5 ms·

Hanlons Razor is often appropriate, but I'm not sure it is in the case of history teaching. Teachers don't teach an incorrect or skewed version of history becau

by olavk 8y ago

Hanlons Razor is often appropriate, but I'm not sure it is in the case of history teaching. Teachers don't teach an incorrect or skewed version of history because they are "dumb". They either do it because the want to impart certain ideas and values to the students, or because they genuinely believe this is a appropriate view of history, which just pushes the question one level back - because who then taught the teacher the skewed version of history?

claydavisss 8y ago
Teachers teach the curriculum they are assigned, that is all. The only variation is in private schools that do not conform to State and Federal curriculum standards by default. In public schools, teachers do not decide what they teach. Standardized testing guarantees that teachers stick to the script also.
- castlecrasher2 8y ago
  Different teachers can teach the same topic differently, often according to their personal views. Did you never see that in school?
  - claydavisss 8y ago
    Not since Common Core. Curriculums are becoming rigid with States and mostly predictable nationally. If schools deviate they risk losing funding...and frankly most teachers are happy to read from a script.
    - germinalphrase 8y ago
      As a k12 teacher - this has not been my experience at all. In fact, I would invite you to take a look at the common core standards for English/Language Arts. They are hardly a curriculum script. They offer significant flexibility and opportunity to individualize content for your teaching context. Despite all the problems and issues I face on an average day, being pressured to teach canned curriculum is not one of them.
- megaman22 8y ago
  So far as I am aware, standardized testing does not apply to history and other non-core subjects. Like science also, unfortunately. Everything outside the three Rs (reading, writing, 'rithmetic) is slashed, because that's what the tests target.
  - thaumasiotes 8y ago
    Are you not familiar with the AP tests?
    - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
      Not only do most kids not take AP tests, not all schools offer AP classes. OF the schools that offer them, not all of them offer the full array. The other unfortunate side of AP classes is that much of history classes is taught well before the AP class. I had 2.5 years of history in high school: One semester was a law education class, only offered to "advanced" students instead of geography (a real shame, as I think the class was one of the more helpful classes I took), one European history class, and one AP American History. The American History class was the most interesting and probably the most free, actually. My particular class used a college-level book and the teacher would add in things that weren't covered by the book and she'd point out where the book might be misleading or wrong. That class was also where I was introduced to "The Jungle", "Grapes of wrath", and Malcolm X's biography. I oddly don't remember as much about the actual test (it was 20 years ago), but it wasn't nearly the same as other standardized tests at the time. If I remember correctly, it was more based on thinking and processing history than memorizing facts.
  - alistairSH 8y ago
    You're wrong. Most states have some form of Standards of Learning (SOL) testing at each grade level. These cover the three Rs, plus history and science. Most of these were implemented as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. Here's a listing of the tests given in VA... http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/released_tests/index.shtml http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/released_tests/index...
- mrguyorama 8y ago
  >Teachers teach the curriculum they are assigned, that is all A significant portion of my family is made of teachers and this is not true at all. In healthy (most) schools, teachers have enough wiggle room to tell students "This portion of your textbook is wrong/biased in a weird way". In some cases, they may be prohibited from saying specific things and other oddities, often by old and angry boards of education or similar, but if an educator actually believes in the importance of teaching children, they will find a way to impart the needed knowledge. You can easily see this in situations like how heavily underpaid teachers still go out and purchase their own supplies because the schools do not give them the tools to do their jobs. Many teachers go above and beyond what their contract states. Remember that teachers have often seen multiple different education standards and decrees come and go, and therefore understand actually educating is more important than meeting the minimum standard

by olavk 8y ago

claydavisss 8y ago

Teachers teach the curriculum they are assigned, that is all. The only variation is in private schools that do not conform to State and Federal curriculum standards by default. In public schools, teachers do not decide what they teach. Standardized testing guarantees that teachers stick to the script also.

castlecrasher2 8y ago
Different teachers can teach the same topic differently, often according to their personal views. Did you never see that in school?
- claydavisss 8y ago
  Not since Common Core. Curriculums are becoming rigid with States and mostly predictable nationally. If schools deviate they risk losing funding...and frankly most teachers are happy to read from a script.
  - germinalphrase 8y ago
    As a k12 teacher - this has not been my experience at all. In fact, I would invite you to take a look at the common core standards for English/Language Arts. They are hardly a curriculum script. They offer significant flexibility and opportunity to individualize content for your teaching context. Despite all the problems and issues I face on an average day, being pressured to teach canned curriculum is not one of them.
megaman22 8y ago
So far as I am aware, standardized testing does not apply to history and other non-core subjects. Like science also, unfortunately. Everything outside the three Rs (reading, writing, 'rithmetic) is slashed, because that's what the tests target.
- thaumasiotes 8y ago
  Are you not familiar with the AP tests?
  - Broken_Hippo 8y ago
    Not only do most kids not take AP tests, not all schools offer AP classes. OF the schools that offer them, not all of them offer the full array. The other unfortunate side of AP classes is that much of history classes is taught well before the AP class. I had 2.5 years of history in high school: One semester was a law education class, only offered to "advanced" students instead of geography (a real shame, as I think the class was one of the more helpful classes I took), one European history class, and one AP American History. The American History class was the most interesting and probably the most free, actually. My particular class used a college-level book and the teacher would add in things that weren't covered by the book and she'd point out where the book might be misleading or wrong. That class was also where I was introduced to "The Jungle", "Grapes of wrath", and Malcolm X's biography. I oddly don't remember as much about the actual test (it was 20 years ago), but it wasn't nearly the same as other standardized tests at the time. If I remember correctly, it was more based on thinking and processing history than memorizing facts.
- alistairSH 8y ago
  You're wrong. Most states have some form of Standards of Learning (SOL) testing at each grade level. These cover the three Rs, plus history and science. Most of these were implemented as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. Here's a listing of the tests given in VA... http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/released_tests/index.shtml http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/released_tests/index...
mrguyorama 8y ago
>Teachers teach the curriculum they are assigned, that is all A significant portion of my family is made of teachers and this is not true at all. In healthy (most) schools, teachers have enough wiggle room to tell students "This portion of your textbook is wrong/biased in a weird way". In some cases, they may be prohibited from saying specific things and other oddities, often by old and angry boards of education or similar, but if an educator actually believes in the importance of teaching children, they will find a way to impart the needed knowledge. You can easily see this in situations like how heavily underpaid teachers still go out and purchase their own supplies because the schools do not give them the tools to do their jobs. Many teachers go above and beyond what their contract states. Remember that teachers have often seen multiple different education standards and decrees come and go, and therefore understand actually educating is more important than meeting the minimum standard