tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post3158815017563692606..comments2024-03-26T11:07:03.496-04:00Comments on Ed Notes Online: Rotherham Poses Teacher Quality vs, Class Size - Agained notes onlinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-55823882871288471812008-05-10T15:10:00.000-04:002008-05-10T15:10:00.000-04:00Why waste your time with someone who has no mind? ...Why waste your time with someone who has no mind? Rotherham gets paid to do this full time. I do it for free to keep you occupied. And speaking of lunatics...ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-90966938073346085832008-05-10T15:06:00.000-04:002008-05-10T15:06:00.000-04:00I like how you admonish Rotherham for his lack of ...I like how you admonish Rotherham for his lack of links to evidence and then don't link any yourself.<BR/><BR/>NYC Educator, parental involvement is important, but it's like the weather - there's nothing we in education can do about it. What we can affect is teacher quality and class size, one of which (teacher quality) has significant impact on student outcomes, and the other of which doesn't.<BR/><BR/>I've taught small classes and big classes, and gotten similar results with both. It's easier to do so with a small class, for sure, but it's easier to find enough people who can do a good job if we have big classes and don't have to find as many of such people.<BR/><BR/>Finally, using the term "lunatics" to describe kids is not cool, Norm. They're kids, they have potential, they're actual people. Please don't characterize them as lunatics unless and until they grow up and become status-quo-loving-loonies, at which point the name will be appropriate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-8431061242432768622008-05-09T22:20:00.000-04:002008-05-09T22:20:00.000-04:00Anon 1:43 I want to say that your comment so nails...Anon 1:43<BR/> I want to say that your comment so nails what this is all about. I'm going to put it up as a main blog post soon. Teacher effectiveness will be the replacement for teacher quality after that goes down in flames. Think they are thinking about the 12 lunatics that became angels in your class as a measure of TE? They'll say it was due to keeping them busy doing test prep.ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-28148185246179959002008-05-09T20:09:00.000-04:002008-05-09T20:09:00.000-04:00Let's think about the phalanx of teachers children...Let's think about the phalanx of teachers children will have. The entire crop in my personal experience as a teacher and student is a bell curve - from awful to great, with most teachers falling in the middle. This will always be true. <BR/><BR/>My argument is the bell curve shifts in the middle areas with lower class sizes (the edges - great and awful probably are not much affected.) <BR/><BR/><BR/>Since the Ed Sector characters have no way to determine what teachers are good other than using testing outcomes, the debate is mute. And claiming the amorphous teacher quality issue has priority over class size is a bogus argument.ed notes onlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15018047869059226777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-19642872740736537492008-05-09T18:01:00.000-04:002008-05-09T18:01:00.000-04:00I think parental involvement, actually, is the bes...I think parental involvement, actually, is the best predictor of student achievement. I do think, though, that a good teacher is likely to be the best second chance for a kid who lacks involved parents.NYC Educatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188066345722781723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33431390.post-25047133547916687332008-05-09T13:43:00.000-04:002008-05-09T13:43:00.000-04:00I am never clear what we are talking about when we...I am never clear what we are talking about when we say "teacher quality".<BR/>I asked just this question of one top DoE official in a training session at Tweed last week who had, in an aside unrelated to the training, claimed that teacher quality is the best predictor of student achievement.<BR/>Teacher quality as measured by what?, was my question.<BR/>The aswer I got back : "ok, so its not teacher quality but teacher effectivenss that is the best predictor of student achievement" sent me into a logical loop. I hope someone here can explain the logic to me; no one at the training could.<BR/>Teacher effectiveness, as measured by the teacher's ability to raise test scores, is the best predictor of student achievement as measured by a rise in test scores.<BR/> Besides equating teaching with raising test scores, assuming that higher test scores means more learning and advocating for turning schools in Kaplan-style tets prep factories, what does this circular logic prove?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com