Reply to DCPS (or a charter) should pilot a tech-free (or tech-lite) ES/MS

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "DCPS (or a charter) should pilot a tech-free (or tech-lite) ES/MS"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Honestly, I would worry that the tech-free school would have no differentiation. I am aware that screen-free differentiation is possible, but it is harder without more resources (specifically, additional teachers/coaches/support staff), almost never happens and screens definitely make it much easier. As a result, I think a tech-free school would end up losing high achieving kids once their parents realized what was happening (1st/2nd).[/quote]

And that would be a poor choice. I’d rather have my kid “undifferentiated” than stuck in front of a computer. Plus there are ways to differentiate without computers. [/quote]

You say that now but you'll feel differently when it's happening, or when your middle schooler is plodding through Math 8 rather than Algebra I and Geometry. [/quote]

lol. I am saying that now because basically every kid in Algebra I is going to have to repeat it (even the good math kids) because the computer program is so terrible and there is not even a textbook or syllabus for parents to use on their own with the kid.[/quote]

Go to Khan Academy. It’s h better than a textbook [/quote]

Khan is OK for limited purposes. It doesn’t replace an actual teacher or a textbook. [/quote]

This really just isn’t true. Khan Academy more than replaces a text book. It is a smarter and more responsive and adaptive version of a textbook. Unless you literally just prefer paper, Khan Academy is better and I’d be willing to bet more kids learn more math from Khan Academy than from a textbook. Now, it’s clearly not as good as a good (or even mediocre) teacher, but differentiation usually can’t involve an  additional teacher for every student. So assuming tech-free doesn’t mean teachers grow on trees, then I’d prefer tech for my high achieving kid assuming the normal DCPS resource constraints. And I think, despite what the say during the ECE years, many parents of high achieving kids would feel the same way by 1st or 2nd grade. Once those high achieving kids opted out, what counts as high achieving shifts and you risk a cycle (the same sort of cycle that happens in upper ES at many Montessori schools that parents love for ECE-K).[/quote]

Yeah then just homeschool your kid. Kids need teachers and moreover, need a clear-cut syllabus with the external structure that makes sure they learn what they need to learn in the class.

As for textbooks, there are multiple problems with the online programs:

1. The online programs often do not have an index or easy way for the student to return to prior lessons to review the way a textbook does 
2. A textbook is much simpler for the student and parent to track - much easier to “do problems 1-35 on page 50” than have to figure out where you are in the program. 
3. A textbook with written problem sets allows the parent, teacher and student to better assess how the student has done on each problem. the online apps just push you through the problems and do not easily retain the work for review. 
4. Many of the online apps fail to provide adequate explanation compared to a textbook or teacher. To the extent a student wants to review the explanation or lesson, instead of reviewing notes or a textbook, they have to figure out where the information is in a video or the app - and sometimes it is not possible to go back in the app and find it. 
5. Many of the online apps that are “adaptive” fail to actually provide sufficient practice and review. The kid gets one question right and they don’t see that skill again. 
6. many of the online apps are buggy and frustrate the kids - rejecting correct answers if eg there is a typo. 
7. The online apps can be very frustrating (especially those with voiceover) because they move slowly and drone on. 
8. The additional executive function needed to navigate the apps (and the frustration of bugs and annoying narrators) imposes a big extra executive function burden on the kid and makes math more aversive. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics