Forward for "Mankovsky, Sheine" Sheine.Mankovsky@tdsb.on.ca:
As a parent first, and a member of this "community", I'd like to lovingly suggest that you reread this portion on your note to the list Doug.
This has special meaning to me because my daughter, like me when I was in lower school, tends to make careless errors on math tests from going too fast. So this keeps her out of some of the advanced math pull-outs. Yet the kids in those pull-outs come to her for help because she knows the math and if she doesn't, can figure it out very quickly or knows who to ask and isn't afraid because she is very confident about her ability to understand what she will hear as a response.
I'm not an educator but I was a kid, and have refused steadfastly to completely enter the adult world. That would make me "immature" but empathetic to your childhood experience and to your child's present situation.
The beauty of Squeak is its commitment to kids--unconditionally. When I visited Cathy and B.J.'s classrooms I didn't pay much attention to their delivery of a Squeak lesson--no offence intended. I wasn't there to consider the teaching dimension. I sat with a couple of kids in each case, asked them to show me around, and watched and listened to them learning with Squeak. It was only because of what I experienced during that morning, that I decided to pursue the use of Squeak at the local school board where I am a trustee. And all the more, because I knew they could take it home with them, although not in all cases, and do whatever they chose to with it there.
Best to you all. Sheine
-----Original Message----- From: squeakland-bounces@squeakland.org [SMTP:squeakland-bounces@squeakland.org] On Behalf Of Doug Wolfgram Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 11:13 AM To: squeakland@squeakland.org Subject: [Squeakland] Assessment
I hope this isn't off-topic, but it occurs to me that e-toys and Squeak are the perfect tool for what I would like to see change at our school...
Recently, we invited Jill Tarter to come and speak at my daughter's school. She was very well received and her promotion of math and science was close to my heart, as I believe that all children should have a good foundation in the sciences.
Then I started thinking about Alan's demonstration of Squeak and the gravity exercises, etc. I realized that from my experience (please correct
me if I'm wrong) most lower school math and science assessments assess only what a child has already learned, whereas with Squeak and e-toys, we can assess what they are CAPABLE of learning.
Isn't this more valuable information? Do those of you who are educators think this way? Am I just behind the curve here and all of you regular squeakers are saying "duh, we've been doing that?" :)
This has special meaning to me because my daughter, like me when I was in lower school, tends to make careless errors on math tests from going too fast. So this keeps her out of some of the advanced math pull-outs. Yet the kids in those pull-outs come to her for help because she knows the math and if she doesn't, can figure it out very quickly or knows who to ask and isn't afraid because she is very confident about her ability to understand
what she will hear as a response. This seems to me to be a very big failing in this particular school anyway.
D
"Interactive Media that WORKS." ___________________________
Doug Wolfgram CEO GRAFX Group, Inc. 949.433.3641 http://www.personalpresentations.com
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