Xtian Fish Badges 4775BlackWater I think you're at least partly misdiagnosing the problem. On the one hand, what you're calling the prescriptive, procedural approach was actually failing a lot of kids. We don't measure things...
Actually, I wasn't remarking on any 'artsy' aspects of the public school program at all. I was remarking on the re-design of primary education using models that were developed mostly by the 'ivory tower' crowd ... left-wing college professors. Sounded GREAT on paper - "We'll just explain the theory of language-math-whatever to seven-year-olds and we're SURE it will improve thier comprehension ...".
Thing is, it didn't - yet because the plans were the product of beloved left-wing profs, neither their students (now teachers) or administrators had the nerve to say "STOP !" and immediately return to the prescriptive, procedural approach that's most effective for young children. Ooooh ... that old way was so *cold*, so 'uncreative', so likely to damage ones 'self esteem' ... just horrible ! Grades are BAD, standards are BAD, spelling stifles creativity, self-esteem is given not earned, let's try 'ebonics' ..... makes me want to puke.
Of course not ALL school districts swallowed the 'improved' methods hook, line and sinker. A FEW stopped at the hook ...
In any event, in my school district, the difference between clbutt years stood out as if you'd seperated 'em with a knife - old way = literate, new way = illiterate. And they STUCK with the 'new way' - actually making it MORE ivory-tower and twisting the grade curve until it was practically bent back on itself - right up until "W" took office.
They waste too much time on the bible stuff ...
Actually, in many cases, they DO test higher ... and the improvements go beyond what you see on a 'fill in the dots' test - there's actually have a little *depth* and *breadth* in what they know. Unless it's a crappy bible school or home-ed program, the kids usually enter public schools a year or two ahead of their peers.
There ARE a fair number of crappy bible schools and home-ed programs alas. Seems like every snake-handling church has a 'school' attached nowdays whether there's anyone worthy to teach there or not. In these, the main idea seems to be religious indoctrination - or at least PREVENTING indoctrination in the mainstream culture.
Hmmm ... I used to own one of those computers, but I don't recall having that program. Got sick of the "guru meditation numbers" always popping up so I trashed the thing.
Clearly though, the program was just GUESSING about the grammar based on a few 'clues'. Too many commas or 'ands' or 'ors' between periods and it would guess it was a run-on sentence. A few common word combos tend to mark pbuttive-voice sentences. (What's so WRONG about pbuttive-voice anyway ?)
WordPerfect has 'Grammatik' which attempts to analyze prose. It doesn't do a very good job IMHO. It didn't like my "tend to mark pbuttive-voice sentences" because the "tend" is the dreaded 'pbuttive voice' even though it's really the proper word. A few common word combos don't ALWAYS mark 'pbuttive voice', they mearly SUGGEST pbuttive voice. More careful, non-mechanized, analysis is required.
"One n' tuh-uddah" depending on where you are.
I understand there are actually courses and tutorial programs aimed at ridding people of their southern "ignt' hillbilly" speaking style - for a fee, of course.
