- Judy
At 07:41 PM 5/7/96 -0700, you wrote:
>I think it's important to study regressive tracts like Stone's, to see
>where they are coming from and what their strategy is, and I think it's
>important to respond forcefully to campaigns like the anti-whole-language
>campaign now going on. An op-ed could be built around the thesis that
>"This is a politically motivated campaign against sound educational
>practices, built on shoddy science and caricatures." Each element of
>that thesis would be illustrated with supporting facts, for example the
>identities and agendas of the organizations that sponsor it, the nature
>of the shoddy science (with specific examples of bias), specific contrasts
>between caricature and reality, specific evidence of the soundness of
>whole language practice, credible alternative explanations for assertions
>such as declining reading scores (presented not as speculation but as
>scientifically supported fact), a clear portrayal of the whole business
>as part of a campaign against public education, and stern rebuke for the
>appeasers in the educational establishment who have gone along with it.
>A particularly important argument is that recommended whole language
>practices, contrary to stereotype, do teach children the formal concepts
>they need to analyze language, while placing those concepts in the context
>of real activities and relationships; this should be portrayed as a rational
>pedagogy for the world as it is, and support for this approach from people
>and organizations who need to hire graduates with deep understanding of
>language will be important supporting evidence. Ignoring attacks, or just
>blowing them off as stupid or merely political without vigorous response,
>is a mistake in my view. To the contrary, it's important to identify
>constituencies who support sound educational practices and public schools,
>and let those folks know in clear, factually supported terms what is at stake.
>That's my opinion.
>
>Phil Agre
>
>
>
Judy Diamondstone
Graduate School of Education
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
10 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
diamonju who-is-at rci.rutgers.edu
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