edutopia

The NFL Draft Has Lots To Teach Administrators [Edutopia]

by Jose Vilson on April 29, 2013

Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine

Tyrann Mathieu at the NFL Scouting Combine

Here’s my recent article comparing the way the NFL recruits players in their scouting combine to what public education currently does.

Stats and Equations vs. the Team as an Ecosystem

Trying to develop equations for player effectiveness doesn’t always work well. ESPN tried to develop its own quarterback equation, but found it wasn’t that simple. Each throw a quarterback made or run he scored on needed additional eyes to assure that the numbers accurately reflected his performance. While people may base salaries on individual statistics, the ones that matter most to executives and fans alike are whether the entire team wins.

Looking at teacher evaluation is a difficult prospect, especially since we’re often trying to measure the intangibles. Yet we have elements of the profession that we can include in a fair system for all. Characteristics like temperament, persistence and resilience matter more than test scores, especially in schools, because it’s here that collaboration, not competitiveness, reigns supreme. Developing schools that see themselves as an ecosystem from teacher all the way through superintendent or chancellor gives us as chance to replicate real success.

For more, read here. Click. Like. Share. Thanks!

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My Exclusive Interview with The Amazing Robert J. Marzano [Edutopia]

by Jose Vilson on April 1, 2013

Last week, I got an exclusive interview with Robert J. Marzano, Ph.D on his latest book, The Art and Science of the Art of Science of Teaching, Leading, and Instructurizing. Here’s an excerpt:

The Art and Science of the Art and Science of Teaching, Leading, and Instructurizing: How Everyone with a Thought About Education Can Affect Students Even a Little Bit2 takes a hard look at learning from the perspective of students, teachers, assistant principals, principals, support staff, parents, central support staff, superintendents, chancellors, secretaries of education and, yes, even The President.3

“The impact of this book will hopefully create measurable ripples throughout education,” says Marzano in an exclusive interview. “Studies show that a religious adherence to my books improves school culture by 27%, a factor almost as high as outside influences like . . . well, whatever it is. Inconsequential, really.”4

For more, please go to this link and tell me what you think. Like. Share. Comment, too. Thank you!

Jose, who suggests people read this one slowly …

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My Philosophy On Math Pedagogy, And Other Tidbits [Edutopia]

by Jose Vilson on March 21, 2013

Here’s an excerpt from my latest at Edutopia (including a diss on Robert Marzano and the like). It’s about engaging math teachers:

Keep This Rule of Thumb: Complete, Consistent, Correct

By “complete, consistent, correct,” I mean we should allow multiple pathways to a correct answer that a) allow for full understanding of a given procedure, b) can be used time and again without fail, and c) actually have a sound basis in math. While it sounds constricting, it removes some of the limitations we’ve set for ourselves when looking at student work.

For instance, when finding 25% of 80, the most basic thing we can do is turn the percent into a decimal (0.25) and multiply that decimal by 80. The result is 20. Yet when I presented this problem to a seventh grade class just learning this, one of the students astutely observed that 10% of 80 is 8, and 25% is just 10% + 10% + 5%. They doubled 8 (16), then took half of 8 (4), and added the results (16 + 4 = 20).

Some teachers might mark that incorrect because it doesn’t follow the exact procedure they asked for, but we really should accept such a response fully, not just because of the answer, but because the procedure the student used works time and again.

Read more here. Share with your friends. Comment. Thanks!

Mr. Vilson, who wants Friday to be over already, and it’s only Thursday …

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Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal When It Comes To Race [Edutopia]

by Jose Vilson on December 5, 2012

Tim Howard, Goalkeeper

An excerpt from my widely-distributed Edutopia article on race:

1. Discomfort is the Starting Point, Not the End Goal

Discussions about big ideas like race, religion and politics necessitate some discomfort. By discomfort, I mean that people who participate in the discussion have a degree of soul-searching and reassessment about their own perceptions and biases. For instance, does one person find that their opinions get listened to more readily than those of certain school colleagues? Do they always sit with people of similar interests, or does it go deeper than that? How often do they interact with people that don’t look like them or speak like them? As long as people begin with a clear understanding that the discussion won’t start off with warm, fuzzy feelings, then the next few steps become easier.

Read and read again. Like. Share. Use in your discussions. Thank you.

Jose, who doesn’t shy away from the tough discussions in spaces where others do …

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Teach Others How To Lead, And Other Tips [Edutopia]

November 8, 2012 Mr. Vilson

An excerpt from my latest Edutopia article: Do: Teach Others How to Lead Everyone has expertise in some way, shape or form. Some teachers have great organizing skills (who doesn’t need this?!). Others understand how to put together curriculum materials. Still others have mastered building great teacher-student relationships. Rather than focus on deficiencies, we can [...]

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Rarely Use The Word “Wrong” And Other Helpful Bits [Edutopia]

September 20, 2012 Mr. Vilson

An excerpt from my latest at Edutopia: 1) Rarely Use the Word “Wrong” Students need to know that you’re not going to press a buzzer every time they make a comment or ask a question, no matter how ridiculous. Starting the year off by accepting their errors and misgivings means that you get to know [...]

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Edutopia + Jose Vilson = Back To School [... And Another One]

August 27, 2012 Guest Posts

To my readers: Thanks to your support, I am happy to announce that Edutopia has invited me to write a guest blog for their website. (Full disclosure: they’re sponsored by the George Lucas Education Foundation. Yes, that George Lucas.) Here’s an excerpt from my back-to-school posted entitled “Cheat Sheet for the First Days of School”: [...]

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