The Carnival Of Education: Week 37

With a great big tip of the mortarboard to last week's guest host Jenny D, this week's edition of The Carnival Of Education will use the groupings that Jenny has developed. And with reader feedback like this, how can it be otherwise?

All posts were submitted by writers or readers except those labeled, "Editor's Choice."

Writers of education-related posts are invited to send contributions to next week's Carnival. Please send your submissions to: owlshome [at] earthlink [dot] net. We should receive them no later than 9:00 PM (Pacific) next Tuesday, October 25th. Please include the title of your post, and its URL. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the midway should open here next Wednesday.

There is a complete set of carnival archives here. For our latest posts, visit our home page.

Let the free exchange of thoughts and ideas begin...

Teaching And Learning

Did you know that there is a national effort underway to use film in order to document the folkways of people who live in various parts of the country? Gaia's Homeschool has the details about this long-overdue project.

Is there a way for students to self-assess their knowlege? (In other words, to know if they know.) That's not an easy question to answer, but over at What It's Like on the Inside they are showing us an effective practice that does just that.

Could you imagine what public schools would be like if students were able to choose the topics for study? What if classes weren't separated by grades? And what would happen if report cards didn't exist? Would chaos ensue? Or would kids dedicate themselves to the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake? As unlikely as this is, Number 2 Pencil reports that the idea is being actively promoted!

In a reflective post, Tim Fredrick considers a sound technique that he has developed that is guaranteed to get the attention of students who are failing. And that technique may just motivate many of them to try to get "caught up" with their classmates.

Was there an inspirational teacher in your life? For most of us, the answer is yes. But sometimes that special teacher was much more than a teacher but a life-changing experience who treated her class to Cheech and Chong's Sister Mary Elephant.

The Ruminating Dude teaches high school chemistry. He is expressing concern over his students lack of even fundamental math skills, but he proposes a solution.

I had no idea that a good history lesson could be learned from a $10.00 bill. But I know it now. Scott, who writes over at Get on the Bus, has a very engaging post about how history should never be our students' most "boring" class.

Survival Guide For Teachers, Students, And Parents

Should teachers who blog have fewer First Amendment rights than other Americans? Some might think so... Over at A Passion For Teaching And Opinions, Coach Brown is telling us that someone is causing him concern over his blog and he is turning the whole episode into a Teaching Moment.

For years, we've been big fans of Blue Man Group, but I never dreamed that those Blue Guys actually had to go to school in order to learn their stuff. Alexander Russo's This Week In Education has a great roundup that features several aspects of student and school life.

Did you know that students are "blessed" by their parents? Well, it's true, and Polski3 tells us how.

Pregnant high school students say the most interesting things, and Mr. Lawrence lets us in on what he heard. (But what about those teachers talking about fat cheerleaders, and where did Mr. Lawrence get my yearbook photo?)

Here's a thought-provoking question: How has education changed in 200 years? Dr. Stat has a very surprising answer.

We are very pleased to have received a contribution from a site written in the world's largest democracy, India. Interim Thoughts is carefully considering the options that parents have when it comes to selecting the best schools for their children.

Here at The Education Wonks, we humbly submit for your consideration our post which addresses the fact that teacher salaries are not keeping up with inflation while what is expected of teachers continues to rapidly increase.

Editor's Choice: Psst! Hey Buddy... Is your child struggling with his or her term paper? Did he or she put-off doing it until it was too late? Would you like to know of a government-approved website where you can buy that term paper? Just for you... Eduwonk.com will let you in on the secret, courtesy of the State of Rhode Island.

Editor's Choice: Graycie, at Today's Homework, is having difficulty with uncooperative machines. (I've always wanted to know: When batteries die, do they go to heaven?)

Education Policy

The Devil may have went down to Georgia, but he has been banned from the music program at a high school in Virginia's Prince William County.

I think that we are fortunate that the government in Washington doesn't write or publish student textbooks... yet. The Common Room shows us how bad it can be when governments authorize textbooks that present fraudulent material as factual.

Most teachers (and not a few parents) will tell you that smaller class sizes are a good idea. But I think that it's important to keep an open mind and take a look at the other side of the debate-- That perhaps larger class sizes are better.

What was your own school experience like? If yours was like mine, you'd hope that today's kids would get something better. Mamacita takes us down memory lane and has some proposals for making things better. In a bonus post, the author of Scheiss Weekly gives new meaning to the term "generation gap."

Darren, over at Right on the Left Coast, is alerting us that there is more than meets the eye in Calfornia's upcoming special election, and has fired the first shot in his campaign to raise public awareness.

Homeschooling

New York homeschooler Vernice Jones has embarked on an intriguing series of interviews with a variety of persons from different races and socioeconomic backgrounds. Checkout the first weekly installment.

Editor's Choice: Over at Spunkyhomeschooler (She teaches six!) they have a post about "What Makes For Great Homeschooling."

Technology And Testing

Most of us have heard of the testing "achievement gap" between white students and minorities, but over at EdWahoo they discuss what may be a significant (and under-reported) contributing factor to this lamentable situation.

Today's young people are going to have to possess a whole new skill-set in order to succeed in the technology-rich economy of the 21st century. Clarence, of Remote Access, is thinking about the different literacies that our students are going to need.

If it were in your power to equip a school from scratch with effective teaching and learning technology, what tools would you select? Chris Lehmann has some great ideas. Don't miss this bonus post that shows us a number of productive uses for those tools!

This year's crop of graduating seniors are the first that must pass California's High School Exit Examintion. (the CAHSEE) Many educators are opposed to this form of high stakes testing, but over at Friends of Dave, they present their case in support of the test.

Thomas Edison once predicted that motion pictures would take the place of books in the classroom of the future. While back then (and today) many scoffed at the notion, over at Ideas in Progress they show us how Edison may have been right all along.

Rip, Mix, and Burn isn't a new version of the Beatles "Revolution Number 9," but is in fact something altogether different; it's a workshop. Darren, over at A Difference, is preparing a presentation at the workshop that bears that intriguing title and is inviting everyone to attend.

Higher Education

In a great post, Living the Scientific Life gives us some intimate behind-the-scenes details of the politics and policies that affect personnel decisions in a small college. But the bigger message is that Scientific Life is letting us know about a national trend when it comes to the teaching of science.

Editor's Choice: The University Diaries brings us this absolutely hilarious post about how residents who live near Duke University must treat the school's affluent students with "cultural sensitivity." Read it. Be amused, entertained, or angered. A nice piece of writing that shouldn't be missed. (I still think that Duke is the home of Charlotte Simmons.)

Editor's Choice: Over at Scribblingwoman, they are hosting the second edition of The Teaching Carnival, which is focused on college and university-level instruction. ----------------------------This midway has been registered at TTLB's carnival roundup.