You get what you measure

From RTE: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned that the use of technology in schools may be doing more harm than good. It found that countries that have invested heavily in information and communications technology in schools show no appreciable improvement in student achievement. That’s not what they’re for. Seldom is the … Continue reading “You get what you measure”

From RTE:

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned that the use of technology in schools may be doing more harm than good.

It found that countries that have invested heavily in information and communications technology in schools show no appreciable improvement in student achievement.

  1. That’s not what they’re for.
  2. Seldom is the curriculum and support infrastructure present to exploit technology.
  3. Seldom does the teacher have the experience to exploit technology
  4. The examination infrastructure is weighted towards using paper and pencil (and, no, ticking multiple choice boxes on a computer doesn’t constitute exploiting technology)
  5. Who cares if they don’t raise results? Exam results are more about finding ways to write off sections of our population. We standardise exams because we can’t standardise children.
  6. Most schools provide 1-2 hours per week of computer access. Maybe they shouldn’t invest as most kids get plenty of access outside school. But if schools don’t invest, you’ve just created a digital divide. Well done.
  7. This is one of those moments where we train children to do one thing and then test them (measure their progress) using a completely different methodology. It’s like we are criticising a fish because it can’t climb a tree.

fishtree

Our school system was designed during the industrial revolution. We need to think about what schools look like during the knowledge revolution.

As a special prize, some Ken Robinson.

Related posts:

  1. BYOD: The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.
  2. The Broadband Blueprint (re DETI Telecoms Consultation)
  3. MY-SCHOOL from #c2k

2 thoughts on “You get what you measure”

  1. When a child, who has never seen a book before, opens the pages, what does he do? Who does he ask? The person who gave him the book!
    Usually it is a parent or a teacher who taught us to read.
    Without that basic knowledge of how to use the tool of reading and comprehension, intelligence will never gain the level of understanding of why and how knowledge is useful in all aspects of life and survival.
    EVERYTHING , in life, needs the basic ability of reading!
    The 3 R’s is as valid today as when we used a slate and chalk. iPad’s are the slate and chalk of today!

  2. Schools could easily provide courses on the ‘History of Computing’ most of their current classes would fall in this category.
    As for the current innovation… remember ‘show and tell’ in primary school?
    For the latest in tech, and how it works, ask the students.
    Do not skip gaming… it is how they will build their brave new world.

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