Customer Reviews

Teach Your Children Well: A Solution to Some of North America's Educational Problems

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is hard to imagine how such a large segment of our society with such an important task could have strayed so far from its central purpose. Our schools are failing our children to an alarming degree. In the major city in which I live, in nineteen of ninety schools second graders score below the 25th percentile in reading comprehension. Forty-two of the ninety score below the 35th percentile. How do you spell "disaster?" We have a good superintendent who had been on the job for two years, and has done some courageous things to stem the tide. But it might be too late. Providing some hope, the superintendent has looked closely at one of the programs Michael Maloney advocates for in this book, Direct Instruction, and has included it as one of three programs schools have to choose as their reading program. Alas, only ten schools out of ninety chose Direct Instruction. The overwhelming majority chose a somewhat nebulously defined literature approach to reading--whole language all over again, which has gotten the second graders to the achievement I noted above. Where are the credentials of these programs, besides monumental failure as in California? Why are teachers allowed to use faulty tools for learning? Where are the child advocates? This book names a few, and that is why all teachers should read it. Maloney describes educational powerhouses based on strong research that proves without a doubt that the programs work. Take Direct Instruction. It is crafted so carefully that only teacher faulty implementation can cause learning to misfire. Many criticize DI as too restrictive. We wouldn't send a heart surgeon into an operation without an explicit script to follow, with rules and experience to dictate just how to proceed in a particular case. Is a pilot unable to function with detailed checklists, mandatory procedures, exhaustive training for situations that may never occur? But we will send a teacher into a classroom with the most meager of tools, scanty directions and a "wing-it, don't measure it" attitude. Can we expect anything else but a nation at risk? The programs and techniques Maloney describes share the theme, "learning is behavior change." If not all of the programs are based entirely on behavioral technology or applied behavior analysis, they include and are compatible with behavioral principals. Just as Skinner reminded groups of psychologists of the error of their ways, even as they were awarding him their highest honors, behavior analysis varies with the educational mainstream. Even seven years of data which provided clear evidence that Direct Instruction taught children much more effectively than the eight other paradigms studied, could not turn the heads of the educational zeitgeist. Programs proven to retard the academic growth of young children were funded more readily than Direct Instruction. If children had an adequate lobby, they wouldn't be so easily taken advantage of. It is hard to understand what is happening in education without invoking the concept of an evil empire calling the shots. Proficiency tests and charter schools indicate that the public may finally get serious about education reform. When they do, they will find themselves ready to align with the programs in Maloney's report. Precision Teaching, a much under-noticed technique, could solve the testing disputes. Based on timing correct and incorrect responding, it removes all ambiguity from testing. That should have happened when Chester Finn noted that in every state in the union over half the children scored above the fiftieth percentile on standardized tests. In Ohio, the state decided to reduce the required score on the fourth grade proficiency test, because so many fourth graders were failing the test. It was also revealed that the standard for passing was based on nothing in particular anyway. Back to Precision Teaching. Building fluency in skills has been ignored by education and training, when it is the most powerful concept to ever be introduced by Skinnerian behaviorism. Ogden Lindsley seized this notion of his mentor, Skinner, and honed it into a sophisticated technique for building learning and measuring it explicitly. We can easily observe the rate at which third graders can compute various kinds of math problems. We can average the score of thousands of them, if that suits. Then all we have to do is give your favorite third grader a page of similar problems, tell her to "go", and see how many she can do. Why do we have to order sacred test booklets, enflame the fears of the most confident students, send the tests off to the sponsor and get back data that are of limited use, since they are based on mysterious "norms." Again, we seem to have lost the student in the shuffle. The more we can keep the student's actual behavior in focus, the better off we are. That is Maloney's message. Teach Your Children Well was written by a man who has done it himself. We should listen to him WELL

Long overview, this comprehensive description of an effective proven teaching approach warrants the attention of all interested in education today - authored by one of Canada's most experienced teachers of Direct Instruction.

Finally, an up to date documentaion of the research that proves the parallel shortcomings of the public education system in both Canada and the United States, AND the little known proven methods of reform. Parents learn that their children are failing because of the ineffective classroom methods used, not their child's 'learning disabilities'. More, parents are assured that their children CAN learn to read fluently given proper instruction and practice time. Research proves there is a better way and I thank Michael Maloney for compiling that truth into a book that will bring hope and help to the parents and children who know the despair of failing to learn.

For those students that are failing to accomplish the skill levels required to occupy a productive role in modern society, Michael Moloney has solutions. He describes these solutions in some depth, and gives you directions where to go to get help. He also describes why these solutions are not available in public school systems. Maybe we can change the school system in time, but meanwhile you may need to get direct help for your loved ones who are not being served in the present system. Unfortunately you have to forsake your tax dollars and find something in the private sector, but the productivity of your loved ones is at stake. All of this is detailed in the book, Teach Your Children Well.

while many complain about the state of education, michael maloney tackles complex educational questions and provides both answers and proven strategies! a must-read, must-buy book for anyone who is interested in education. bravo michael. i hope that Teach Your Children Well is the first of a series!

Long overdue, this comprehensive description of an effective proven teaching approach warrants the attention of all interested in education today - authored by one of Canada's most experienced teachers of Direct Instruction.

Very informative on today's lack of public education and has ideas on how to deal with your child's literacy. Gives a very thorough look at Direct Instruction and Precision Teaching and how they compare to public education. If you have a loved one who could be considered illiterate or has trouble reading, this is a must-read!