Recover Basic Skills and Practice!
(Originally posted elsewhere on 10/13/2012)
Remember the 3 R's—Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic? When I started school, they were still important; in fact, somewhere along the way I learned, “School days, school days, those were Golden Rule days; reading and writing and 'rithmetic, taught to the tune of a hick'ry stick.” The song goes on to recall a childhood romance, but it captured the essence of good, basic education—learning to read, based on phonics, which enabled readers to match written words to words they already used in conversation, but progressing to comprehension; then learning to write, which included spelling which was much easier after learning the rules of phonics, then grammar, and finally essays; and to do math--adding, subtracting, times tables, multiplying, dividing, fractions, decimals, and percentages. No student should move on until these basics have been mastered—no technology needed or allowed! Parents and teachers should recognize that progress will falter without the basics. Add some discipline and the Golden Rule, and it's a prescription for successfully educating civilized children (Sorry, but I have little patience with the many progressive experiments in education I've observed through most of my life). (Today I must include, for the sake of our freedom and prosperity, the teaching of honest American history, lest those who ultimately despise the United States and its genuine history will give us something far, far less desirable.)
Both as a tutor and a classroom teacher, I've struggled with how to get assignments done and lessons completed when basics are missing. In both settings, I have come to believe that I must assure that my students have those basics, regardless of the urgency of present demands. Students can sometimes be remarkably clever at finding alternatives, using calculators and the Internet. I fall easily into giving more help in the moment, just to get things done, knowing my students will never really master if the basics are missing. With math, the end result is a nation-wide deficiency in mathematics, with many believing themselves math-challenged when they may only be poorly taught. With English, the result includes degree-holding internationals whom native-speakers, that is, American English speakers struggle to understand. I suspect that both teachers and professors give struggling international students “a break” rather than demand performance comparable to their American peers. I understand the compassion, but in the end, that choice does not truly serve the students well. I also wonder, at times, if something more subversive going, intended to leave immigrants struggling unnecessarily (no proof, just suspicion).
As a tutor, I have made direct contact with teachers to find a way to address the need for basics, and a few have been willing to help address the need. Some have allowed me to do more basic material in place of regular assignments, although passing a student in algebra for learning pre-algebra creates later problems. One at least worked to have the student moved to a more appropriate level of study, but some schools don't even have that option. I find the idea of granting high school diplomas to those who are not proficient in the basics to be a travesty; I believe the public system has a moral and legal duty to provide whatever remedial instruction necessary. Enough with this ill-advised attempt not to damage egos (harm that comes later with poor employment or other difficulties is also harmful)!
I'm appalled at colleges that don't assess student abilities before planning their coursework, especially in math. Colleges who accept tuition have a comparable obligation to provide the necessary assessment and remediation and not permit a student to believe himself incapable when he may merely have been poorly served in prior schooling or have missed necessary material due to the complications of his life and background. I am disgusted by any so-called educator or educational institution that trades on the importance of education merely to get tax dollars and endowments!
As a tutor, in particular, I have come to believe I must insist that students spend some amount of time with me working on missing or deficient skills. Of course, I want them to do well in their classes, but I also hope for them to reach a point where they no longer need my assistance. I do realize that some may continue to require help because they truly lack ability in certain areas; I understand that not all are the same. For those less gifted, however, basic skills are even more important.
If you are a parent, foster or host parent, or struggling student, please don't ignore the basics. If you are someone who helps a student, resist the temptation to do work for a student rather than helping him or her do their own work, just to get assignments finished. I have often seen bright students help others without really teaching those them how to do the work themselves. Part of my task as a tutor is to watch for the “light to come on” in the eyes of my students when they “get it.” If there's no glimmer of comprehension, then I try again, maybe in a different way. Oh, and watch out for the compliant, "Yes, I got it" that students, from cultures very respectful of older adults, who will agree out of respect and not necessarily true comprehension.
We tend to be impatient, but it takes time to learn. We cannot speed it up. Sometimes we must drop back a grade or course level; we should stop calling this failure, one aspect of modern education I rather share. We need to distinguish between not trying and choosing not to do necessary study or work from external factors that hinder success. Some of the problem arises from an institutional bias toward one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching, when what is really needed is student-centered models for learning. Of course as a tutor, I can be totally focused on the student, and I make every effort to do so.
With math, the need is a combinations of skills and drills, learning how to do various kinds of problems and practicing simple arithmetic till it becomes second nature. I am much a believer in mental math, in learning how to do many kinds of simple computations not using even pencil and paper. Calculators should be a helpful tool for complex computations, not a crutch for simple arithmetic. Yet I also try to encourage systematic and orderly processes, on paper, for homework and tests. I often do mental calculations as a game to see if I can get the right answer before a student, but when I want to be sure to get the right answer, I write everything down so I can double check my work. That's what I'd like my students to learn.
With English, the needs are a bit different. Vocabulary can be improved with memorization and drill, but using words correctly is a bit more challenging. Written English is not quite the same as spoken, especially formal writing. Consequently, writing good sentences, paragraphs, essays, and research papers involve considerable skill development. Too often ESL seems to focus on grammar, but using correct grammar in a workbook is different from creating and writing with that same correct grammar.
It is essential for English language learners to spend time using English with native speakers. Many international students tend to gravitate toward others of their own language and culture, perhaps even living together, and develop their English much more slowly as a result. Immersion in English is the best way to learn to operate in an English-speaking environment, but it must be accompanied with training, too. What amazes me is that our public system operates in the myth that English can be “picked up,” so as to justify not actually teaching English to refugees and immigrants in middle and high schools. I call that a prescription for failure. In fact, too much time on their own makes later efforts to correct and improve much more difficult.
Bottom line? Basics must not be neglected or overlooked. Gaps in necessary skills must be addressed if a student is truly to progress. We should not tolerate schools who choose not to bother themselves with remediation; both parents and tax-payers should demand educators do what most needs doing and stop playing games with the lives of students whether they are citizens, immigrants, or foreign students. Beyond that, we who love and care for these young people must assure that the essential basics are covered and mastered by whatever means necessary. If I can help as a tutor, just let me know.
Both as a tutor and a classroom teacher, I've struggled with how to get assignments done and lessons completed when basics are missing. In both settings, I have come to believe that I must assure that my students have those basics, regardless of the urgency of present demands. Students can sometimes be remarkably clever at finding alternatives, using calculators and the Internet. I fall easily into giving more help in the moment, just to get things done, knowing my students will never really master if the basics are missing. With math, the end result is a nation-wide deficiency in mathematics, with many believing themselves math-challenged when they may only be poorly taught. With English, the result includes degree-holding internationals whom native-speakers, that is, American English speakers struggle to understand. I suspect that both teachers and professors give struggling international students “a break” rather than demand performance comparable to their American peers. I understand the compassion, but in the end, that choice does not truly serve the students well. I also wonder, at times, if something more subversive going, intended to leave immigrants struggling unnecessarily (no proof, just suspicion).
As a tutor, I have made direct contact with teachers to find a way to address the need for basics, and a few have been willing to help address the need. Some have allowed me to do more basic material in place of regular assignments, although passing a student in algebra for learning pre-algebra creates later problems. One at least worked to have the student moved to a more appropriate level of study, but some schools don't even have that option. I find the idea of granting high school diplomas to those who are not proficient in the basics to be a travesty; I believe the public system has a moral and legal duty to provide whatever remedial instruction necessary. Enough with this ill-advised attempt not to damage egos (harm that comes later with poor employment or other difficulties is also harmful)!
I'm appalled at colleges that don't assess student abilities before planning their coursework, especially in math. Colleges who accept tuition have a comparable obligation to provide the necessary assessment and remediation and not permit a student to believe himself incapable when he may merely have been poorly served in prior schooling or have missed necessary material due to the complications of his life and background. I am disgusted by any so-called educator or educational institution that trades on the importance of education merely to get tax dollars and endowments!
As a tutor, in particular, I have come to believe I must insist that students spend some amount of time with me working on missing or deficient skills. Of course, I want them to do well in their classes, but I also hope for them to reach a point where they no longer need my assistance. I do realize that some may continue to require help because they truly lack ability in certain areas; I understand that not all are the same. For those less gifted, however, basic skills are even more important.
If you are a parent, foster or host parent, or struggling student, please don't ignore the basics. If you are someone who helps a student, resist the temptation to do work for a student rather than helping him or her do their own work, just to get assignments finished. I have often seen bright students help others without really teaching those them how to do the work themselves. Part of my task as a tutor is to watch for the “light to come on” in the eyes of my students when they “get it.” If there's no glimmer of comprehension, then I try again, maybe in a different way. Oh, and watch out for the compliant, "Yes, I got it" that students, from cultures very respectful of older adults, who will agree out of respect and not necessarily true comprehension.
We tend to be impatient, but it takes time to learn. We cannot speed it up. Sometimes we must drop back a grade or course level; we should stop calling this failure, one aspect of modern education I rather share. We need to distinguish between not trying and choosing not to do necessary study or work from external factors that hinder success. Some of the problem arises from an institutional bias toward one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching, when what is really needed is student-centered models for learning. Of course as a tutor, I can be totally focused on the student, and I make every effort to do so.
With math, the need is a combinations of skills and drills, learning how to do various kinds of problems and practicing simple arithmetic till it becomes second nature. I am much a believer in mental math, in learning how to do many kinds of simple computations not using even pencil and paper. Calculators should be a helpful tool for complex computations, not a crutch for simple arithmetic. Yet I also try to encourage systematic and orderly processes, on paper, for homework and tests. I often do mental calculations as a game to see if I can get the right answer before a student, but when I want to be sure to get the right answer, I write everything down so I can double check my work. That's what I'd like my students to learn.
With English, the needs are a bit different. Vocabulary can be improved with memorization and drill, but using words correctly is a bit more challenging. Written English is not quite the same as spoken, especially formal writing. Consequently, writing good sentences, paragraphs, essays, and research papers involve considerable skill development. Too often ESL seems to focus on grammar, but using correct grammar in a workbook is different from creating and writing with that same correct grammar.
It is essential for English language learners to spend time using English with native speakers. Many international students tend to gravitate toward others of their own language and culture, perhaps even living together, and develop their English much more slowly as a result. Immersion in English is the best way to learn to operate in an English-speaking environment, but it must be accompanied with training, too. What amazes me is that our public system operates in the myth that English can be “picked up,” so as to justify not actually teaching English to refugees and immigrants in middle and high schools. I call that a prescription for failure. In fact, too much time on their own makes later efforts to correct and improve much more difficult.
Bottom line? Basics must not be neglected or overlooked. Gaps in necessary skills must be addressed if a student is truly to progress. We should not tolerate schools who choose not to bother themselves with remediation; both parents and tax-payers should demand educators do what most needs doing and stop playing games with the lives of students whether they are citizens, immigrants, or foreign students. Beyond that, we who love and care for these young people must assure that the essential basics are covered and mastered by whatever means necessary. If I can help as a tutor, just let me know.
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