Pete (@mr_van_w) and John (@jfcatto) discuss plans for the holidays and vale Stan Lee (but Marvel is better). Then John questions basic human rights for a while.
Finally, John continues to question the purpose of education and wonder why we as teachers are not able to agree on one.
Pete then considers the purpose of report cards and how they could be made to provide more relevant feedback for students growth.
Articles
John: The is no single purpose to education - and that is something to be cherished - The (il)logical teacher
Pete: 'Sterile and technical": the problem with primary school report cards - Jordan Baker
Parents want clear, easy to understand report cards - Editorial
Grade inflation on the rise: Everybody gets an A. - Maureen Downey
Pete (@mr_van_w) questions the importance of handwriting. Maybe the current generation doesn't have it all wrong and it just doesn't actually matter as much as we think it does.
On a side note: We were in a meeting today and a colleague talked up how students are much better off writing with a pen and when they can't spell something they look it up in the dictionary. 1. How many kid actually know when they make a spelling mistake. 2. How many kids care enough to then look the word up in a dictionary.
John (@jfcatto) continues from last weeks episode and looks at some the personal and social goods that come out of education other than salary from a job. Spoilers: He is still not convinced university is a good idea for everyone.
Pete: Handwriting saviour or teachers' nightmare? The return of the fountain pen - Alexandra L Smith
https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2006/nov/13/handwritingsaviourorteacher1
The Global Elements of Effective Flipped Learning - FLGI (maybe? Jon Bergmann)
https://flglobal.org/elements/
John: Let's not focus on graduate income when assessing the worth of education - Peter Hurley
Pete (@mr_van_w) opens with a shout out to the Mr Barton Maths Podcast http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/podcast/ and his interview of Andrew Blair (@inquirymaths). Which is a good example of a teachers from both sides of the Trad/Prog fence having a civil conversation. Something that we would like to see more of especially on twitter.
John (@jfcatto) discusses the lowering in worth of a Bachelors degree and whether we should continue to push students into degrees that they don't need and perhaps no longer count for much.
Pete: The rise of "education rage". Is this why Australia never seems to get ahead - Minds Wide Open
John: Julia Gillard's Dropouts - John Slater
https://www.spectator.com.au/2018/09/julia-gillards-dropouts/
Pete's not near John, and this makes him sad. So he sent John an audio message.
Dear John...
Pete's been reading the excellent @cultofpedagogy again. As it often does it pulled his head out of the oven. Nostalgia is the killer of art and it turns out it may be just as dangerous to education.
Pete (@mr_van_w) has some tips from some teachers he knows for Teachers.
Check out the Shiny teacher he works with on Instagram @stammertime, she's posting some rad stuff.
Flipgrid - not just for Flipped Learning (in fact probably mostly not for flipped learning).
Pete