Learning, Innovation & Tech

Bombs & Breakthroughs

Kindergarten Test-Prep Nightmare

CJ Westerberg, December 23, 2010 7:07 PM

nightmare.math.jpg


"The 2:30 minute mark in "Kindergarten Testing without Tears" is
jaw-drop astonishing
in how it relates to test-prep, questions as to whether it is cheating,
and how not to tip off the test monitor
(!)
"

by C.J. Westerberg

One wonders why there is math-phobia in this country.   With increasing numbers of high school grads entering college needing math remediation, we need not look further than how our culture makes math "scary" as early as Pre-K by setting up a system geared toward the test as the outcome and not necessarily learning or the desire to learn.

The first video is "Kindergarten Testing Without Tears."   The 2:30 minute mark is jaw-drop astonishing in how it relates to test-prep, questions as to whether it is cheating, and how not to tip off the test monitor that your child took this particular "Lexus version" with the $300 ERB test prep . . .

The second video entitled "Math Salon" features Sue Van Hattum.  The money quote here:  "Earlier isn't better  . . we learn more when we are ready to learn".  The idea of a Math Salon has such great possibilities for creating a culturally "cool" venue for play and enhancement.

The juxtaposition of the two videos below - reflecting two polar-opposite approaches and attitudes toward math education in America starting at the kindergarten level - may leave you dazed with the level of disconnect between the two.


 

Related:
Effort to Restore Play Gains Momentum
  More Children Take Tests for Gifted Programs, and More Qualify
  New Gifted Testing May Begin at Age 3

The Daily Riff:  Why Testing Fails: How Numbers Deceive Us All by Joe Ganem
The Daily Riff:  Three Great Reads on  High Stakes Standardized Tests
The Daily Riff:  The Marshmallow Kindergarten Test - Will your child be successful in life?


###
Originally Published The Daily Riff  October 2010







blog comments powered by Disqus
Now, keeping in mind these fourfold interests - interest in conversation, or communication; in inquiry, or finding out things; in making things or construction; and in artistic expression - we may say they are natural resources, the uninvested capital, upon the exercise of which depends the active growth of the child..
John Dewey, The School and Society, 1900
Follow The Daily Riff on Follow TDR on Twitter

find us on facebook

maui.John-Seely-Brown.JSB.serendipity.jpg

Conversations with John Seely Brown: Shaping Serendipity for Learning

CJ Westerberg, 04.11.2013

photo above: Maui"Conventional wisdom holds that different people learn in different ways.  Something is missing from that idea, however, so we offer a corollary:  Different People, when presented with exactly the same information in exactly the same way, will learn...

Read Post | Comments

Riffing good stories

connected.JSB.John-seely-brown.entrepreneurial learner. jpg.jpg

Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Learner

CJ Westerberg, 04.11.2013

John Seely Brown: Connected and Collective Learning (Part 2)

Read Post | Comments
comics.jpg

Weekend Funnies: "Going through a phase" Video

CJ Westerberg, 04.07.2013

Gabriel Iglesias' smart teenage son doesn't talk to him anymore. 2 Minute Video via Comedy Central

Read Post | Comments
high-school.paul-graham.jpg

High Schoolers: "What You'll Wish You'd Known"

CJ Westerberg, 04.06.2013

It's dangerous to design your life around getting into college

Read Post | Comments
jolt.stanford.car2.vertical.jpg

The Practical University?

CJ Westerberg, 04.06.2013

Musings on college: Visiting with high schoolers, David Brooks and Stanford University's new video series on MOOCs: " . . ."It's the beginning of a wholesale reorganization of teaching and learning in higher education."

Read Post | Comments
harry-potter.jpg

Weekend Light - Daniel Radcliffe Sings the Elements

CJ Westerberg, 04.05.2013

Harry Potter sings the periodic table of elements on the Graham Norton show with Colin Farrell, Rihanna...humor video

Read Post | Comments
HarryPotterBook.jpg

"The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination"

CJ Westerberg, 04.02.2013

JK Rowling, Harry Potter Author, Captivates Crowd With Harvard Commencement Speech

Read Post | Comments
graduation.Kirsten-olson.jpg

High School: Are the Kids Alright?

CJ Westerberg, 04.02.2013

"Long ago my son determined exactly how not to let the institution of school get in the way of his learning, and had explicit plans for choosing courses carefully so that he had ample time to attend local university lectures and participate in arts events."

Read Post | Comments
stop.red.facebook.jpg

"The Little Discussed Dark Side" of Public Education

CJ Westerberg, 04.02.2013

"We've completely distorted learning."

Read Post | Comments

More Featured Posts