Monday, February 23, 2009
Saying the same thing
A friend recommended a book to me because of the ideas it proposed about gifted education. Maybe I've been at this too long--but there was really nothing new--except many already familiar good ideas repackaged with a new name and a few catchy phrases. One of the tenets of the book was that repetition and practice is important even for gifted individuals. Eric Jensen made that extremely clear in Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Mike Schmoker reaffirmed it in pushing us to get Results Now. And Marilee Sprenger emphasized it in How to Teach So Students Remember. There's really nothing new in the world of education--just recycled ideas boxed up like un-opened gifts. It is as Mr. Schmoker said--"We in education already know what to do ."--Hopefully, the repackaged ideas will inpire us to do it.
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Yes, we already know what to do. Now we need to be about the business of doing it. So, how does one get started? Must we convene a meeting, brainstorm ideas,create a plan, get buy in from others (or is that simply a bunch of ttwwadi?) What might we do differently this time to really get this show on the road? It is apparent that we MUST chart a different course because the old trail has not led us to the desired outcomes.
ReplyDeletefew things are more frustrating than getting amped up to read a good book simply to find out that it is recycled content from better books and ideas of the past. i think its more about selling books than hammering the same points home. if the author claimed the ideas were repackaged because the ideas haven't been fully accepted yet i don't think i would believe it, i suspect it is more about profit. or perhaps vanity, that they can say it in a way that others can't.
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