Is this a putative conspiracy theory Molly? Which particular "hidden
curriculum" are you talking about here? Most certainly, anyone familiar
with the corporate sector (as I am) would agree that it is not wasteful of
its human assets. To the contrary; it generally uses every last bit of
humanity it lays its hands on.
>In fact, it seems to me as I read Cultural
>Psychology by Michael Cole that there was considerable evidence for not
>supporting the current system and for engaging students in 'real activity.'
I find it interesting the way that you and your "not-for-profit"
organisation (which, incidentally, relies heavily on the corporate sector
for its "partnerships") would define _any_ activity as something other than
"real". Could you please give me an example of a non-real activity, please?
I think you will find you have implied an empty set.
Interestingly, what you (barely) implicitly suggest is that anything other
than corporate activity is not real. In this, you echo the Telis
Foundation's non-sequitur sales pitch nicely:
"Today's children are growing up in an information-rich world and many have
little opportunity to take advantage of electronic information because of
poor reading skills, and/or a lack of access to an expanding body of data.
While reading researchers and legislators debate how to best teach children
to read, within classrooms throughout the country many children's learning
needs are not being met.
Educators and politicians alike point to a variety of causes for students'
poor reading performance. These include: the method of approach being used,
large class sizes, inadequate library and textbook resources, poorly
trained teachers, language diversity among children, too much television
watching, and a lack of home support. A number of agencies, including the
U.S. Department of Education, have documented these and other suspected
reasons for students' reading problems ..."
SO TELIS'S SOLUTION ? FORGET SOCIAL DEGRADATION; IF WE COULD JUST GET THE
RIGHT SOFTWARE ...
"What sort of software currently exists for developing literacy in
children? How consistent is the software with accepted principles of
literacy instruction? Most often, commercial software is conceived,
designed, developed and marketed with few, if any, grounded principles of
teaching or learning informing either the creation or the utilization of
these materials. At times, even discredited theories are used to guide
software development, because they provide a "technologically interesting"
framework. Most literacy software, despite all its other frills, is
typically drill and practice, often isolated from "authentic" contexts,
such as reading extended text or writing for a specific, real-life purpose".
http://www.telis.org/body/reading.htm
The "real-life purpose" that Telis's software pitch refers to is, of
course, as nakedly implicit as your own.
>Again, congratulations for your courage and well stated remarks.
One does not require courage to support a prevailing orthodoxy.
Phil
Phil Graham
pw.graham who-is-at student.qut.edu.au
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/8314/index.html