. but the computer can. think about that for a second. the
computer is patient for your one group and provides avenues of further
searching to another. One teacher per class is just so inefficient. the
computer allows for one to one esp when the teacher has programmed the
technology. get thee to a computer lab, Teresa.
TedNellen
On Mon, 3 Apr 2000, Glenn wrote:
> > The current criticism for not including all students in a single classroom
> > is that the "low" kids will drag down the "high" kids and in some way
> damage
> > their education. Does anyone else smell a rat in this logic?
>
>
> Nancy,
>
> I know that this is a hot topic in education at the moment, and I don't have
> anything other than my own non-scientific anecdotes to back up what I am
> about to say, but I hope you'll be open-minded and hear my experience.
>
> I teach 8th grade. At my school, we have AIG clusters & regular classes. I
> teach 1 communication skills cluster class (there are about 10 AIG
> identified kids and about 16 non-AIG identified kids in the class; the non
> AIG kids are high-performing and were recommended by their teachers for the
> cluster class); my other class is a regular class with kids whose IQs range
> from 78 to above average. This setup works great for me-- I do many of the
> same activities in both classes, but in the regular class I slow things down
> a bit. I have tried teaching exactly the same way to both classes-- but in
> my lower class the average reading level is 5.2 (with the notorious AR STAR
> test), and I just CAN'T assign large chunks of reading to be done at home
> (freeing up classtime for other activities related to the reading).
>
> In my regular class we read a little in class, discuss, do some activities,
> read a little more, etc. I have to guide them more than the AIG kids simply
> because they have deficits in reading & experience & work ethic. I'm not
> saying that I treat them like they are stupid-- I have read _A Raisin In The
> Sun_, _Animal Farm_, _The Giver_, _A Christmas Carol_, _Spoon River
> Anthology_ and _Johnny Tremain_ with them since Thanksgiving (when I started
> working at this school). I do NOT treat them like they are less able to
> handle complex material-- but I DO guide them through the material more.
>
> However, I also teach social studies. In those classes, I have
> heterogeneously grouped students. In one class I have a kid with a 152 IQ
> and a college reading level AND a kid with a 70 IQ who cannot read ANY (and
> I mean *literally* ANY) words at all. It is not good for either child-- the
> bright kid can't be exposed to half of what I'd like to show him because the
> other kid would be lost. I find myself teaching to the middle of the class,
> which is, honestly, good for nobody. And I know it, but with 30 kids in
> these classes-- 5-8 EC and 5-8 AIG, I'm not sure where in the world to
> begin.
>
> Case in point: we are doing the Civil War right now. We have been over the
> strengths/ weaknesses of the North and South and the states that were part
> of both sides, oh, probably ten times now. The lower kids can't even label
> a map of the US correctly-- they put North Carolina (my home state) where
> Tennessee is, South Carolina NORTH of NC, and otherwise leave everything
> blank but Texas and Florida, and sometimes Maine. The lower kids OUGHT to
> learn where states are in relation to each other-- I think that's a useful
> bit of knowledge that they should possess. But I could spend the next three
> days going over it while the AIG kids pull their hair out from frustration.
>
> I DO believe that all kids can achieve, but in reality not everyone achieves
> at the same pace at the same stage of development. Grouping kids can be a
> bad thing-- I'll grant you that: elitism and stereotypes don't help anyone.
> But no one's needs are met when they are all lumped together.
>
> Teresa, having a feeling she may be very unpopular after this post
> West Middle School
> Montgomery County, NC
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Archives--> http://www.ncte.org/lists/ncte-talk/archives.html
> To leave the list, send email to majordomo@lists.ncte.org
> In the first line of the note put: unsubscribe ncte-talk
> Report problems to listmgr@lists.ncte.org
>
Ted Nellen 8-) tnellen@tnellen.com
_o \o_ __| \ / |__ o _ o/ \o/
__|- __/ \__/o \o | o/ o/__ /\ /| |
> > / \ ( \ /o\ / ) | (\ / | < \ / \
One must learn by doing the thing. For though you think you know
it, you have no certainty until you try.
~ Sophocles ~ (BC 495-406, Greek Tragic Poet)
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/
http://www.tnellen.com/ted/