Building

Better Schools

Commentaries by

Abraham S. Fischler

Quotations to
Guide
Teachers,
Principals,
Parents and
Students

With Hillary Gorski-Howrey and Steve McCrea

Lulu Press
 2 Building Better Schools

Contents

Introduction

Short Quotations and Commentaries

Excerpts from the blog TheStudentIstheClass.com

Longer Readings

Links for Additional Reading

Questions

What’s Next

Endnote

About the Authors

Abraham Fischler 3

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to introduce teachers,

administrators, parents and students to ideas of education
that might be missing in their lives. As Dan Pink has
observed, most institutions have changed dramatically in
appearance and in how they operate since the 1950s –
banks, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals all have
different procedures and employ architecture to improve
the customer's experience. The exception: public
schools. Free Agent Nation (chapter 15).
 4 Building Better Schools

The Problem
At the present time, teachers are working hard but we are still not
fulfilling the demands of our students or our society. Why not? The
schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers are
responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time
is fixed
and the only variable is performance –
some pass and others fail. And, if the persons who
fail do not make up and achieve the proficiency that the test is
measuring, they drift further and further behind. The consequences
are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love of
learning? This approach does not take into account a truism: “all
students can learn, but they learn at different rates
and have different preferential learning styles.”

Instead of asking the student to fit the administrative structure (i.e.,

the class and arbitrary time periods for learning subjects and
achieving competencies), we must provide each student with the
time and means to succeed. Rather
than punish the
student who learns more slowly than the arbitrarily
chosen period, we must treat each student as
the class.
We must find a way of doing this. Other industries have made
similar changes* and it is now time for education to do the same.
*FedEx can tell you where any package is at any time. Look at
banking, which is now available 24 hours a day through ATMs and
Abraham Fischler 5

you can go to almost any ATM to withdraw or deposit funds. Both

industries invested in information and delivery systems to meet the
needs of their clients rather than asking their clients to
accommodate to a fixed structure. Now the automobile industry is
enabling customers to order on demand rather than requiring them
to accept whatever is available in the dealer’s lot. In the business
world, however, there is competition that requires companies to
adapt – education has not had this catalyst.

My vision and strategy for educational change

I believe that we in education must make the investment to do the
same for our clients, i.e., each student. What investment is
needed?

There are three modes of instruction: 1) self-

paced or CAI, 2) project or problem-solving
and 3) discussion. Self-paced or computer-
assisted instruction (CAI) requires that each
student have access to a computer and modem
and access to the curriculum on a server on a 24/7
basis. Projects and problems should be relevant to
students so they can relate to the given subject
area.
 6 Building Better Schools

For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the 1st grade
(and continue thereafter). The reason English and Math are chosen
is that these are the two cultural imperative languages. If you know
these two languages and are motivated as a self-learner, you can
teach yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of the
goals of education is to create self-learners.

For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or problem
that is relevant to the student. Once the problem is defined, the
class can be broken down into groups of 4-5 students in order to
research the solution to the problem. If complex, each of the groups
may study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the
student uses the computer as a research tool (after having learned
to read). Students are taught to use search engines such as
Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made available by teachers
gathering information relevant for the students.

Students working in a group learn cooperation, shared

responsibility and communication (face-to-face as well as e-mail).
Having produced a written solution to the problem utilizing the
computer (power point) as a tool, they can then present to the class
for discussion. They can also use email or a written report to other
students as well as the teacher.
Abraham Fischler 7

Arbitrary learning within fixed time

periods would be eliminated, i.e., no 1st, 2nd, 3rd,
etc. grades. Instead, students would be grouped chronologically
with materials appropriate to their learning level and style using the
CAI approach for English and Math, and the project-problem-
discussion modes for other subjects. The projects given to the
students match the level of English and Math competencies and
are related to the students (their interests and their lives). For
example, in 3rd grade, how would you study the amount of water
that a plant needs to grow? I would utilize the students’ Math
knowledge (learned through CAI) for science learning. Likewise,
rather than studying history through memorization and chronology,
it can be studied through problems based on the immediate
environment for younger children and more abstract concepts in
later grades.

What do we need to make this happen?

In order for this to be implemented, what do we need?
1) We need the people on board –
parents, teachers, community leaders,
etc.
2) We need the hardware – computers
with modems and Internet access for
each student.
 8 Building Better Schools

3) We need the management system

(many existing solutions can be
adapted).
4) We need the curriculum –
Computer Assisted Instructions (CAI) for
Math and English and creative, relevant
problems and projects for other
subjects.
5) We need teacher training.
In order to begin to implement change, we need all of these things
in place. I would like to see a group of elementary and middle
schools, and the high school into which they feed (a demonstration
‘zone’) of some size agree to adopt a vision where time is a
variable and mastery what is expected from each student. A
computer company can be found to donate (or the zone can buy) a
laptop with a modem for each student. The zone needs to build an
integrated management system in order to be responsive to what
students do and how they learn. Part of the management system is
administrative, part is the CAI component, and lastly, the
management system needs to record and reflect the student’s
learnings in non-CAI instruction (‘student portfolios’). The CAI
component must be self-correcting and use artificial intelligence so
that the component improves as more students utilize the program
for English and Math. Teacher training is critical and must be done
during the summer prior to implementation.
Abraham Fischler 9

The Purpose of This Little Book

We will need teachers to “buy into”

this vision. Parents, administrators
and students will have new roles,
too. It will take a village to pull
together the transformation
described here. The process of
building the new school system
requires a new mindset: We must
agree that the Student is the
Class. From that central mantra we
can build a new way of looking at
education and the roles we play in
making schools work.
 10 Building Better Schools

Intentionally left blank

Abraham Fischler 11

Short Quotations and

Commentaries
 12 Building Better Schools

Education is not the filling of

a pail, but rather the lighting
of a fire. W. B. Yeats

Commentary: The way that classrooms are

organized, because of the pressures that teachers
and students are under since No Child Left Behind,
more and more time is now being spent helping
students learn at a comprehensive level. Little time is
left for the skills of analysis, synthesis and self-
judgment.

We put information in but we don't give them time to

massage the information and go through Piaget's
process of assimilation and accommodation at the
concept level.
Abraham Fischler 13

How do teachers instill this “fire” quote in a school that focuses on

computer-based instruction?

The computer is a tool to be used in many different

ways. It is a learning tool, it is a research tool. It is a
communication tool. So it depends on the
environment and how it's orchestrated.

Bloom's taxonomy talks about levels of learning.

Comprehension is the lower level. But the student
also needs time to utilize information for analysis and
synthesis. So the computer is being used for those
two purposes.

So in the CAI approach you can reorganize in

projects. At problem solving small group
communication working in cooperative teams sharing
research responsibilities. And using it as a
powerpoint. To a total class for communicating what
you found.

We have to provide an environment s that students

can use what they have learned through technology.

Rarely should you see a teacher standing in front of a

group of students lecturing. That would make the
assumption that all 30 youngsters are ready to
receive what you are presenting and to process the
information.
 14 Building Better Schools

Ability is what you're capable of doing.

Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz

Commentary: This is one of those quotes that belongs on a wall

to remind students of the importance of self-confidance.
Abraham Fischler 15
 16 Building Better Schools

I hope that in the century ahead

students will be judged not by their
performance on a single test but by
the quality of their lives. I hope that
students will be encouraged to be
creative, not conforming, and learn
to cooperate rather than compete.
Ernest Boyer, president of Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching,
1993.

Commentary: My test is asking the

Have we
following question:

produced a motivated person

with the tools and desire to
keep learning?

Our education system should be

creating mindful learners. Littky
Abraham Fischler 17

I have been a psychologist for 21

years, and I have never had to do
in the profession what I needed to
do to get an A in many of my
courses in college. In particular,
I've never had to memorize a
book or lecture. If I can't
remember something, I just look
it up. However, schools set things
up to reward with As the students
who are good memorizers, not just
at the college level but at many
other levels as well. Robert Sternberg,
psychologist.

Commentary: It is clear that our schools should

prepare students for “real world”conditions, where
many workers have access to information. Students
 18 Building Better Schools

and teachers should preactice using smart phones and

the Internet.
Abraham Fischler 19

Too often we teach people

things like "There's a right
way and a wrong way to do
everything." What we
should be teaching them
is how to think flexibly,
to be mindful of all the
different possibilities of
every situation and not
close themselves off from
information that could help
them. Ellen Langer, professor of
psychology

Commentary: I agree. Flexibility is the key.

 20 Building Better Schools

I never let schooling get in the

way of my education. Mark Twain
(Samuel Clemens)

Commentary: What is the goal? To keep teachers

employed? To hand students a diploma? To
transfer skills to a workforce? I believe that the goal
produce a motivated person
is to
with the tools and desire to keep
learning. We need to have the humility to see
that we teachers and we principals don't have all of
the tools. Students need to take responsibility for at
least part of their learning. Can we shape the
classroom and the curriculum to the shape and
dimension of the student?
Abraham Fischler 21

No matter how far you have gone

on a wrong road, turn back.
Turkish proverb (from The Big Picture by Dennis
Littky)

Commentary: We have invested a lot of

money and training in the big-box public high
schools and Bill Gates has put a billion or so
into making high schools smaller and into
technology for education. We need to stop,
turn around, and get back to square one. By
adding a layer of computer-mediated
instruction over the existing system and by
engaging parents, students, teachers and
principals in a vigorous re-connection with the
goal of education, we can move toward making
the student the class.
 22 Building Better Schools

The teacher of the future

is an “Edu-Tainer”:

education that is entertaining

Commentary: Should teachers be entertainers? I

Learning
want to change this quote:
should be fun to the learner.
Classrooms should be exciting. Students should be
the performers. Teachers should be facilitators and
motivators problem solving helpers, rewarding
success, using language that make learners feel good
about themselves. You can do it.
Abraham Fischler 23

As the saying goes: The teacher is a guide on the

side, not a sage on the stage.

It seems to me that schools primarily

teach kids how to take tests, a skill one
hardly uses in real life (unless one is a
contestant on a quiz show). Elementary
school prepares kids for junior high;
junior high prepares them for high
school. So the goal (if we can call it
that) of schools is to prepare kids for
more school. Tom Magliozzi, one of the Car
Talk guys, writing in his book, In Our
Humble Opinion: Car Talk's Click and
Clack Rant and Rave (2000).

Commentary: For the learner, education is a continuum

and it is not important where the student is housed. What
is important at the end is have we produced a
 24 Building Better Schools

motivated person with the tools and

desire to keep learning? In order to do that,
the learner must achieve competency in two languages,
English and math. All else he can learn if he is motivated
to learn and be a self learner. Professors make it easier
by picking out what they think is necessary in the
particular field of knowledge. Thus you can achieve more
knowledge in a shorter time if you work with advisors.
They also provide guidance and help you achieve a
number of life skills so you can function effectively with
others and assume your share of the responsibility for
achieving the objectives.

Children are working as if I did not

exist.
-- Maria Montessori
Abraham Fischler 25

Commentary: Self-motivated, interested in the

problem that they are working on, helping one another
sharing responsibilities. This will happen when
students work together in small groups on projects.

You need a certain level of comprehension which the

CAI delivers. Piaget says that we redefine a concept
every time we meet a discrepant event: An event for
the learner that doesn't fit the concept that he already
has. So the learner has to go through questions: did
that really exist? How do I modify the concept to
accommodate the new information?

Students go through this when they learn that

electrons might not be particles. Electrons act more
like clouds in certain circumstances.
 26 Building Better Schools

The principle good of education is to create

people who are capable of doing new things,
not simply of repeating what other generations
have done.
Jean Piaget

Commentary: In order to do new things, they have a

concept of what ought to be. But now they are
confronted with a surprise, something that doesn't
fit. That's the discrepant event. Then the individual
has to go through assimilation, asking, “Does that
really happen? Is that real? What is true?” What I'm
seeing or what I've been told ? What I expected to
happen and then it didn't happen. Then I have to go
through the process of accommodation. I have to
modify my concept to take into account something
that occurred that I didn't expect. Then I'm at
equilibrium, I'm happy again, until you introduce the
next discrepant event. When you talk to kids, you
have to know approximately what they have so you
know what you can do to get them more sophisticated
and more knowledgable. That's what the individual
learner has to go through themselves. The teacher
introduces the discrepant event and the learners go
through the assimilation and accommodation.
Abraham Fischler 27

If the student doesn't have the basic comprehension,

you will miss the mark – the information that you think
is a discrepant event will go over his head. For
example, you can tell a six-year-old that the earth is
turning and that creates day and night at 25,000 miles
in a day. It's rotating on an axis. Why don't you feel it?
If you were in an automobile and you put your hand
out of the window you will feel it.

With a six-year-old, you're going to fast. You better

start with “day is when the sun is out” and “Night is
when the sun is hidden.” Why is the night dark? What
gives light to the moon? So you can give a six-year-
old a bit of this, but he doesn't really understand.
 28 Building Better Schools

After introducing a discrepant event, we need to give

the student time to process the information.

We tend to start with what the child can observe.

Science for grades 1-to-3, the focus is over “what can
you see?”

To try to explain that the earth is turning is not going

to lead to understanding in younger students. Wait
until they begin to ask you about rotating. And they
weren't all going to be able to ask you at the same
time.
Abraham Fischler 29

Ability is what you're capable of

doing. Motivation determines
what you do. Attitude
determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz

Commentary: Having a "can do" attitude and being

motivated to succeed are powerful behaviors.
 30 Building Better Schools

Given the widening array of

possibilities, there’s no reason
that every child must master the
sciences, algebra, geometry,
biology, or any of the rest of the
standard high school curriculum
that has barely changed in half a
century. Robert Reich, Secretary of
Labor (Clinton Administration)

Commentary: There is a core of basic knowledge

that one expects from a person at a certain point in
time. I don't expect people to be experts, but biology
is a science. You ought to have some knowledge of
the animal kingdom, relationships, the human body.
There are certain understandings that you can expect
from a person at a certain level. Science is not a
cultural imperative. Our language and mathematics
are cultural imperatives. I expect every child to have
a certain level. Knowledge and ability and with a basic
core of mathematics; able to handle fractions. But I
don't expect everyone to know everything about
trigonometry. Robert Reich is right, as long as we
don't say master. We need a core in all
Abraham Fischler 31

areas and you have to have the tools

for self-learning: we can read English and we
can do some math... we
know when to
doubt and we don't jump to
conclusions.
You can teach yourself most of science if you have
English and math.

One-third of the jobs that will

be around ten to fifteen years
from now haven't been
invented yet.

We are now at a point where

we must educate our children
in what no one knew
yesterdya and prepareour
schools for what no one
knows yet. Margaret Mead
 32 Building Better Schools

Commentary: What can we do if we don't know what

we don't know? The education system needs to be
flexible, more so than our current system.
Abraham Fischler 33

Excerpts from
TheStudentIstheClass.com

Beyond Memorization: Give 21st Century

Students Time to Understand
We can all agree that it is important for students to graduate
from high school. However, what happens when “graduating”
from high school does not necessarily represent an
understanding of the basic skills needed in college and the
workplace? According to the Sun-Sentinel, more than half of
the students entering public colleges and universities in
Florida need remedial classes in math, reading, and writing
prior to starting their college classes. The problem is NOT the
amount of money we are putting into our public schools;
rather, the structure and curriculum of public education needs
reform. Memorizing information for the FCAT or College
Placement Test is not going to equip students with the skills
needed for the 21st century.
Students need to learn to analyze, understand, and explain
rather than memorize, recite, and regurgitate facts and
information. A student cannot be expected to master division if
 34 Building Better Schools

he or she does not know what dividing numbers truly means.

Subjects—particularly reading and math—need to be taught
on a student’s individual timeframe. Learning should be
measured against each student’s past markers of progress.
We must enable students to learn at
varying rates so they come to understand and analyze
information in a way that is useful and accessible both to them
personally and for the 21st century.
We must change our expectations about
time and make conceptual understanding (not wrote
repetition) our first priority.
Abraham Fischler 35

Time Must Be A Variable For Student Success

Nowhere in my readings have I found encouragement and
funds to reward systems that are trying to build an educational
environment based on students’ mastery and making time a
As long as time is fixed, then
variable.
student progress is what is variable
within the fixed time frame. Thus, 30% of the
student population is punished through failures.

If we moved in core areas - mainly English and Math - to

Computer Based Learning ("CBL" or Computer Assisted
Instruction “CAI”), the student becomes the class and each
student is given time to master the materials. Further, what is
learned becomes a tool for future learning. In science and
social studies, projects that are meaningful to students can be
agreed and assigned. Small groups then may use technology
for research purposes as well as to make powerpoint
presentations to fellow students. This transformation cannot
be done without the community, without curriculum
design and without teachers who are trained to utilize the
environment correctly.
 36 Building Better Schools

Student management also is important so that the teacher, the

student and the parent see the progress of each student. This
type of system provides accessibility to all partners, including
the principal and state, as well as a vehicle to help determine
the effectiveness of the learning environment in the
classroom.
Abraham Fischler 37

iSchool
A new model being used in select NYC schools, called
iSchools, seeks to integrate ‘innovative technology with
project-based curriculum’ and early results indicate highly
successful outcomes. In this model, groups of students utilize
virtual resources on the internet to complete research projects
and in doing so take pride in their work and ownership of final
results. In this model, each student has his/her own laptop and
access to a variety of online resources, which can be
monitored by teachers and parents using a learning
management system. These are all steps toward creating an
environment in which time can be varied to accommodate the
learner. As the student becomes more inclined to utilize
technology and group-based project research, the skills
gained will better prepare the student to enter post-secondary
education and the 21st Century workforce.
Source: eschool.com
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/05/15/ischools-lift-hopes-in-nyc/
 38 Building Better Schools

Technology to Make Time a Variable

I propose the use of technology in a computer assisted mode
(CAI) to track the progress of each student. When each has
demonstrated mastery of what s/he has learned through CAI,
we then can seek validation through State-implemented
examinations. In this way, time is varied and competency
relatively fixed; a standard that should be applied to public
schools as well as charter schools, so that all children will be
given similar opportunities to succeed.
Abraham Fischler 39

It is Time for Change in K-12

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our high

school students to the dropout pool. No longer can we tolerate
the outdated agrarian industrial model. No longer can we
tinker around the edges substituting book A for book B or
modifying a time dimension within a few courses. No longer
can we afford to leave the structure and organization of K-12
education the same.

This is the moment - this is the time for real change in the
public schools of this country. We have the knowledge, the
tools and the necessary technology to create a positive
learning environment for the 21st century. We
can focus
on the student as the class and offer
individualized instruction based on
students' different learning styles. We can
vary time so that those who need more time to master a
concept have the opportunity to do so. The concept advocated
in this blog (initial and subsequent posts) should be
implemented now while the momentum for educational
change is with us. The organization and structure of our
current K-12 system must be changed to accommodate all
learners.
 40 Building Better Schools

The need is obvious. The opportunity is here. The lives of

young men and women, and the future of the United States of
America, rest in our hands.

Don't Blame The Computer!

Some schools are dropping the computer because they failed

to get the results they wanted. This is a mistake. A computer
is a tool which must be integrated into the fabric of the
instructional process. By itself, it will not change nor improve
results. The curriculum must be modified; the teacher must
change his or her role from presenter to a catalyst for learning.
Opportunity must be given to students to work on real world
problems.

The computer can be utilized in many ways, including:

• as a learning tool
• acquiring and organizing information
• communicating within a group
• helping to analyze data
• creating powerpoint or other presentations to the class
Abraham Fischler 41

Remember: Do not blame the tool…the learning system must

be changed, and teachers must be trained in a new learning
paradigm.
 42 Building Better Schools

Longer Readings

Techniques for Creative Teaching

I worked with a physics teacher who would tell students, “There will
be times when you will turn in your lab books where you will write
what you observe. Sometimes I will mark an exercise wrong and I
expect you to come up and argue with me.” The students generally
hated him because he appeared so arbitrary.

I loved what he did. He forced the kids not to cheat. He made sure
that one or two kids would get something marked wrong even
though it was right. This bothered kids. And they would come to me
to complain. I told them, “He's forcing you to think and If you don't
argue with him, you will get the the lower mark.”
Abraham Fischler 43

Links for Additional Reading

'Disrupting Class', by Clayton M. Christensen, Michael B. Horn
and Curtis W. Johnson, published by McGraw-Hill.

Commentary: The authors explain why major changes are

required in public education if we are to educate every child of
every parent to finish high school with the knowledge and skills
needed either to go into the world of work or continue their
education in the 21st century. This book appreciates the
uniqueness of each student (referencing the Multiple Intelligences
theory introduced by Dr. Howard Gardner) and recognises that we
need to adapt instructional methods to match the learning styles of
each student. Its 'disruptive innovation theory' explains why it is so
difficult to move public education from its current focus on the
'class' to a new and needed focus on the 'student'. The authors'
concept of a future classroom is one that incorporates technology
and software to provide alternative methods and options for
students to achieve the required objectives. They also encourage
an environment in which students work together on projects and
share and conceptualise learnings rather than memorise bits of
information. Whilst this book recognises the need for flexibility
within the organisation and structure of the learning environment to
accomodate individual variations, it does not spell out sufficiently
the need to vary time because students learn at different rates.

Why Go To School? Steven Wolk, Phi Delta Kappa

May 2007, Volume 88, number 9

 44 Building Better Schools

http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v88/k0705toc.htm

Commentary: The May 2007 issue of Phi Delta Kappan has a

wonderful article written by Steven Wolk entitled “Why go to
School?”. It is a critique of what we are teaching and how we are
teaching. In the article, he states the following: “If the purpose of
our schools is to prepare drones to keep the U.S. economy going,
then the prevailing curricula and instructional methods are probably
adequate. If, however, we want to help students become thoughtful,
caring citizens who might be creative enough to figure out how to
change the status quo rather than maintain it, we need to rethink
schooling entirely.” Mr. Wolk outlines what he considers to be the
essential content for a new curriculum. The essence of what the
article states is similar to the essence of the early writings found in
this blog.

Speak Up Survey: Is Technology Missing the Mark? by Dave

Nagel. T.H.E. Journal (March 2007)

Commentary: The nationwide survey polled approximately

270,000 students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging from
technology, math, and science instruction to communications,
collaboration, and self expression". The findings were very
interesting.

The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-profit group Project
Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost importantly, this survey
shows that technology presents a unique opportunity to engage
students in their core-curricular subjects, such as math and
Abraham Fischler 45

science, by providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels
of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed interest in
the integration of real-world problem solving, talking to
professionals, and using multimedia and interactive simulations.

We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country to

creatively address problems and challenges -- some that may have
happened before and others undoubtedly that will be
unprecedented. We have gone through many ages as a nation and
world: agricultural, industrial, technological, information, and now
we must enter the age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination,
innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning, problem
solving, and critical thinking. Listening, memorizing and
regurgitating learned information is no longer sufficient. We need to
do more in our schools through personalised education. And, in
fact, it is time even for us to consider how to integrate the home
environment into the fabric of the learning process.

"Jobs, Dell appraise technology, schools"

http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6875

Commentary: Both Steve Jobs and Michael Dell make references

to changes and the encouragement of the use of technology as a
tool for learning, research, and communication. However, neither
speaks to the restructuring and reorganizing of a school system so
that “each child becomes the class”. By using computer assisted
instruction (CAI) for the core areas of English and math in a self-
 46 Building Better Schools

paced mode, students are able to receive the next appropriate

objective. While working on projects in a cooperative learning
environment (groups of 3 or 4 students), they utilize their core
competencies to do research, solve problems, and make
presentations using computer programs such as PowerPoint to
involve the rest of their classmates who listen and ask questions.
By learning these skills, students develop the ability to acquire
information via the computer, use it to analyze and synthesize
information related to the problem, and share their findings with
their student colleagues for the purpose of discussion. I am sure
that you all would count these among the critical skills required to
succeed in today's world.

A comment from a blog reader: ... about Computers in the

classroom...Interesting comments on your blog. I wonder if you
would consider (when making the youtube videos and later for your
book) commenting on the comments that people leave.Creativity is
the key to making good use of technology in education. You will
notice i avoid the term computer and there is good reason for this.
To our learners, computers are part of the everyday infrastructure
of life - nothing new, or different, just a box that provides access to
the the tools they use to communicate, find information, collaborate,
create, learn and achieve.Remember that the learners we see in
our classrooms now, are growing up with the web, the ipod, digital
tv, mobile phones, utube, messenger, ip phones, blogs & wiki's etc.
etc. and to them, these are no more exciting and new than the
colour tv.Simply placing new boxes in classrooms and expecting
our learners to leap up and suddenly achieve, or our teachers to
become multi-media gurus overnight is at best a little foolish and at
worst incredibly poor strategy.As a minimum, there are two things
that need to take place if we are to take full advantage of new
technologies in learning:1. We need to understand that our learners
now have access to a billion libraries of information and a multitude
of communication tools. They use these tools every day for there
own purposes and on the whole (i know there are many exceptions)
we are failing to guide that use to ensure safe and productive
Abraham Fischler 47

learning. The world is available to them anywhere, anytime and

they don't need a computer and a desk to do this. What they need,
we aren't providing - they need guidance and support.We must now
move away from Victorian era learning where remembering facts
and figures was the key to success in an industrial age. Memorizing
such information is now completely irrelevant, since information can
be obtained anywhere in seconds. The knowledge required is one
of how and where to look safely, how to filter, how to validate and
triangulate and then finally how to use such information creatively,
critically and accurately.That is not to say that memorizing facts
does not still have a place. Just that the emphasis should now be
on discovery, analysis, process, assimilation and creativity - in
other words real higher-order thinking skills.2. Secondly we must
realize that as teachers the vast majority of us were brought up
under that old Victorian system. To us the web, the mobile phone,
the ipod are all relatively new (and for some of us slightly
scary)inventions. How could we possibly relate and teach learners
for whom these tools are just an extension of their imagination?
Simply throwing boxes of tricks into our classrooms and
proclaiming that we have invested millions in new technology will
not help our learners. What we need is training yes, but not just in
the use of the technology. We need help in changing the culture of
teaching.We as teachers need to use and embrace the same tools
as our learners. We need to walk in the same century and we need
help to do this.Teachers need to be shown how to take those first
difficult steps from being the sage on the stage - the font of all
knowledge, to being the guide, the mentor, the one person our
learners can rely on to help them learn in the new age.Above all we
need to take a leap of faith and understand that in doing so we will
be molding the future of education.Going on a linear training course
isn't going to achieve that. We need tools, support and resources.
Examples of good existing practice and a chance to share that
experience through collaboration with teachers locally, regionally,
nationally and internationally. We need real time access to these
things and we need it now!It is possible and there are projects out
there trying to provide these tools. Check out: http://oc.intel-lehren.de/and:
 48 Building Better Schools

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-ICT-Classroom-Using-Learning/dp/1855392070If
you
want to get involved - e-mail me!!Bill Howbill.how@ssatrust.org.uk

http://www.thestudentistheclass.com/2007/05/dont-blame-computer.html
Abraham Fischler 49

“Tough Choices or Tough Times” (Commission Report)

http://www.skillscommission.org/pdf/exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf

Commentary: A report by the Commission on the Skills of the

American Workforce (National Center on Education and the
Economy) entitled 'Tough Choices or Tough Times' has some
wonderful recommendations that should be taken in serious
consideration. Therein, Richard W. Riley, the former Secretary of
Education states “The question this report raises is whether our
country has the kind of education system that is needed to maintain
America’s standard of living for our children, our grandchildren, and
future generations. I very much hope that it will spark the kind of
tough, honest debate on that topic that it so richly deserves.”
Another notable quote from the report is by Thomas W. Payzant,
Former Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. He states
“Piecemeal reform of public education in America is insufficient to
deliver the promise that every child will receive an education that
leads to a good job, productive life, and responsible citizenship.
The New Commission Report is a coherent, comprehensive,
systemic plan for how to enable public education in America to be
the best in the world.” The report concludes that our current public
K-12 education system cannot be fixed, and therefore it must be
replaced.

The generalization which emerges relates to what I have been

advocating for a very long time. Every high school graduate has to
be competent not only in the two languages (English and
mathematics), but also must be able to analyze, synthesize, use
value judgment, and be able to communicate effectively using
modern technology. In addition to these outcomes, every student
must graduate with a saleable skill to be employed, should he or
she choose not to go on to higher education. In order to achieve all
of the above, we must reorganize and restructure public education
to accommodate every learner.
 50 Building Better Schools

Picture goes here...

“How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century” by Claudia

Wallis
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1568480,00.html

Commentary: On December 16th, 2006, we read the following

headlines: “More Teens Drop Out” in the Miami Herald and
“Dropout Rate in Broward Increases” in the Sun Sentinel. This did
not surprise me, nor should it surprise you. The higher the
standards, the more difficult it is for students to achieve their goals
if the structure and organization of the learning environment is not
changed. In my previous blog entries, my theme is consistent-
“Children learn at different rates and have different preferential
learning styles.” Time must be the variable and mastery the goal. If
students do not fully understand algebra, they will have a difficult
time learning trigonometry. If they have not mastered reading, they
will have a difficult time comprehending high school science
textbooks or the New York Times. The consequences of not
making this change leads to an increase in dropouts and eventually
to an increase in the poverty-level class.

TIME magazine recently ran an interesting article entitled ”How do

we bring our schools out of the 20th Century?” by Claudia Wallis
and Sonja Steptoe. It states “ The world has changed, but the
American classroom, for the most part, hasn’t…kids spend much of
the day as their great grandparents once did: sitting in rows,
Abraham Fischler 51

listening to teachers lecture, scribbling notes by hand, reading from

textbooks that are out of date by the time they are printed.” This
article also introduces a new commission on the skills of the
American workforce. The commission reports that standards of
living are being jeopardized by the current system. The report lays
out a series of steps designed as an integrated approach to change
the entire system. The recommendations include:
· Revamping the high school-college transition.
· Reallocating funds to high priority strategies for improving system
performance.
· Pre-K for all.
· Redesigning how schools are funded.
· Redesigning how schools are managed.
· Educating the current workforce to a high standard.
· Creating personal competitiveness accounts.

I can agree with these recommendations, but the absence of

computer assisted instruction in the core (and the use of the
computer as a research and communications tool for all students),
as well as a learner-centric approach with time and learning style
as variables, are errors of omission. It is only through the use of
technology as a learning tool that will enable us to vary time and
allow each student to master the requisite objectives. Included
below is a link to the total press release from the commission on
the skills of the American workforce.
 52 Building Better Schools

Each Student Needs Creativity, Time and the Basics

Commentary: On Monday, December 4, 2006, I read a wonderful
article by Dorothy Rich in the Miami Herald. In the article, she
incorporates much of what I try to say in my blog. For example, she
states “there are no magic answers for the many teachers and
students in our many classrooms…I would like to have a magic
bullet.” She points out that in every classroom there are individual
students, each with different sets of genes, learning at different
rates, and having different strengths.

Because of the state’s emphasis on testing, teachers are under

such pressure that there is little time for creativity, for allowing
students to derive joy from learning. Learners need hope and
optimism but unfortunately in our educational environment their
natural imaginations are often stifled.

In New York City, there is an area superintendent by the name of

Kathleen M. Cashin, who is responsible for one of the roughest
areas in the New York City School System. In her schools she
reinforces the opportunity for students to utilize their creativity
through group learning. She encourages students to write stories
and discuss their ideas. She also encourages the teachers to take
the time to get to know each student. Through her efforts the
scores in Region 5 have been steadily increasing.
Abraham Fischler 53

I call this blog “The student is the class”. I reiterate that we must
allow time for students to learn the basic core (English and Math),
allow them also to acquire the ability for self-learning through
working in groups, and finally do written and verbal presentations
where they can utilize their higher learning skills and interact with
their peers. The teacher is like a conductor blending all three
modes in a classroom setting, while the utilization of computers
facilitates in the process.
 54 Building Better Schools

Signs of educational change . . . How do we make these the norm?

Commentary: It has been gratifying to read about teachers,
schools and school systems that recognise how important it is to
listen and respond to students’ needs, to use technology to
enhance learning and teaching, and to involve students in
addressing real world problems through a multidisciplinary and
cooperative approach. Here are a few shining examples -- let’s
hope that these approaches become the norm.

1) eSchool News Online’s report on the The National School

Boards Association's 20th annual Technology + Learning. The
description of Kyrene Elementary School District in Tempe, Arizona,
which was named as one of three "Salute Districts" (“given to
districts that effectively use technology to enhance teaching and
learning”), said the following about the Kyrene Teaches with
Technology Project (KTTP):

“One of the keys to the project's success is that district leaders

started with the question of what students need for learning--and
then designed an environment around these needs, instead of the
other way around. Another key to its success is that teachers can
draw upon the support of a "technology mentor" to help them
integrate the laptops into instruction.”
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstoryts.cfm?Articleid=6720
Abraham Fischler 55

2) CNN.com’s coverage of the “School of the Future World

Summit”: “The conference, which drew 250 delegates from 48
countries, was held this week at Philadelphia's School of the
Future, where all students have laptops, there are few books or
pens, and teaching is done in multidisciplinary projects in which
academic skills develop through work on real-world problems.”
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/11/14/life.education.reut/index.html

See also the article by Neal Starkman in T.H.E. Focus, which

discusses one-to-one learning and a student-centered rather than
teacher-centered orientation toward learning.
http://thejournal.com/the/newsletters/thefocus/archives/?aid=19217

By contrast, coverage of a recent National Research Council study

by 15 education specialists states: “U.S. Science Education lags,
study finds: Curriculum, teachers faulted for teaching too
simplistically.” Quoting such coverage: “Part of the problem is that
state and national learning standards for students in elementary
and middle schools require children to memorize often-
disconnected scientific facts, the report said.”
− "U.S. Science Education Lags, Study Finds” – Curriculum,
teachers faulted for teaching too simplistically
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14945518
 56 Building Better Schools

We must teach to each student rather than to a class. We must

teach more than reading, writing and arithmetic. We must
encourage problem solving skills, creativity, fluid enquiry -- this can
be done by involving students in real world problems. If you go
back to the Education System Change Model in my second blog
post, you will see that my definition of tutorial is where we
encourage student-centeredness, problem solving, cooperative
learning, sharing of responsibility, and communication.

The Future of Teaching

As change comes about, the work of the classroom
teacher will change drastically. Instead of leading
groups through standalone lessons, teachers will
increasingly match individuals with learning solutions
aligned with their interests and abilities. Content will
be packaged and delivered asynchronously, allowing
students to work independently and revisit lessons as
needed. Face-to-face experiences will be combined
with digital interactions; geographic boundaries
between teachers and students—as well as between
learners—will become increasingly irrelevant. Bill
Ferriter

http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical/

Commentary: He is on target. We have had individual teachers doing

exciting things but remember we are now speaking about total schools
with thousands of teachers.
Abraham Fischler 57

Questions

Fifty years from now, what will education look like?

The Student will be the Class. We will have had years of

developing the technology and skills and the communication banks
that exist. Ways of communicating throughout the world. Science
experiments could be done remotely if we feed information to a
central point. We can be doing a great number of things. Because
of the network and because of our ability to communicate. Thomas
Friedman is not wrong. The world is flat. In economics it's already
happening. The assembly plant is in one location and the
component parts come from all over, fed into a central assembly
line. So cars are manufactured using components made wherever
people can get them made to meet the quality. Education is the
same thing.

In the books I wrote for teachers, I never answered the question

“What color did you get?” -- I never gave the answers to the
teacher. If you put too much acid in contrast to the base, you are
not wrong. Most books assume that you will do everything
according to the directions, so they assume that you'll get a specific
color. But if you are not so accurate, you'll get another color. You're
not wrong – whatever color you get, that's the color you'll get.

So, if you put the color in the teacher's manual, the teacher would
tell the students “You're wrong. It says that the color is intense pink
and you have pale pink.” So I tried where I could not to give the
teacher the answer, especially with younger kids. Teachers didn't
like the books.
 58 Building Better Schools

Now imagine if the teacher says, “Come over and see what color I
got. Why are our colors different?”

That's where the learning takes place. It's not in the answer.

It takes time. It takes time away from pressure.

While you are working in the reflective environment, they are not
getting comprehension about what is being tested. So the more we
go toward the testing model, the more rigid the classes have to
become.

That's why the school needs the second class area for small-group
projects. Teachers have to be ready to move students into that area
when it's time for analysis.

“Do we really need more charter schools?”

“What are the advantages of charter schools over public

schools?”

There is no reason that we cannot encourage public schools to

have the same liberties as their charter school counterparts.

Public schools tend to have a large number of children from low

income families and therefore have an increased need for the
freedom to accommodate 'each student as the class'. If children are
Abraham Fischler 59

primarily in a success-oriented environment, they tend to behave

differently because they are rewarded in a positive manner. If they
have access to computers that contain software for computer
assisted instruction (CAI), then it is easy to vary time for each
student and give all students the opportunity to be successful. If we
combine CAI with a 'project approach' (i.e., working in small groups
on meaningful problems) in the areas of science and social studies,
students acquire the skills to use technology as a learning tool, a
research tool, and a communication tool. Such improvements --
which may be available in new charter schools -- must be available
in our public schools.

Why do so many students “hate math”?

A good teacher can guide the discussion and
the flow of problems so as to allow the
students to discover and invent mathematics
for themselves. The real problem is that the
bureaucracy does not allow an individual
teacher to do that. With a set curriculum to
follow, a teacher cannot lead. There should be
no standards, and no curriculum. Just
individuals doing what they think best for their
students.
http://www.maa.org/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf A
Mathematician's Lament by Paul Lockhart.
 60 Building Better Schools

Commentary: Many math teachers do not know the

beauty of math. They took one required course in math in
college which is called College Math. Math is a cultural
imperative, a language that one needs to understand the
world we live in. Where do you find the teachers who can
teach math the way that Lockhart describes?

How should students be taught?

Dr. Fischler, do you have any comments about these two
statements that I received from my students? – Steve

How do you want to learn?

I think a student like me should use really
modern methods.
To learn English (or another language),
studying the perfect grammar at school is only
the beginning. The real way to learn English
perfectly is practicing. So it's a really good way
using Facebook (for example, my best friend's
American, so i always talk in English with her
and it really helps me) and then talking about
things we like. You should give the student all
the things you know and then let her choose
the things he/she wants to do. Most teachers
think that being under pressure makes us give
our best. THAT'S NOT TRUE. When I'm anxious
or nervous, I really cannot do anything. It's
like I am blocked. So I think that the right way
to improve is feeling comfortable and doing
things that interest us.
-- Arianna
Costantin<http://www.facebook.com/profile.ph
p?id=1283916007&v=info>, Milano, 13 August
2010
Abraham Fischler 61

What makes a class interesting?

A student's opinion-- I think this class is
interesting and I believe it is because we can
lead the lesson by suggesting topics,
discussing and discovering new things on the
net and changing the program if we don't like
it or find it boring. I can't really suggest a way
to make this class better since we have a lot of
freedom and can change what we are doing
according to what we would prefer much more.

What makes a class boring? The wrong topics,

a boring teacher, bad classmates are things
that can make a class terrible. Choosing a
topic that is not fascinating or not putting
passion in teaching destroys the attention of
the class. Not helping in creating cooperation
within the students is the worst thing a teacher
can do.

I like the fact that students are nice and we get

on I love choosing every day what I want to do
and I'm fond of discovering something I didn't
know, such as "Save the Last Dance For Me" (a
song that was sung in our class).

How can we improve the method? We

could read more books, like the ones about the
method we are experimenting with. And this
would be interesting. Or we could keep some
books on our own as I would like to do
tomorrow, to practice with the reading with
chapters that are more difficult than
newspaper articles. – Giulia Mastrantoni, 6
August 2010
 62 Building Better Schools

Note about “Save the Last Dance”: A teacher

brought his guitar and the lyrics for the song.
He started the class with this question: "Did
you know that the composer of this song was
unable to walk? Now let's listen more closely
to the lyrics." That's what interested Giulia...

Note: More books were brought to the class

the next week, giving the student a chance to
read quotes and longer chapters about
educational theories.

Commentary: Two responses

1) It is best to know enough about your students that you
can start a lesson from their interests. If they are
interested, then they will work. You may have to set up
small groups based on interest.
2 Give students the opportunity to share with others what
they are learning, especially when they reach a point when
they are ready to share. After they have completed their
presentations, positive reinforcement is important. – ASF
Abraham Fischler 63

What’s Next

We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The Student is the

Class, at TheStudentIsTheClass.com. I continue to blog
about these issues and I invite you to send me questions to
comment about.
 64 Building Better Schools

Endnote by a taxpayer
Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a well-
rounded, well-designed CAI system. His first entry at
TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tiered
system that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.
Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) could
invigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who introduced
technology to higher education and distance learning, Dr. Fischler
aims to bring new learning methods and experiences to children
and teenagers currently stuck in school systems that have changed
little since 1950.

As a taxpayer, I'm always looking

for better ways for my tax dollars
to be spent. As a teacher, I want
to work in a school where
students have a role in deciding
what they will study each day. As
a trainer of teachers, I know my
limitations: I can show teachers
what has worked in my classes,
but I don't have the academic
background to explain why the techniques work. I pulled from
Piaget, Friedman, Littky, Gardner and Pink

In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders in
schools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In the
classroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back into
comfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on my
students the same disciplines that I suffered through when I was a
teenager. Some of the techniques work; others should be
improved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selecting
more effective methods. Computers can help students learn – but
Abraham Fischler 65

it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who are
not ready for the potential distractions of a multi-facted computer.

Dennis Littky, an educational pioneer in Providence, R.I., writes that

“Education is everybody's business.” This “quote and commentary”
project began with you in mind. Teacher, student, parent, principal,
taxpayer: you all will find something new and helpful in these
pages.

In the 1930s a little red book spawned a political and cultural

revolution in China. Eighty years later, why can't a small book of
commentaries by the president emeritus of a pioneering university
make a positive change in education?

If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would like
Dr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please send
your request to Fischler@nova.edu.

Steve McCrea

Taxpayer, teacher, advocate of CAI

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 66 Building Better Schools

About the Authors

Dr. Fischler is President Emeritus and University Professor at
Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He
served as President of Nova University from July 1970 to July
1992. Prior to coming to Nova in 1966, Dr. Fischler was
Professor of Education at the University of California,
Berkeley. He began his career in education as a science
teacher and earned his Ed.D. degree at Columbia University.
Subsequently, he became Assistant Professor at the Graduate
School of Education, Harvard University. After his retirement
as President, he served on the Broward County School Board
from 1994 to 1998. Dr. Fischler has been a consultant to the
Ford Foundation, to various State Departments of Education,
and to school districts in a number of states. He has authored
many articles and publications dealing with science education
and advanced teaching methods. He is a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science and a
member of numerous other educational and scientific
organizations.

Hillary Gorski-Howdey is a graduate student of psychology (?) and plans to xxxx.

She is working on a research project involving. As an instructor at Nova
University, she sdsfgsd sfdasdflj asdfasflj;w werqwer;l;lk;q wqerqwer
qwrqwerqw qwerqwe q weqrqw r wqer wqr qwer 23;lnmoijfdafg .s.

Steve McCrea is an advocate of using video in the classroom. His channel on

Youtube (visualandactive) documents ways that teachers can support integrated
lesson plans with technology. He leads the team of teachers that developed the
blended curriculum for QBE schools (Dartmouth, England), harnessing the
cultures of Aiglon College (Villars), the Met Center (Providence, R.I.) and
Maverick Schools (Miami, Fla.): character development (planned hardships,
delayed gratification), mentors, and computer-based instruction (based on the
work of Dr. Abraham Fischler). McCrea is a candidate for Ed.D. In Distance
Instruction at Nova Southeastern University.
Abraham Fischler 67
 68 Building Better Schools

TheStudentIsTheClass.com