Session 2- Mind the Gap

The statements that Diane Ravitch made about her journey through educational reforms were certainly provocative.  One that stood out to me comes from page 3, “School reformers sometimes resemble the characters in Dr. Seuss’ Solla Sollew, who are always searching for that mythical land ‘where they never have troubles, at least very few’…  In my writings, I have consistently warned that, in education, there are no shortcuts, utopias, and no silver bullets,” (Ravitch).  This statement struck me because of the little knowledge I have of education reform, it does appear that these reforms produce any real answers to the problems in education.  They always claim to solve every problem, but they rarely solve any.  It gave me a new, more critical perspective of education reform.  Another quote that struck me was, “Policymakers have a theory of action, even if they can’t articulate it, and they implement plans based on their theory of action, their guess about how the world works.  Historians are trained to recognize assumptions and theories and to spot their flaws,” (Ravitch, 11).  This quote and section in the book about how policymakers try to implement laws that govern society made me uneasy.  I would like to think that policymakers would be more critical of ideas to make sure that their theories of action would actually produce good things instead of making policy for the sake of making policy. 

            I would characterize a well-educated person as someone who has a general wealth of knowledge about how the world works.  They should be able to read and comprehend what they are reading, or at least seek out tools to comprehend what they are reading.  They should be able to engage in thoughtful and respectful conversation about complex issues without oversimplifying.  They should constantly seek out information to stay literate in important topics like world news.  They should know a significant amount about what they are doing in the workplace and how to do what they do most effectively. 

            I thought our discussion about the book was much better than last week.  I felt that we covered a wide range of important topics throughout the two chapters and really uncovered some pressing issues that Ravitch presents.  I would have liked to discuss more about how the common core standards fit into the standards movement.  I think looking into the Common Core Standards and seeing if they are still general and politically neutral like the State Standards came to be would be interesting.

            I would say my gap in my subject area would be my knowledge of what literacy is.  Some resources that might help me include the book The Age of the Image by Stephen Apkon and the article “Opening a Window Into Reading Development: Eye Movements' Role Within a Broader Literacy Research Framework” by Brett Miller and Carolyn O’Donnell.  I learned about the history of literacy and printing and what books and communication have meant to human beings throughout the course of history.  I feel like I have a broader appreciation for what reading gives to human beings and a better sense of purpose as to why we learn to read.

            I used Apkon’s chapter “What is Literacy?” from his book and I learned many things about literacy.  I learned of the power that the first printing press had on the transformation of the world.  That such power leveled the playing field in some respects and brought knowledge to the masses.  It is a very interesting account of the history of literacy, especially because it ties in with technology and other sources of information.  I don’t think I would seek out any other books from this author, unless his book discussed reading and literacy.  The entire book focuses on films and the ever-changing literacy that films provide.  

Responded to:
1.  Kathryn Leonard
2.  Michelle Graffis
3.  Kaitlyn Vignocchi