It's a K through 5th grade "integrated curriculum." Chief of staff for Montgomery County Schools Brian Edwards explains how different subjects are taught during one activity, using a book about a teddy bear.
"We might be using a Corduroy book to teach reading," says Edwards. "Within the Corduroy, we might be teaching the counting of the buttons as a way to talk about math concepts. So what it does is it integrates all the disciplines into the lessons for the teachers."
Hopefully with that explanation, we can now all understand why we had to sell the rights to our logo, brand, and curriculum. And why we agreed to allow Pearson sales reps into our classrooms. And why we agreed to help them market our curriculum. And why we had to hire several high-level (read: high-salary) folks to write down that when reading Corduroy, teachers should encourage students to count the buttons on the bear's overalls. (One, Two)
But wait! WOW look at this! FREE elementary integrated curriculum already available on the internet! About Corduroy! Combining literature and math! and Social Studies!http://www.teachingheart.net/teddybear.html
Isn't this stuff that good, creative teachers are already doing anyway? and so now they are going to be scripted to do it the Montgomery County Pearson way?
WOW look at this! FREE elementary integrated curriculum already available on the internet! About Corderoy! Combining literature and math!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.teachingheart.net/teddybear.html
Isn't this stuff that good, creative teachers are already doing anyway? and so now they are going to be scripted to do it the Montgomery County Pearson way?
According to the contract, which will be signed by Shirley Brandman as President of the Board of Education, this product will not be our curriculum. It will be owned by Pearson. MCPS, which is not a county agency and has no legal ties to Montgomery County that I have seen, was hired by Pearson to write the curriculum that Pearson will own and sell. Pearson is paying MCPS to hire staff to work on the product that they will own. It will not belong to us. Pearson is a for-profit business. They and the Board of Education are entering a business agreement. And according to the contract, Pearson will market their product by using the MCPS logo, 'brand,' 'marks,' staff, and school children. And, they will test it out on the MCPS public school children.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear. Bad news for the MCPS brand.
ReplyDeleteNote to Mr. Edwards: The Corduroy lesson on counting buttons was already copyrighted by the teacher that put this lesson up. See the bottom of their web page.
MCPS wants every teacher in each grade level/subject area to be doing the exact same thing at the same time: there is only one way to do anything...the fun and creativity are being slowly eliminated via the MCPS TOP DOWN Management.
ReplyDeleteEducational Videos/CDs or Computer Programs could soon replace the teaching staff making MCPS even more impersonal. That would certainly cure our budget woes.
It is isn't about the student anymore - and has not been for years. I am a MCPS teacher with 20+ years experience in the county. Over the years I see that MCPS students are learning less and less but are being tested more and more, and are taking less and less responsibility for their own learning due to
1) MCPS micromanagement,
2) the statistics, numbers,
Unfortunately many things which will be of more use as an adult for the student cannot be measured via statistics: emotional growth and maturity are examples.
3) the 50% grading policy
Students know that they can do little to next to nothing and still pass: Student fails all but one test but passes due to the 50% rule.
Student grades are inflated as their 20%, 35%, etc. grades are changed to 50% which frequently bumps their final grade into the higher category: D to C, C to B, etc., and
4) the re-teach and re-assessment policy currently in place. I have seen students come to class on a day of a test, write their names on the paper, write nonsense, turn the test in...and say "When is the re-test?"
What teacher has not done this because it is the RIGHT thing to do, not because it is now REQUIRED!
I find it dishearteninhg that MCPS is producing a steady flow of young adults who have been inculcated with the entitlement mentality but eschew any responsibility for their actions. For those responsible students, I can only thank the parents because they did not learn responsibility in MCPS.
So much for life-long learning for a global society! !
Dear Anonymous,
ReplyDeletePlease come and help us out at Global Garden PCS! www.globalgardenpcs.org