On+the+Edge+educationally

The following links to articles have peaked my curiosity...controversial and intriguing!


Consider this thought of eliminating the junior and senior years of high school, from these articles in the New York Times: [|Accelerating Graduation?] [|High Schools' plans to graduate 2 years early] .....//Dr. Holliday said, “We’ve been tied to seat time for 100 years. This would allow an approach based on subject mastery — a system based around move-on-when-ready.”// //The new system aims to provide students with a clear outline of what they need to study to succeed.//

[|Adams 50 Colorado pacesetters] Read about this standards-based instructional model, with support by Robert Marzano, that groups students by ability, rather than grade. I especially like how even the youngest pupils are aware of and taking charge of their own learning: //Six-year-old Dominic Herrera showed one of them on the subject of counting pennies. On the chart were four categories: "I need help," "I think I can," "I know I can" and, finally, "I can teach it."// //Dominic had reached the "I know I can" level and was onto the next category, telling time in five-minute intervals. He was at the "I think I can" level.// //"It's neat that they have ownership, and they know what proficiency means."//

Progress on Adams 50 recently... read more:

Another interesting reading on "Eliminating Seat-Time", one teacher's opinion... //“We need to measure success by what students are actually learning, not by how many minutes they’re sitting in a particular class each week,” Bennett said.// //"This is moving toward efficiency by allowing kids to advance when - and only when - they are proficient. It's an improvement over the standards of social promotion, and ...... it is very successful among struggling populations, increasing graduation and decreasing dropouts.// //..... Thus, if a kid is taking advanced classes at sophomore year, there is no reason, he/she can't finish a bachelor degree by 19 or 20. The seat time requirements inhibit that."// [|Eliminating Seat-Time?]

And here's a blog from The Chronicle of Higher Education discussing Seat-Time and credit hours in college. Read on to hear pros and cons from opinions of others... What do you think? [|Seat-time in Higher Education]