Comments on: Drill & Kill and Digital Equity http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/ “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:00:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Tina K. http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/comment-page-1/#comment-1111 Tina K. Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:25:35 +0000 http://edinsanity.com/?p=176#comment-1111 Jon, Thanks for yet another great blog resouce. The fact that studies show that drill on isolated skills and facts do nothing to increase overall learning is an important concept for teachers, parents , and society to know. Teachers use the drill method way more than is needed and I can say as an new teacher I did also. Setting kids infront of a computer to do drill after drill I agree is just teaching obedience. Creative teaching can include drill but it involves so much more. I do not thing teachers use the computer to drill students in basics because they are tyring to control students or not teach them. Teachers are told to use the programs that drill by the text series who sell them. It would be interesting to see if students of teaching are taught to evaluate computer programs that drill. Jon, Thanks for yet another great blog resouce. The fact that studies show that drill on isolated skills and facts do nothing to increase overall learning is an important concept for teachers, parents , and society to know. Teachers use the drill method way more than is needed and I can say as an new teacher I did also. Setting kids infront of a computer to do drill after drill I agree is just teaching obedience. Creative teaching can include drill but it involves so much more. I do not thing teachers use the computer to drill students in basics because they are tyring to control students or not teach them. Teachers are told to use the programs that drill by the text series who sell them. It would be interesting to see if students of teaching are taught to evaluate computer programs that drill.

]]> By: Jon Becker http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/comment-page-1/#comment-1109 Jon Becker Wed, 30 Jul 2008 03:15:37 +0000 http://edinsanity.com/?p=176#comment-1109 Good stuff, all. Miguel Guhlin has taken this discussion a step further at his blog. Check it out...http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/archives/2008/07/entry_7592.htm Good stuff, all. Miguel Guhlin has taken this discussion a step further at his blog. Check it out…http://www.edsupport.cc/mguhlin/archives/2008/07/entry_7592.htm

]]> By: technicolor http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/comment-page-1/#comment-1108 technicolor Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:06:27 +0000 http://edinsanity.com/?p=176#comment-1108 It's obviously problematic. Black students aren't learning critical thinking skills by those drill and kill computer programs! They use it because thats what they know! One program, that shall remain nameless, is not a success! Kids hate to go to the lab and take the same tests day in and day out, and if the students don't progress past a certain level, they continue to get the same questions....all year! They need to be taught how to think more critically, how to figure things out, not just do the same thing over and over again. Whats that saying? If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten...or something like that. It’s obviously problematic. Black students aren’t learning critical thinking skills by those drill and kill computer programs! They use it because thats what they know! One program, that shall remain nameless, is not a success! Kids hate to go to the lab and take the same tests day in and day out, and if the students don’t progress past a certain level, they continue to get the same questions….all year! They need to be taught how to think more critically, how to figure things out, not just do the same thing over and over again. Whats that saying? If you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten…or something like that.

]]> By: Ed http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/comment-page-1/#comment-1106 Ed Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:07:20 +0000 http://edinsanity.com/?p=176#comment-1106 Yeah, what Tina said... Its hard to imagine much drilling going on in an algebra class...or is it? Yet see the John Morrow video for the high school converted to an eighth grade building--for 15 year olds who probably aren't ready for 8th grade! Yeah, what Tina said…

Its hard to imagine much drilling going on in an algebra class…or is it?

Yet see the John Morrow video for the high school converted to an eighth grade building–for 15 year olds who probably aren’t ready for 8th grade!

]]> By: Tina K. http://edinsanity.com/2008/07/25/drill-kill-and-digital-equity/comment-page-1/#comment-1098 Tina K. Sat, 26 Jul 2008 01:36:00 +0000 http://edinsanity.com/?p=176#comment-1098 So my thoughts are that somehow African-American students are doing remedial drill on computers instead of being instructed on perhaps more rigorous math problems. I can see a teacher seeing that a student does not have the basic computation skills, sending them to the computer to practice and continuing the lesson without them. The computer then becomes a baby sitter instead of a technology tool and the student falls further and further behind. The question also should be asked... can students who have not mastered basic math skills understand more rigorous math concepts? I would say that depends on the teacher and the student. It would be interesting to see if there is a study of struggling math students and how much computer time they are given as compared to those not struggling. Interesting stuff, thanks Jon. So my thoughts are that somehow African-American students are doing remedial drill on computers instead of being instructed on perhaps more rigorous math problems. I can see a teacher seeing that a student does not have the basic computation skills, sending them to the computer to practice and continuing the lesson without them. The computer then becomes a baby sitter instead of a technology tool and the student falls further and further behind. The question also should be asked… can students who have not mastered basic math skills understand more rigorous math concepts? I would say that depends on the teacher and the student. It would be interesting to see if there is a study of struggling math students and how much computer time they are given as compared to those not struggling.
Interesting stuff, thanks Jon.

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