Re: [Phys-l] The Myths of Innovation

[Joseph Bellina <jbellina@saintmarys.edu>]

There are research results on this topic.  It is clear that  
innovation of the sort we are talking about will not sustain unless  
there is committment and leadership from the top.  Being a lone  
ranger may work for a while in your class, but in the end systemic  
change across the district requires broad leadership support.
In addition, there are results from LA that indicate, at least in  
terms of state test scores that demographics do not predetermine what  
will happen.  Depending on the leadership style within the schools,  
all having large percentages of free lunch and ELL students, so  
schools are able to improve their scores on the state tests while  
others did not.  I think the report was called something like Same  
Schools, Different Results.
 This sort of change is difficult at best in what is a very complex  
cultural environment.  I am working with a district now, which from  
the top decided to implement a hands on/minds on curriculum.  Most of  
the resistance came from older teachers who were averse to change for  
a variety of reasons.  The most difficult was the leader of the  
union, a stand and deliver science teacher who held an entire school  
back until he moved to a different position in the district.

for what its worth,

joe

Joseph J. Bellina, Jr. Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556

On May 27, 2007, at 11:02 PM, von Philp wrote:

> Hugh said:
> > This, I think, is the result of the "top down" management that is
> > common in public school systems.
>
> Ralph replies:
> Therein lies much of the problem.  In my opinion, we are trying to  
> improve
> student learning by starting at the top.  Whereas I believe that  
> physics
> instruction can be improved with physics education research (and I  
> have
> implemented several of the those techniques that appear to be  
> successful), I
> think the improvement is only minimal.....just scratching the surface.
> Until things change from the other end, THE STUDENTS, then we will  
> not see
> real improvement.  I think we are basically spinning our wheels for  
> the time
> being, making slow, steady, but minimal progress.  And I think the  
> students
> will not begin to change until THE HOME begins to change.  There is  
> such a
> difference between the students that have parents that value  
> education and
> discipline and those that do not.
>
> Hugh said:
> > The impression that I have gotten from science education researchers
> > is that most of them are looking for the "magic bullet," that will
> > guarantee that all students will learn everything presented to them
> > the first time around. Such an instrument simply does not exist.
>
> Ralph replies:
> A frequent poster to these physics education lists years ago was  
> Donald
> Simanek.  He once said, "Nothing works if the students don't."  I  
> believe
> that.  When a student works hard at mastering the subject, they  
> will be
> successful with pretty much any teaching method.  He also said  
> something to
> this effect:  If you wait for someone to GIVE you an education on a  
> silver
> platter, you will wait a long time....you must be pro-active and  
> TAKE an
> education for yourself.
>
> I am not against trying to improve education at the top and all the  
> way down
> to the teacher.  But I do not believe real progress will be made until
> things change at the other end of the equation.  When parents start  
> to be
> parents, we will see major improvement.
>
> ~ Ralph von Philp
>    Boonsboro High
>    Boonsboro, MD
>
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