Things public schools no longer teach and why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s always amusing when people post nostalgia for they way they were taught, as if those archaic methods were superior.

Do you work in curriculum and instruction? I would be interested to hear the researchers and studies you find to be most important on this topic.

The archaic methods yielded superior test scores across the board.

And to the PP who cited "critical thinking skills," your child cannot think critically about any topic where they lack content knowledge. Having kids analyze two primary documents and then arguing whether the U.S. should have dropped the atomic bomb is NOT critical thinking. It contributes to a culture where people have strong opinions about issues where they entirely lack context.

Most college professors will agree that writing skills have massively decreased, along with the ability to argue, so "critical thinking skills" as currently taught have gotten your kids no where.

… they didn’t “yield superior test scores across the board.” For one thing, you get what you measure. But comparing what is measured today versus 40 years ago when I was in school? They aren’t the same thing.

It’s like that weird reaction to Common Core math a few years back. All these people moaning that they weren’t teaching math the way they learned it, ergo the new teaching methods were bad. They weren’t — the way WE were taught was bad.

[Anonymous]

The old way of math is a good way for certain students. Many of my students suffer from being taught so many strategies all at once. They don't need (and clearly cannot handle) 5-8 different strategies for adding single-digit numbers but that's what they get with the current math curriculum. It's overwhelming to them. One way is what they need until they demonstrate mastery. They don't need one strategy on Monday, another one on Tuesday, another one on Wednesday...

[Anonymous]

Kids are smarter and better educated today than they were when I was a kid 40 years ago. The period of time when they learned cursive was a waste of time, obviously, but at least they spent less time on it than when I was a kid.

[Anonymous]

I think teaching handwriting also boosted kids’ fine motor skills, attention to detail, and attention span. Sadly lacking in so many now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think teaching handwriting also boosted kids’ fine motor skills, attention to detail, and attention span. Sadly lacking in so many now.

But you acknowledge that printing is just as good as cursive for this purpose, right? I've seen a fair amount of cursive advocacy that conflates the benefits from learning how to do any handwriting with those benefits from learning cursive specifically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think teaching handwriting also boosted kids’ fine motor skills, attention to detail, and attention span. Sadly lacking in so many now.

But you acknowledge that printing is just as good as cursive for this purpose, right? I've seen a fair amount of cursive advocacy that conflates the benefits from learning how to do any handwriting with those benefits from learning cursive specifically.

Likely - provided letter formation is actually taught correctly. Handwriting is much easier, faster, and legible when letters are formed correctly, which is often not the way people actually not the way people do them. But there is also a rhythm and fluidity to cursive that easier for people to execute vs. printing. When it comes to attention span, people might be able write in cursive far longer than they could print because it’s less taxing.

[Anonymous]

My fcps elementary doesn’t teach spelling. Literally. No spelling list of words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My fcps elementary doesn’t teach spelling. Literally. No spelling list of words.

Apparently, lists of spelling words are not shown to improve spelling. I wonder how any of us learned how to spell.

[Anonymous]

The Bible. It’s the single most important text in western civilization and yet, because some people equate studying it with promoting a particular religion, it’s not even discussed. And generations of students are poorer for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Bible. It’s the single most important text in western civilization and yet, because some people equate studying it with promoting a particular religion, it’s not even discussed. And generations of students are poorer for it.

I took a comparative religion class in high school that was fantastic. I think comparative religions should be part of the core curriculum. It teaches how various religions have been foundational to our cultures while dodging the First Amendment concerns by putting multiple religions on an equal footing. It's also useful to have an understanding about where religions are similar and where they are different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Bible. It’s the single most important text in western civilization and yet, because some people equate studying it with promoting a particular religion, it’s not even discussed. And generations of students are poorer for it.

Yeah no. I’m perfectly fine despite never having read the Bible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Bible. It’s the single most important text in western civilization and yet, because some people equate studying it with promoting a particular religion, it’s not even discussed. And generations of students are poorer for it.

Yeah no. I’m perfectly fine despite never having read the Bible.

So you think.

[Anonymous]

Phrenology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Bible. It’s the single most important text in western civilization and yet, because some people equate studying it with promoting a particular religion, it’s not even discussed. And generations of students are poorer for it.

I took a comparative religion class in high school that was fantastic. I think comparative religions should be part of the core curriculum. It teaches how various religions have been foundational to our cultures while dodging the First Amendment concerns by putting multiple religions on an equal footing. It's also useful to have an understanding about where religions are similar and where they are different.

Just a few of the VA 5th grade social studies standards:

Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Judaism
Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Hinduism
Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Buddhism
Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Sikhism
Analyze the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Confucianism
Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Christianity
Describe the Origin and Basic Beliefs of Islam


https://insys.fcps.edu/PublicPOS/#/reportPanel/5/0

[Anonymous]

No grammar, pretty much no spelling, no cursive (I can live with that), no structured writing/composition program. So, so terrible. Kids at "highly sought after" FCPS AAP center.

+1

No punctuation whatsoever. The grammar instruction was nonexistent. When my DDs left FCPS AAP after 5th grade, they did not know the parts of speech. But they sure could make a Powerpoint.