tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post8932584698175036246..comments2024-03-22T02:15:56.280-07:00Comments on Jersey Jazzman: Bill Gates's Ridiculous TED Talk, Part III: Shanghai SurpriseDukehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16535645107179796099noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-60054794867997857372013-05-11T12:06:38.620-07:002013-05-11T12:06:38.620-07:00Surely you loved Gate's comment "the only...Surely you loved Gate's comment "the only area the US ranks #1 is in failing to give our teachers what they need...". That is so funny because it's true. As for providing adequate mentoring for new teachers, and implementing teachers evaluations and a process that works - it's ridiculous to pretend we've got that. Perhaps it's true in upscale districts (where I've never taught) but it is not true of any NJ district where I've been employed. Nor is any of this a secret to the NJDOE that's published scads of research on the giant gaps bet student teaching (a reflective/portfolio type experience) and employment in real schools (sink or swim-you've got till Oct to figure this out). Why not take your marguerita out by the pool and let Bill Gates pick up this flag for awhile? God knows we've tried, but right now we've got our hands full teaching children, doing admins' jobs for them, and trying to make the mortgage on 1/3 the income of comparable professionals. Gates has limitless resources, and the ear of his next generation wanna be's. Can't we give him this one?Mrs. King's music studentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05211235832988015448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9025948832913694345.post-80762528292700216332013-05-10T18:15:48.892-07:002013-05-10T18:15:48.892-07:00I like the analysis of differences in class system...I like the analysis of differences in class systems-- I think that there are a lot of problems with international comparisons, and it does a good job of demonstrating how they can be misleading.<br /><br />But there's a huge difference between department meetings and lesson studies. Student teaching is done in 12 weeks and for most teachers there's no chance to engage in observations again once you're started. The American teaching system could learn a lot from Asian and Finnish systems of career-long, systematic collaboration, lesson study, and reflection, revision, and re-teaching.<br /><br />And Gates's comment about teachers receiving only "satisfactory" is way off. There's a lot of room for improvement in teacher feedback, for sure, but his comments don't tell the whole story. Teachers get all kinds of qualitative feedback... The real problem is its quality, not quantity. marcmancinellihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06476634882417540197noreply@blogger.com