According to the NCEE report to congress, first through fourth grade classrooms that used math or reading software did not fare better than their low-tech counterparts. According to the report:
"Test scores were not significantly higher in classrooms using the reading and mathematics software products than those in control classrooms. In each of the four groups of products-reading in first grade and in fourth grade, mathematics in sixth grade, and high school algebra-the evaluation found no significant differences in student achievement between the classrooms that used the technology products and classrooms that did not."
Instead, smaller student teacher ratios and more use of study materials were significant players.
My conclusion? Computer skills are a must-have in today's marketplace--social and otherwise. Yet computers are no replacement for teachers and good old fashioned study habits.
View the article at The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE)
The NCEE report has been hopping around the education policy circles - and there are two ways to interpret "no significant differences in student achievement."
ReplyDelete1. That software/tech is "no replacement for teachers" - the point that you've made here.
2. That "no significant differences" means that the instructional software performed just as well as a traditional teacher.
I write about/discuss frequently the hollow promises and shaky foundations that make up '21st Century Skills' - it's an educational sham. Having said that, reports like the NCEE's suggest that there might be evidence-based, cost-effective alternatives to our current approaches.
Great to hear from a 'local'!
ReplyDeleteI read the article as saying that there were differences in educational achievement between classes--those with more teachers per student and more use of study material did better, whether they also used the educational software or not... but statistics are always open to interpretation!
We have two colleges here in Oneonta that educate teachers--I'll be following your blog with interest.