FISCHLER Feb 2011 Version

8/7/2019 FISCHLER Feb 2011 Version

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Building

Better SchoolsVersion 2 (italics)

Commentaries by

Dr. Abraham S. Fischler

Quotations toGuide

Teachers,Principals,

Parents andStudents

With Hillary Gorski-Howrey and Steve McCrea

Graphic design by Hillary Gorski-Howrey

Note to Hillary: I think I got rid of all the LARGEletters and the most unconnected photos. I havemore to do with references but now you can getstarted with the changes that you need to make.

Lulu Press


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2 Building Better Schools

Contents

List of Educational Pioneers

Introduction

Short Quotations and Commentaries

Excerpts from the blog TheStudentIstheClass.com

Longer Readings

Links for Additional Reading

Questions

Whats Next

Endnote

About the Author and Editors


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Abraham Fischler 3

The purpose of this book is to introduce teachers,administrators, parents and students to ideas ofeducation that might be missing in their lives. As DanPink has observed, most institutions have changeddramatically in appearance and in how they operate sincethe 1950s banks, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitalsall have different procedures and employ architecture toimprove the customer's experience. The exception:public schools. (2001, page 278).

List of Educational Pioneers

We have included quotes from over two dozeneducational pioneers, some who are not householdnames. To give the lay reader an easy reference to theseexperts, we begin with a short list of theiraccomplishments.

Ernest Boyer (1928-1995), president of CarnegieFoundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Thomas Friedman, columnist for the New York Times,author ofThe World is Flat (2005). His call for betterteaching has inspired teachers to rethink how they

present information to students.

Alison Gopnik, clinical psychologist at UC Berkeley.


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Lou Holtz (1937-), motivational speaker and retired

football coach.

Ellen Langer, professor of psychology.

Dennis Littky, author ofThe Big Picture: Education isEverybodys Business. His school, the Met Center inProvidence, R.I., has spawned a chain of 25 schools inthe USA.

Tom Magliozzi, one of the Car Talk guys on NationalPublic Radio, author ofIn Our Humble Opinion: CarTalk's Click and Clack Rant and Rave (2000).

Jamie McKenzie, Seattle, Wash. His article in TheWIRED Classroom provides a list of descriptors of therole of a teacher who is a guide on the side whilestudents are conducting their investigations. His websitefno.org (from now on) is recommended for teachers whowant to teach better starting today.

Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Free AgentNation, has several memorable lecturs on YouTube(search Drive Daniel Pink Motivation).

Ken Robinson, author ofThe Element, has over 400,000hits on his lecture describing how schools removecreativity.
http://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.html


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Abraham Fischler 5

Robert Sternberg (1949-), psychologist.

Mark Twain (1835-1910), author and humorist.

Tom vander Ark, edu-preneur, blog commentator atEdReformer.com, former head of the charity thatdistributed over $800 million to education.

W. B. Yeats (1865-1939) poet.


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Rather thanpunish the

student who

learns moreslowly, we must

treat each

student as the

class.


Introduction

The excerpts from his blog (TheStudentIsTheClass.com)and commentaries by Dr. Fischler are in standardtypeface. Editors remarks are in italics.

The Problem

At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are

still not fulfilling the demands of our students or our

society. Why not? The schools are set up with an agrarian

calendar and teachers are responsible for teaching to a

class as a unit. Time is fixed and the only

variable is performance some pass and

others fail. And, if the persons who fail do

not make up and achieve the proficiency

that the test is measuring, they drift

further and further behind. The

consequences are numerous and

punishing. How does this instill a love of

learning? This approach does not takeinto account a truism: all students can

learn, but they learn at different rates and have different

preferential learning styles.


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Abraham Fischler 7

Instead of asking the student to fit the administrative

structure (i.e., the class and arbitrary time periods for

learning subjects and achieving competencies), we must

provide each student with the time and means to

succeed. Rather than punish the student who learns more

slowly than the arbitrarily chosen period, we must treat

each student as the class.

We must find a way of doing this. Other industries have

made similar changes* and it is now time for education to

do the same.

*FedEx can tell you where any package is at any time.Look at banking, which is now available 24 hours a day

through ATMs and you can go to almost any ATM to

withdraw or deposit funds. Both industries invested in

information and delivery systems to meet the needs of

their clients rather than asking their clients to

accommodate to a fixed structure. Now the automobile

industry is enabling customers to order on demand rather

than requiring them to accept whatever is available in the

dealers lot. In the business world, however, there is

competition that requires companies to adapt education

has not had this catalyst.

My vision and strategy for educational change

I believe that we in education must make the investment

to do the same for our clients, i.e., each student. Whatinvestment is needed?


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There are three modes of instruction: 1) self-paced or

CAI, 2) project or problem-solving and 3) discussion. Self-

paced or computer-assisted instruction (CAI) requires that

each student have access to a computer and modem and

access to the curriculum on a server on a 24/7 basis.

Projects and problems should be relevant to students so

they can relate to the given subject area.

For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the

1st grade (and continue thereafter). The reason English

and Math are chosen is that these are the two cultural

imperative languages. If you know these two languagesand are motivated as a self-learner, you can teach

yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of

the goals of education is to create self-learners.

For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or

problem that is relevant to the student. Once the problem

is defined, the class can be broken down into groups of 4-

5 students in order to research the solution to the

problem. If complex, each of the groups may study an

aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the student

uses the computer as a research tool (after having

learned to read). Students are taught to use search

engines such as Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet

made available by teachers gathering information relevant

for the students.

Students working in a group learn cooperation, shared

responsibility and communication (face-to-face as well as


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Abraham Fischler 9

e-mail). Having produced a written solution to the problem

utilizing the computer (power point) as a tool, they can

then present to the class for discussion. They can also

use email or a written report to other students as well as

the teacher.

Arbitrary learning within fixed time periods would be

eliminated, i.e., no 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. grades. Instead,

students would be grouped chronologically with materials

appropriate to their learning level and style using the CAI

approach for English and Math, and the project-problem-

discussion modes for other subjects. The projects givento the students match the level of English and Math

competencies and are related to the students (their

interests and their lives). For example, in 3rd grade, how

would you study the amount of water that a plant needs to

grow? I would utilize the students Math knowledge

(learned through CAI) for science learning. Likewise,

rather than studying history through memorization and

chronology, it can be studied through problems based on

the immediate environment for younger children and more

abstract concepts in later grades.

What do we need to make this happen?

In order for this to be implemented, what do we need?

1) We need the people on board parents,

teachers, community leaders, etc.2) We need the hardware computers with

modems and Internet access for each student.


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3) We need the management system (many

existing solutions can be adapted).

4) We need the curriculum Computer

Assisted Instructions (CAI) for Math and

English and creative, relevant problems and

projects for other subjects.

5) We need teacher training.

In order to begin to implement change, we need all of

these things in place. I would like to see a group of

elementary and middle schools, and the high school into

which they feed (a demonstration zone) of some size

agree to adopt a vision where time is a variable andmastery what is expected from each student. A computer

company can be found to donate (or the zone can buy) a

laptop with a modem for each student. The zone needs

to build an integrated management system in order to be

responsive to what students do and how they learn. Part

of the management system is administrative, part is the

CAI component, and lastly, the management system

needs to record and reflect the students learnings in non-

CAI instruction (student portfolios). The CAI component

must be self-correcting and use artificial intelligence so

that the component improves as more students utilize the

program for English and Math. Teacher training is critical

and must be done during the summer prior to

implementation.


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Abraham Fischler 11

The Purpose of This Little Book

We will need teachers to buy intothis vision. Parents, administratorsand students will have new roles,too. It will take a village to pulltogether the transformationdescribed here. The process ofbuilding the new school systemrequires a new mindset: We must

agree that the Student is the Class.From that central mantra we canbuild a new way of looking ateducation and the roles we play inmaking schools work.


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Abraham Fischler 13

Short Quotations and

Commentaries


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Commentary: The way that classrooms are organized,because of the pressures that teachers and students areunder since No Child Left Behind, more and more time isnow being spent helping students learn at acomprehensive level. Little time is left for the skills ofanalysis, synthesis and self-judgment.

We put information in but we don't give them time tomassage the information and go through Piaget's processof assimilation and accommodation at the concept level.

Education is not the filling of apail, but rather the lighting of a

fire.W. B. Yeats


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Abraham Fischler 15

How do teachers instill this fire quote in a school thatfocuses on computer-based instruction?

The computer is a tool to be used in many different ways.

It is a learning tool, it is a research tool, and it is acommunication tool. So it depends on the environmentand how it's orchestrated.

Bloom's taxonomy talks about levels of learning.Comprehension is the lower level. But the student alsoneeds time to utilize information for analysis andsynthesis. So the computer could be used for those twopurposes.

In the CAI approach you can reorganize students to solveproblems through projects. Small groups can improvetheir communication skills, working in cooperative teams,sharing research responsibilities, and giving presentationsto the entire class.

We have to provide an environment so that students canuse what they have learned through technology.

Rarely should you see a teacher standing in front of agroup of students lecturing. That would make theassumption that all 30 youngsters are ready to receivewhat you are presenting and to process the information.


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Commentary: This is one of those quotes that belong ona wall to remind students of the importance of self-confidence.

Ability is what you're capable ofdoing. Motivation determines what

you do. Attitude determines how

well you do it.Lou Holtz


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Abraham Fischler 17

Commentary: My test is asking the followingquestion: Have we produced a motivated personwith the tools and desire to keep learning?

I hope that in the century ahead students

will be judged not by their performance on

a single test but by the quality of their lives.

I hope that students will be encouraged tobe creative, not conforming, and learn to

cooperate rather than compete.Ernest Boyer, president of Carnegie Foundationfor the Advancement of Teaching, 1993.

Our education system

should be creating mindful

learners. Dennis Littky


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Commentary: It is clear that our schools should preparestudents for real worldconditions, where many workershave access to information. Students and teachersshould practice using smart phones and the Internet.

I have been a psychologist for 21 years, and I

have never had to do in the profession what I

needed to do to get an A in many of my courses

in college. In particular,I've never had tomemorize a book or lecture. If I can't

remember something, I just look it up.

However, schools set things up to reward withAs the students who are good memorizers, not

just at the college level but at many other levels

as well. Robert Sternberg, psychologist.


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Abraham Fischler 19

Commentary: I agree. Flexibility is the key.

Too often we teach people things like

"There's a right way and a wrong way to

do everything." What we should be

teaching them is how to think flexibly, tobe mindful of all the different possibilities

of every situation and not closethemselves off from information that

could help them. Ellen Langer,professor of psychology

Sage on the Stage vs. Guide on the Side

"A good teacher knows when to act as Sage on the Stage

and when to act as a Guide on the Side. Because student-

centred learning can be time-consuming and messy,efficiency will sometimes argue for the Sage. When students

are busy making up their own minds, the role of the teacher

shifts. When questioning, problem-solving and

investigation become the priority classroom activities, the

teacher becomes a Guide on the Side." Jamie McKenzie
http://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/


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"... the teacher is circulating, redirecting,

disciplining, questioning, assessing, guiding,

directing, fascinating, validating, facilitating,

moving, monitoring, challenging, motivating,

watching, moderating, diagnosing, trouble-

shooting, observing, encouraging, suggesting,

watching, modeling and clarifying."

The teacher is on the move, checking over shoulders,

asking questions and teaching mini-lessons for

individuals and groups who need a particular skill.

Support is customized and individualized. The Guide

on the Side sets clear expectations, provides

explicit directions, and keeps the learning well

structured and productive.

From Now On The Educational Technology Journal

The WIRED Classroom Jamie McKenzie
http://fno.org/http://fno.org/http://fno.org/http://fno.org/http://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.htmlhttp://fno.org/http://fno.org/http://fno.org/http://fno.org/mar98/flotilla2.html


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Abraham Fischler 21

Commentary: What is the goal? To keep teachersemployed? To hand students a diploma? To transferskills to a workforce? I believe that the goal is toproduce a motivated person with the tools and desire tokeep learning. We need to have the humility to see thatwe teachers and we principals don't have all of the tools.Students need to take responsibility for at least part oftheir learning. Can we shape the classroom and the

curriculum to the shape and dimension of the student?

I never let schooling get in the

way of my education. Mark Twain(Samuel Clemens)


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Commentary: We have invested a lot ofmoney and training in the big-box public highschools. Bill Gates has put a billion dollars orso into making high schools smaller and intotechnology for education. We need to stop,

turn around, and get back to square one. Let'sstart with elementary schools. By adding alayer of computer-mediated instruction over theexisting system and by engaging parents,students, teachers and principals in a vigorousre-connection with the goal of education, wecan move toward making the student the class.

No matter how far you have gone on a

wrong road, turn back. Turkish proverb(from The Big Picture by Dennis Littky)


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Abraham Fischler 23

Commentary: Should teachers be entertainers? Iwant to changethis quote:Learning shouldbe fun to thelearner.

Classroomsshould beexciting. Studentsshould be the

performers. Teachers should be facilitators andmotivators, asking students to think about challengingproblems. Teachers should reward success, usinglanguage that make learners feel good aboutthemselves. You can do it.

As the saying goes: The teacher is a guide on theside, not a sage on the stage.

The teacher of the future

is an Edu-Tainer: giving an

education that is entertaining

Dennis Yuzenas

It seems to me that schools primarily teach kids

how to take tests, a skill one hardly uses in real life

(unless one is a contestant on a quiz show).

Elementary school prepares kids for junior high;

junior high prepares them for high school. So thegoal (if we can call it that) of schools is toprepare kids for more school. Tom Magliozzi,one of the Car Talk guys, writing in his book, InOur Humble Opinion: Car Talk's Click and ClackRant and Rave (2000).


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Have we produced amotivated person with thetools and desire to keep

learning?


Commentary: For the learner, education is a continuum

and it is not important where the student is housed. Whatis important at the end is have we produced a motivatedperson with the tools and desire to keep learning?Inorder to do that, the learner must achieve competency intwo languages, English and math. Everything else he canlearn if he is motivated to learn and to become a selflearner. Professors make it easier by picking out whatthey think is necessary in the particular field ofknowledge. Thus you can achieve more knowledge in a

shorter time if you work with advisors. They also provideguidance and help you achieve a number of life skills soyou can function effectively with others and assume yourshare of the responsibility for achieving the objectives.


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Abraham Fischler 25

Commentary: Self-motivated, interested in the problemthat they are working on, helping one another sharingresponsibilities. This will happen when students worktogether in small groups on projects.

You need a certain level of comprehension which the CAIdelivers. Piaget says that we redefine a concept everytime we meet a discrepant event: An event for the learnerthat doesn't fit the concept that he already has. So thelearner has to go through questions: Did that reallyexist? How do I modify the concept to accommodatethe new information?

Students go through this when they learn that electronsmight not be particles. Electrons act more like clouds in

certain circumstances.

[ ??? add more here ??? ]

Children are working as if I did not

exist.Maria Montessori


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Abraham Fischler 27

If the student doesn't have the basic comprehension,you will miss the mark the information that you thinkis a discrepant event will go over his head. Forexample, you can tell a six-year-old that the earth isturning and that creates day and night at 25,000 milesin a day. It's rotating on an axis. Why don't you feelit?If you were in an automobile and you put yourhand out of the window, you would feel it.

With a six-year-old, you're going too fast. You betterstart with day is when the sun is out and Night iswhen the sun is hidden. You can ask, Why is thenight dark? What gives light to the moon?So youcan give a six-year-old a bit of this, but he doesn'treally understand much.

After introducing a discrepant event, we need to givethe student time to process the information.

We tend to start with what the child can observe.Science for grades 1-to-3, the focus is over what canyou see?

To try to explain that the earth is turning is not going

to lead to understanding in younger students. Waituntil they begin to ask you about rotating. And theyweren't all going to be able to ask you at the sametime.


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Commentary: There is a core of basic knowledgethat one expects from a person at a certain point intime. I don't expect people to be experts, but biologyis a science. You ought to have some knowledge ofthe animal kingdom, relationships, the human body.There are certain understandings that you can expectfrom a person at a certain level. Science is not acultural imperative. Our language and mathematics

are cultural imperatives. I expect every child to havea certain level. Knowledge and ability and with a basiccore of mathematics; able to handle fractions. But Idon't expect everyone to know everything abouttrigonometry. Robert Reich is right, as long as wedon't say master. We need a core in all areas andyou have to have the tools for self-learning: wecan read English and we can do some math... weknow when to doubt and we don't jump toconclusions.

You can teach yourself most of science if you haveEnglish and math.

Given the widening array of

possibilities, theres no reason

that every child must master thesciences, algebra, geometry,

biology, or any of the rest of the

standard high school curriculum

that has barely changed in half a

century. Robert Reich, Secretary ofLabor (Clinton Administration)


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Excerpts from

TheStudentIstheClass.com

Beyond Memorization: Give 21st CenturyStudents Time to Understand

We can all agree that it is important for students to graduate

from high school. However, what happens when graduating

from high school does not necessarily represent anunderstanding of the basic skills needed in college and the

workplace? More than half of the students entering public

colleges and universities in Florida need remedial classes in

math, reading, and writing prior to starting their college

classes. The problem is NOT the amount of money we are

putting into our public schools; rather, the structure and

curriculum of public education needs reform. Memorizing

information for the FCAT or College Placement Test is not

going to equip students with the skills needed for the 21st

century.

Students need to learn to analyze, understand, and explain

rather than memorize, recite, and regurgitate facts and

information. A student cannot be expected to master division if

he or she does not know what dividing numbers truly means.

Subjectsparticularly reading and mathneed to be taught

on a students individual timeframe. Learning should be

measured against each students past markers of progress.

We must enable students to learn at varying rates so they


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come to understand and analyze information in a way that is

useful and accessible both to them personally and for the 21st

century.We must change our expectations about time and make

conceptual understanding (not rote repetition) our first priority.


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Abraham Fischler 33

Time Must Be A Variable For Student Success

Nowhere in my readings have I found encouragement andfunds to reward systems that are trying to build an educational

environment As long as time is fixed, then student progress is

what is variable within the fixed time frame. Thus, 30% of the

student population is punished through failures.

If we moved in core areas - mainly based on students

mastery and making time a variable.English and Math - to

Computer Based Learning ("CBL" or Computer Assisted

Instruction CAI), the student becomes the class and each

student is given time to master the materials. Further, what is

learned becomes a tool for future learning. In science and

social studies, projects that are meaningful to students can be

agreed and assigned. Small groups then may use technology

for research purposes as well as to make powerpoint

presentations to fellow students. This transformation cannot

be done without the community, without curriculum design and

without teachers who are trained to utilize the environment

correctly.

Student management also is important so that the teacher, the

student and the parent see the progress of each student. This

type of system provides accessibility to all partners, including

the principal and state, as well as a vehicle to help determinethe effectiveness of the learning environment in the

classroom.


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Technology to Make Time a Variable

I propose the use of technology in a computer assisted mode

(CAI) to track the progress of each student. When each has

demonstrated mastery of what s/he has learned through CAI,

we then can seek validation through State-implemented

examinations. In this way, time is varied and competency

relatively fixed; a standard that should be applied to public

schools as well as charter schools, so that all children will be

given similar opportunities to succeed.


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Abraham Fischler 37

It is Time for Change in K-12

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our high

school students to the dropout pool. No longer can we tolerate

the outdated agrarian industrial model. No longer can we

tinker around the edges, substituting book A for book B or

modifying a time dimension within a few courses. No longer

can we afford to leave the structure and organization of K-12

education the same.

This is the moment - this is the time for real change in thepublic schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the

tools and the necessary technology to create a positive

learning environment for the 21st century. We can focus on

the student as the class and offer individualized instruction

based on students' different learning styles. We can vary time

so that those who need more time to master a concept have

the opportunity to do so. The organization and structure of our

current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all

learners.


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Don't Blame The Computer!

Some schools are dropping the computer because they failedto get the results they wanted. This is a mistake. A computer

is a tool which must be integrated into the fabric of the

instructional process. By itself, it will not change nor improve

results. The curriculum must be modified; the teacher must

change his or her role from presenter to a catalyst for learning.

Opportunity must be given to students to work on real world

problems.

The computer can be utilized in many ways, including:

as a learning tool

acquiring and organizing information

communicating within a group

helping to analyze data

creating powerpoint or other presentations to the class

Remember: Do not blame the toolthe learning system mustbe changed, and teachers must be trained in a new learningparadigm.


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Abraham Fischler 39

Longer Readings

Techniques for Creative Teaching

I worked with a physics teacher who would tell students, There willbe times when you will turn in your lab books where you will writewhat you observe. Sometimes I will mark an exercise wrong and Iexpect you to come up and argue with me. The students generallyhated him because he appeared so arbitrary.

I loved what he did. He forced the kids not to cheat. He made surethat one or two kids would get something marked wrong eventhough it was right. This bothered kids. And they would come to meto complain. I told them, He's forcing you to think and If you don'targue with him, you will get the the lower mark.

'Disrupting Class', by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Hornand Curtis W. Johnson, published by McGraw-Hill.

Commentary: The authors explain why major changes arerequired in public education if we are to educate every child ofevery parent to finish high school with the knowledge and skillsneeded either to go into the world of work or continue theireducation in the 21st century. This book appreciates theuniqueness of each student (referencing the Multiple Intelligencestheory introduced by Dr. Howard Gardner) and recognizes that weneed to adapt instructional methods to match the learning styles ofeach student. Its 'disruptive innovation theory' explains why it is sodifficult to move public education from its current focus on the'class' to a new and needed focus on the 'student'. The authors'concept of a future classroom is one that incorporates technologyand software to provide alternative methods and options forstudents to achieve the required objectives. They also encouragean environment in which students work together on projects andshare and conceptualize learnings rather than memories bits ofinformation. Whilst this book recognizes the need for flexibilitywithin the organization and structure of the learning environment to


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accommodate individual variations, it does not spell out sufficientlythe need to vary time because students learn at different rates.

Why Go To School? Steven Wolk, Phi Delta Kappa

May 2007, Volume 88, number 9

http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v88/k0705toc.htm

Commentary: The May 2007 issue of Phi Delta Kappan has awonderful article written by Steven Wolk entitled Why go toSchool?. It is a critique of what we are teaching and how we areteaching. In the article, he states the following: If the purpose ofour schools is to prepare drones to keep the U.S. economy going,

then the prevailing curricula and instructional methods are probablyadequate. If, however, we want to help students become thoughtful,caring citizens who might be creative enough to figure out how tochange the status quo rather than maintain it, we need to rethinkschooling entirely. Mr. Wolk outlines what he considers to be theessential content for a new curriculum. The essence of what thearticle states is similar to the essence of the early writings found inthis blog.

Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark? by DaveNagel. T.H.E. Journal(March 2007)

Commentary: The nationwide survey polled approximately270,000 students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging fromtechnology, math, and science instruction to communications,collaboration, and self expression". The findings were veryinteresting.

The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project

Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey

shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage


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Abraham Fischler 41

students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and

science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels

of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in

the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to

professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.

We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country tocreatively address problems and challenges -- some that may havehappened before and others undoubtedly that will beunprecedented. We have gone through many ages as a nation andworld: agricultural, industrial, technological, information, and nowwe must enter the age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination,innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning, problemsolving, and critical thinking. Listening, memorizing and

regurgitating learned information is no longer sufficient. We need todo more in our schools through personalized education. And, infact, it is time even for us to consider how to integrate the homeenvironment into the fabric of the learning process.

"Jobs, Dell appraise technology, schools"

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875

Commentary: Both Steve Jobs and Michael Dell make referencesto changes and the encouragement of the use of technology as atool for learning, research, and communication. However, neitherspeaks to the restructuring and reorganizing of a school system sothat each child becomes the class. By using computer assistedinstruction (CAI) for the core areas of English and math in a self-paced mode, students are able to receive the next appropriate

objective. While working on projects in a cooperative learningenvironment (groups of 3 or 4 students), they utilize their corecompetencies to do research, solve problems, and makepresentations using computer programs such as PowerPoint toinvolve the rest of their classmates who listen and ask questions.


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By learning these skills, students develop the ability to acquireinformation via the computer, use it to analyze and synthesizeinformation related to the problem, and share their findings withtheir student colleagues for the purpose of discussion. I am surethat you all would count these among the critical skills required to

succeed in today's world.

A comment from a blog reader: ... about Computers in theclassroom...Creativity is the key to making good use of technologyin education. To our learners, computers are part of the everydayinfrastructure of life - nothing new, or different, just a box thatprovides access to the the tools they use to communicate, findinformation, collaborate, create, learn and achieve. The learnerswe see in our classrooms now, are growing up with the web, theipod, digital TV, mobile phones, youtube, messenger, ip phones,blogs & wikis, and to them, these are no more exciting and new

than the colour TV.We can't place new boxes in classrooms andexpect our learners to leap up and suddenly achieve. As aminimum, there are two things that need to take place if we are totake full advantage of new technologies in learning:

1. We need to understand that our learners now have access to abillion libraries of information and a multitude of communicationtools. They use these tools every day for there own purposes andon the whole (i know there are many exceptions) we are failing toguide that use to ensure safe and productive learning. The world isavailable to them anywhere, anytime and they don't need a

computer and a desk to do this. What they need, we aren'tproviding - they need guidance and support.We must now moveaway from Victorian era learning where remembering facts andfigures was the key to success in an industrial age. Memorizingsuch information is now completely irrelevant, since information canbe obtained anywhere in seconds. The knowledge required is oneof how and where to look safely, how to filter, how to validate andtriangulate and then finally how to use such information creatively,critically and accurately.That is not to say that memorizing factsdoes not still have a place. Just that the emphasis should now beon discovery, analysis, process, assimilation and creativity - inother words, real higher-order thinking skills.

2. The vast majority of teachers were brought up under that oldVictorian system. To us the web, the mobile phone, the ipod are allrelatively new (and for some of us slightly scary) inventions. Howcould we possibly relate to and teach learners for whom these tools


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are just an extension of their imagination? Simply throwing boxesof tricks into our classrooms and proclaiming that we have investedmillions in new technology will not help our learners. We need helpin changing the culture of teaching.

It is possible and there are projects out there trying to provide thesetools. Check out:http://oc.intel-lehren.de/and:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070If you want to get involved - e-mail [email protected]

http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html
http://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070mailto:[email protected]://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://oc.intel-lehren.de/http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070mailto:[email protected]://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.htmlhttp://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html


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Tough Choices or Tough Times (Commission Report)

http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

Commentary: A report by the Commission on the Skills of theAmerican Workforce (National Center on Education and theEconomy) entitled 'Tough Choices or Tough Times' has somewonderful recommendations that should be taken in seriousconsideration. Therein, Richard W. Riley, the former Secretary ofEducation states The question this report raises is whether ourcountry has the kind of education system that is needed to maintainAmericas standard of living for our children, our grandchildren, andfuture generations. I very much hope that it will spark the kind oftough, honest debate on that topic that it so richly deserves.Another notable quote from the report is by Thomas W. Payzant,Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. He statesPiecemeal reform of public education in America is insufficient todeliver the promise that every child will receive an education thatleads to a good job, productive life, and responsible citizenship.The New Commission Report is a coherent, comprehensive,systemic plan for how to enable public education in America to bethe best in the world. The report concludes that our current publicK-12 education system cannot be fixed, and therefore it must bereplaced.

The generalization which emerges relates to what I have been

advocating for a very long time. Every high school graduate has tobe competent not only in the two languages (English andmathematics), but also must be able to analyze, synthesize, usevalue judgment, and be able to communicate effectively usingmodern technology. In addition to these outcomes, every studentmust graduate with a salable skill to be employed, should he or shechoose not to go on to higher education. In order to achieve all ofthe above, we must reorganize and restructure public education toaccommodate every learner.

Picture goes here...


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Abraham Fischler 45

How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century by ClaudiaWallis

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html

Commentary: On December 16th, 2006, we read the followingheadlines: More Teens Drop Out in the Miami Herald andDropout Rate in Broward Increases in the Sun Sentinel. This didnot surprise me, nor should it surprise you. The higher thestandards, the more difficult it is for students to achieve their goalsif the structure and organization of the learning environment is notchanged. In my previous blog entries, my theme is consistent-Children learn at different rates and have different preferentiallearning styles. Time must be the variable and mastery the goal. Ifstudents do not fully understand algebra, they will have a difficulttime learning trigonometry. If they have not mastered reading, they

will have a difficult time comprehending high school sciencetextbooks or the New York Times. The consequences of notmaking this change leads to an increase in dropouts and eventuallyto an increase in the poverty-level class.

TIME magazine recently ran an interesting article entitled How do

we bring our schools out of the 20th Century? by Claudia Wallis

and Sonja Steptoe. It states The world has changed, but the

American classroom, for the most part, hasntkids spend much of

the day as their great grandparents once did: sitting in rows,

listening to teachers lecture, scribbling notes by hand, reading from

textbooks that are out of date by the time they are printed. This

article also introduces a new commission on the skills of the

American workforce. The commission reports that standards of

living are being jeopardized by the current system. The report lays

out a series of steps designed as an integrated approach to change

the entire system. The recommendations include: Revamping the high school-college transition.

Reallocating funds to high priority strategies for improving system

performance.


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Abraham Fischler 47

optimism but unfortunately in our educational environment their

natural imaginations are often stifled.

In New York City, there is an area superintendent by the name of

Kathleen M. Cashin, who is responsible for one of the roughest

areas in the New York City School System. In her schools she

reinforces the opportunity for students to utilize their creativity

through group learning. She encourages students to write stories

and discuss their ideas. She also encourages the teachers to take

the time to get to know each student. Through her efforts the

scores in Region 5 have been steadily increasing.

I call this blog The student is the class. I reiterate that we must

allow time for students to learn the basic core (English and Math),

allow them also to acquire the ability for self-learning through

working in groups, and finally do written and verbal presentations

where they can utilize their higher learning skills and interact with

their peers. The teacher is like a conductor blending all three

modes in a classroom setting, while the utilization of computers

facilitates in the process.


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pens, and teaching is done in multidisciplinary projects in which

academic skills develop through work on real-world problems.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/ind

ex.html

See also the article by Neal Starkman in T.H.E. Focus, which

discusses one-to-one learning and a student-centered rather than

teacher-centered orientation toward learning.

http://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217

By contrast, coverage of a recent National Research Council study

by 15 education specialists states: U.S. Science Education lags,study finds: Curriculum, teachers faulted for teaching too

simplistically. Quoting such coverage: Part of the problem is that

state and national learning standards for students in elementary

and middle schools require children to memorize often-

disconnected scientific facts, the report said.

"U.S. Science Education Lags, Study Finds Curriculum,

teachers faulted for teaching too simplistically

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518

Commentary: We must teach to each student rather than to aclass. We must teach more than reading, writing and arithmetic. Wemust encourage problem solving skills, creativity, fluid enquiry --this can be done by involving students in real world problems. If yougo back to the Education System Change Model in my second blogpost, you will see that my definition of tutorial is where weencourage student-centeredness, problem solving, cooperativelearning, sharing of responsibility, and communication.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.htmlhttp://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518


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The Future of TeachingAs change comes about, the work of the classroomteacher will change drastically. Instead of leading

groups through standalone lessons, teachers willincreasingly match individuals with learning solutionsaligned with their interests and abilities. Content willbe packaged and delivered asynchronously, allowingstudents to work independently and revisit lessons asneeded. Face-to-face experiences will be combinedwith digital interactions; geographic boundariesbetween teachers and studentsas well as betweenlearnerswill become increasingly irrelevant. BillFerriter

http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/

Commentary: He is on target. We have had individual teachers doingexciting things but remember we are now speaking about total schoolswith thousands of teachers.
http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/


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Abraham Fischler 51

Links for Additional Reading

Websites (schools)

BigPicture.org, the Dennis Littky / Eliot Washor organization

CHADphila.org, Charter High of Architecture and Design, Philadelphia

HighTechHigh.org, San Diego, Calif.**

MavericksinEducation.com, chain of charter schools

MetCenter.org, Providence, R.I.**

NewCitySchool.org, St. Louis (publishers of a widely used workbook forintroducing multiple intelligences in academics)

Tracy.MHS.schoolfusion.us, Millennium High School, Tracy, CaliforniaMotto: Aspire, achieve, advance

UrbanAcademy.org, New York City** Motto:A small school with bigideas

**These schools were profiled in High Schools on a Human Scale: How

Small Schools can Transform American Education (2003) by ThomasToch, introduction by Tom vander Ark, Beacon Press, ISBN 978-0807032459

Websites (reformers, publishers)

ASCD.org, publishers ofThe Big Picture: Education Is EverybodysBusiness (2004) by Dennis Littky and Samantha Grabelle, ISBN 978-0871209719

EdReform.com, Center for Education Reform

EdReformer.com, Tom vander Arks blog

edSpresso.com, newsletter, served hot with a twist


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emaginos.com, Jack Taubs site

RevLearning.com, vander Arks investment group

EssentialSchools.org, Coalition of Essential Schools, formed by the lateTed Sizer

GatesFoundation.org, funding for education reform

GuideontheSide.com, Steve McCrea, teacher training workshops

PZ.harvard.edu, Project Zero, Harvard University, teacher training

QBESchool.com, Will Sutherland, innovative curricula

StudentsFirst.org, Michelle Rhee (former superintendent of Washington,DC schools)

theLearningWeb.net, Gordon Dryden, New Zealand, author ofTheLearning Web with Jeannette Vos: How to quit school at 14 andeventually write a top-selling book about learning.

TheStudentIstheClass.com, Dr. Abraham Fischler

2mminutes.com, Two Million Minutes, Robert A. Comptons project

WhatDoYaKNow.com, Dennis Yuzenas, master teacher and trainer,developer of workshops integrating digital portfolios

Youtube channels

Youtube.com/channelname

BPLearning by BigPicture.org

HTHvideo

QBESchool

AGuideOntheSide

VisualandActive

2MillionMinutes


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Questions

Fifty years from now, what will education look like?

The Student will be the Class. We will have had years ofdeveloping the technology and skills and the communication banksthat exist. There will be new ways of communicating throughout theworld. Science experiments could be done remotely if we feedinformation to a central point. We can be doing a great number ofthings because of the network and because of our ability tocommunicate. Thomas Friedman is not wrong. The world is flat. Ineconomics it's already happening. The assembly plant is in onelocation and the component parts come from all over, fed into acentral assembly line. So cars are manufactured using componentsmade wherever people can get them made to meet the quality.Education is the same thing.

Perhaps textbooks won't have answers

In the textbooks I wrote for teachers, I never answered the questionWhat color did you get? -- I never gave the answers to theteacher. If you put too much acid in contrast to the base, you arenot wrong. Most books assume that you will do everythingaccording to the directions, so they assume that you'll get a specificcolor. But if you are not so accurate, you'll get another color. You'renot wrong whatever color you got, that's the color you got.

So, if I had described the color in the teacher's manual, the teacherwould have told the students You're wrong. It says that the color isintense pink and you have pale pink. So I tried where I could not togive the teacher the answer, especially with younger kids. Manyteachers didn't like my books.

Now imagine if the teacher says, Come over and see what color Igot. Why are our colors different?

That's where the learning takes place. It's not in the answer.

It takes time. It takes time away from pressure.


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Abraham Fischler 55

While you are working in the reflective environment, the studentsare not getting comprehension about what is being tested. So themore we go toward the testing model, the more rigid the classeshave to become.

That's why the school of the future needs the second class area forsmall-group projects. Teachers have to be ready to move studentsinto that area when it's time for analysis.

Do we really need more charter schools?

What are the advantages of charter schools over publicschools?

There is no reason that we cannot encourage public schools to

have the same liberties as their charter school counterparts.

Public schools tend to have a large number of children from low

income families and therefore have an increased need for the

freedom to accommodate 'each student as the class'. If children are

primarily in a success-oriented environment, they tend to behave

differently because they are rewarded in a positive manner. If they

have access to computers that contain software for computerassisted instruction (CAI), then it is easy to vary time for each

student and give all students the opportunity to be successful. If we

combine CAI with a 'project approach' (i.e., working in small groups

on meaningful problems) in the areas of science and social studies,

students acquire the skills to use technology as a learning tool, a

research tool, and a communication tool. Such improvements --

which may be available in new charter schools -- must be available

in our public schools.


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Can schools be saved?

Yes, of course. We have

to try. We can't not try.Everything we stand for inthe USA came throughschools, so we have totransform our system ofpublic education.

If we combine CAIwith projects --

working in smallgroups on

meaningfulproblems, studentsacquire the skills to

use technology asa communication

tool.


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Abraham Fischler 57

.

Commentary: Many math teachers do not know the beauty ofmath. They took one required course in math in college which iscalled College Math. Math is a cultural imperative, a language thatone needs to understand the world we live in. Where do you findthe teachers who can teach math the way that Lockhart describes?

Why do so many students hate math?A good teacher can guide the discussion and theflow of problems so as to allow the students todiscover and invent mathematics forthemselves. The real problem is that thebureaucracy does not allow an individual teacherto do that. With a set curriculum to follow, ateacher cannot lead. There should be nostandards, and no curriculum. Just individualsdoing what they think best for their students.A Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart


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How should students be taught?Dr. Fischler, do you have any comments about these twostatements that I received from a couple of my students from Italy? Steve

How do you want to learn?I think a student like me should use really modernmethods. To learn English (or another language),studying the perfect grammar at school is only thebeginning. The real way to learn English perfectly ispracticing. So it's a really good way using Facebook(for example, my best friend's American, so I alwaystalk in English with her and it really helps me) andthen talking about things we like. You should give thestudent all the things you know and then let herchoose the things he/she wants to do. Most teachers

think that being under pressure makes us give ourbest. THAT'S NOT TRUE. When I'm anxious ornervous, I really cannot do anything. It's like I amblocked. So I think that the right way to improve isfeeling comfortable and doing things that interest us.-- Arianna Costantin, Milano, 13 August 2010

What makes a

classinteresting?A student'sopinion-- Ithink this classis interestingand I believe itis because wecan lead thelesson bysuggesting

topics, discussing and discovering new things on thenet and changing the program if we don't like it or findit boring. I can't really suggest a way to make thisclass better since we have a lot of freedom and canchange what we are doing according to what wewould prefer much more.

Most teachersthink that beingunder pressure

makes us give ourbest. THAT'S NOT

TRUE. -- Arianna
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=infohttp://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1283916007&v=info


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Abraham Fischler 59

What makes a class boring? The wrong topics, aboring teacher, bad classmates are things that canmake a class terrible. Choosing a topic that is notfascinating or not putting passion in teaching destroys

the attention of the class. Not helping in creatingcooperation within the students is the worst thing ateacher can do.

I like the fact that students are nice and we get along.I love choosing every day what I want to do and I'mfond of discovering something I didn't know, such as"Save the Last Dance For Me" (a song that was sungin our class).

How can we improve the method?We could read

more books, like the ones about the method we areexperimenting with. And this would be interesting.Or we could keep some books on our own as I wouldlike to do tomorrow, to practice with the reading withchapters that are more difficult than newspaperarticles. Giulia Mastrantoni, 6 August 2010

Note about Save the Last Dance: A teacherbrought his guitar and the lyrics for the song. Hestarted the class with this question: "Did youknow that the composer of this song was unableto walk? Now let's listen more closely to thelyrics." That's what interested Giulia...

Note: More books were brought to the class thenext week, giving the student a chance to readquotes and longer chapters about educationaltheories.


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Commentary: Two responses1) It is best to know enough about your students that you can starta lesson from their interests. If they are interested, then they willwork. You may have to set up small groups based on interest.

2) Give students the opportunity to share with others what theyare learning, especially when they reach a point when they areready to share. After they have completed their presentations,positive reinforcement is important. ASF

Give students theopportunity toshare with otherswhat they arelearning.


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Whats Next

We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The Student is theClass, at TheStudentIsTheClass.com . I continue to blogabout these issues and I invite you to send me questions to

comment about.


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References

[ ??? note to Hillary -- I will work on getting the accuratesources. ]

Lambert, Paul (2009). A Mathematician's Lamenthttp://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf

McKenzie, J. (1999).

Pink, Daniel (2001). Free Agent Nation.

Comments from ReviewersI was shocked when I witnessed a language arts meeting in my

school on Thursday. It was 100 percent FCAT test strategies.

There was no language arts at all!

When I brought up authentic assessment, I was shot down.

"This is what we're graded on." and, "We don't have time for

the cutesy funsey stuff" are two replies that stick in

my head. This is what NCLB hath wrought.

Dennis Yuzenas, school teacher, Bak Middle School of the Arts,West Palm Beach, Florida
http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdfhttp://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdfhttp://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf


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Abraham Fischler 63

Endnote by a taxpayer

Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a well-rounded, well-designed CAI system. His first entry at

TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tieredsystem that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) couldinvigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who introducedtechnology to higher education and distance learning, Dr. Fischleraims to bring new learning methods and experiences to childrenand teenagers currently stuck in school systems that have changedlittle since 1950.

An informal after-class gathering of students, bringing togetherpeople from South America and the Middle East. These sorts ofgatherings are possible when the teacher takes time to get to knowhis students and looks for ways to cross pollinate classes. Whynot ask students in a math class to meet with international visitors

who are learning English grammar?

As a taxpayer, I'm always looking for better ways for my tax dollarsto be spent. As a teacher, I want to work in a school where students
http://thestudentistheclass.com/http://thestudentistheclass.com/


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have a role in deciding what they will study each day. As a trainerof teachers, I know my limitations: I can show teachers what hasworked in my classes, but I don't have the academic background toexplain why the techniques work that I pulled from Piaget,Friedman, Littky, Gardner and Daniel Pink.

In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders inschools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In theclassroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back intocomfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on mystudents the same disciplines that I suffered through when I was ateenager. Some of the techniques work; others should beimproved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selectingmore effective methods. Computers can help students learn butit's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who arenot ready for the potential distractions of a multifaceted computer.

Dennis Littky, an educational pioneer in Providence, R.I., writes thatEducation is everybody's business. This quote and commentaryproject began with you in mind. Teacher, student, parent, principal,taxpayer: you all will find something new and helpful in thesepages.

In the 1930s a little red book spawned a political and culturalrevolution in China. Eighty years later, why can't a small book ofcommentaries by the president emeritus of a pioneering universitymake a positive change in education?

If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would likeDr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please sendyour request to [email protected].

Steve McCrea

Taxpayer, teacher, advocate of CAI

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Abraham Fischler 65


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About the Author and Editors

Dr. Fischler is President Emeritus and University Professor atNova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He

served as President of Nova University from July 1970 to July1992. Prior to coming to Nova in 1966, Dr. Fischler wasProfessor of Education at the University of California,Berkeley. He began his career in education as a scienceteacher and earned his Ed.D. degree at Columbia University.Subsequently, he became Assistant Professor at the GraduateSchool of Education, Harvard University. After his retirementas President, he served on the Broward County School Boardfrom 1994 to 1998. Dr. Fischler has been a consultant to theFord Foundation, to various State Departments of Education,

and to school districts in a number of states. He has authoredmany articles and publications dealing with science educationand advanced teaching methods. He is a fellow of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science and amember of numerous other educational and scientificorganizations.

Hillary Gorski-Howrey is a graduate student of psychology (?) and plans to xxxx.She is working on a research project involving. As an instructor at NovaUniversity, she sdsfgsd sfdasdflj asdfasflj;w werqwer;l;lk;q wqerqwerqwrqwerqw qwerqwe q weqrqw r wqer wqr qwer 23;lnmoijfdafg .s.

Steve McCrea is an advocate of using video in the classroom. His channel onYoutube (visualandactive) documents ways that teachers can support integratedlesson plans with technology. He leads the team of teachers that developed theblended curriculum for QBE schools (Dartmouth, England), harnessing thecultures of Aiglon College (Villars), the Met Center (Providence, R.I.) andMaverick Schools (Miami, Fla.): character development (planned hardships,delayed gratification), mentors, and computer-based instruction (based on thework of Dr. Abraham Fischler). McCrea is a candidate for Ed.D. in DistanceInstruction at Nova Southeastern University.


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TheStudentIsTheClass.com

Documents

FISCHLER Feb 2011 Version