From the Orlando Sentinel, By Robert Lange
July 4, 2012
Based on standard end-of-course exams and state standardized tests, robotic teachers are often judged as the best or excellent teachers. Their students often receive higher test scores than students of non-robotic teachers.
Serving as legislator surrogates, state Department of Education officials and school district directors provide teachers with lesson plans and teaching methods for every day. Robotic teachers are happy with direction. They only do what they are told. They don't attend to student diversity or use multiple resources in order to meet individual student learning needs..
Such teachers are very compliant — "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it." Every student gets the same instruction and assignments at the same time.
When led by robotic teachers, compliant students get good test scores. The prescribed lesson plans are matched to the tests that judge both students and teachers. No school time is spent on topics not addressed on the test. Students have no need to think creatively or to diverge in any way. For these teachers, student test scores get higher and higher every year. It is a natural learning process for robotic classrooms. The only stoppages in the mechanical process are caused by changes in the test. When tests are changed, test scores drop severely until the matching of lesson plans to tests catches up.
But some students seem to reject robotic teaching and rebel. The creative students and those with divergent abilities either drop out of the situation or minimally comply just to get by. They put their efforts into non-school activities.
What are the consequences for a society as school systems become more and more like industrial plants where robots do the work? Robot-driven schools produce clone-like products that can only behave in fixed, programmed manners. Such school products can't create or invent. Societies that create and strive for robotic teachers and clone-like graduates soon become members of the servant class. They are dominated by other societies that produce graduates who can create, invent and explore.
Schools in the United States are rapidly becoming more and more like manufacturing plants operated by robots. Diversity and creativity are being lost. If robots continue to rule the nation's public schools, the country will become a servant to developing nations.
Robert Lange of Lake Mary is a retired professor of educational research.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-myword-robotic-teachers-070412-20120703,0,1688752.story
Another Ivory Tower type. How many years has it been since you actually spent a full day in an elementary classroom? Did you ever do that or were you always a professor coming right out of your graduation gown?
ReplyDeleteYou obviously haven't been in our school or even our county. Yes, we have a standards based, learning schedule. We also adjust teaching to accommodate diverse learners. Art and Music teachers craft their lessons to dovetail with the school's yearly theme, the Book of the Month, and other subject areas. I have an Arts infused Word Wall that wraps around the entire room.
Check out this week's headlines: Duval district is the only one in the state to raise the number of A schools!
You need to get out more and stop relying on propaganda and gossip to write your column. Lake Mary is a nice place. This fall, why not put your credentials to some good use and go be a volunteer in a real neighborhood, public school that needs help?!
Duval had 21 schools go up in grade and 53 go down (without HS factored in) and our district grade dropped to a C. You must be one of the few teachers who isn't concerned with a loss in innovation, creativity and autonomy that the profession is experiencing.
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