You Can Always Look It Up, Or Can You?

Hirsch's essay highlights a number of fundamental conflicts in the field of education, among them the issue of "breadth versus depth" and progressivism versus "rote learning." Read his piece and tell us your thoughts on the issues raised.

And with that, I leave you with the immortal words of Dudley Field Malone who once said, "I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me." In other words, be sure to vigorously engage your colleagues in spirited and healthy debate...

Lies My Teacher Told Me

So a couple of you have read Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. The rest of you are in for an interesting read. Check out Loewen's introduction and then draft your response.

While you should continue to evaluate the ideas of your classmates, remember my plea for you to evaluate your own thinking as well. That is, don't accept your first--over even your second or third--thoughts as fact. This practice of dogged self-reflection is what will lead to to real insight on the issues raised. Dig deep. Be willing to get dirty. The real insight's well beneath the surface...