tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post6195191626421110028..comments2024-03-18T05:43:40.444-04:00Comments on Lisa Nielsen: The Innovative Educator: An unscholarly professor comes out swinging at #StuVoiceLisa Nielsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-30421974511193234972013-02-25T09:57:41.012-05:002013-02-25T09:57:41.012-05:00First I never said that "lay people" hav...First I never said that "lay people" have nothing to teach doctors. My point was that doctors have the most say in what doctors need to know, not people outside the profession. This is not so in education. Second, yes we should care about who is being listened to in education policy decisions. Just because we may like what this author is saying does not make his opinion anymore valid than someone else who writes a book but says things with which you do not agree because of his anecdotal experiences. If, as educators, we want to be in professional control of our profession, we need to demand credentials from spokespeople. I would not accept Mel Gibson as a spokesperson ( expert) on new nuclear power plant design just because he had visited one and did some research. I would demand to know his expertise in nuclear physics and that he understands the underlying mechanisms and systems. Again, I am not bashing Nikhil's book or his opinions, which are based on his research and experiences. I am merely trying to explain what I think is the Chalkface guy's point. Educators need to take back their profession. They need to take on the role of expert. Too often educator's opinions are dismissed in discussion of education policy. In no other area do we set policy without the input of the experts. Alice Flarendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634192093535694594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-9600421502112151692013-02-25T09:30:02.882-05:002013-02-25T09:30:02.882-05:00We'd be happy to link to it when we see it...b...We'd be happy to link to it when we see it...but Johnson critiqued an article that he never read and has yet to be published.Lisa Cooleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13395200368753029675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-78216559890937616832013-02-25T08:33:06.709-05:002013-02-25T08:33:06.709-05:00Could you link to Goyal's writing on the teach...Could you link to Goyal's writing on the teacher prep program? Thanks! Julianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-6900261097678617372013-02-25T08:15:17.180-05:002013-02-25T08:15:17.180-05:00I have a friend who makes a living teaching medica...I have a friend who makes a living teaching medical students communication skills. The idea that lay people have nothing to teach doctors is simply wrong. There's an awful lot about the medical community that could change for the better if ordinary people were listened to. Nobody is treating Nikhil as though he has had a twenty-five year career in education. But his opinions still have the weight of his own experience.Lisa Cooleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13395200368753029675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-80321925871929386602013-02-25T08:11:12.939-05:002013-02-25T08:11:12.939-05:00Who cares why people are listening, as long as the...Who cares why people are listening, as long as they are listening? If Nikhil is the one with the attention right now, I don't begrudge it one bit. He's saying the right stuff, and those who discount his opinion because of his age are wrong to do so.<br /><br />I don't imagine I'm going to continue to agree with everything Nikhil says, but I'll do what I always do when I disagree. I'll argue. With respect.Lisa Cooleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13395200368753029675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-31584215952425428052013-02-25T07:35:32.665-05:002013-02-25T07:35:32.665-05:00@Alice Flarend,
Nikhil is not publishing an opini...@Alice Flarend, <br />Nikhil is not publishing an opinion piece. He is publishing an article. An article that was critiqued by someone who never read it and also is not familiar with the organization that is the focus of the article. <br /><br />As far as students having a voice in education...they absolutely should. Teachers and parents should as well. Lisa Nielsenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07759123507185453030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-47244156419032077372013-02-25T06:40:12.844-05:002013-02-25T06:40:12.844-05:00Yes students should have opinions. But we also ne...Yes students should have opinions. But we also need to decide how much weight we give opinions. Too many times in education, the opinions of people with zero knowledge of the system are given more credence than those of us in the field. And this seems to be unique to the field of education. When is the last time that a patient was asked about the organization of medical school and their opinion was given more weight than that of doctors? And as far as credentials in your face, don't most people call their doctor, Doctor? Looking at the reviews of the book on the website, all of them give credentials so that we will trust their opinions. <br /> I appreciate the work that Nikhil has done, but I question all the attention he receives because of the novelty. In many respects he says the same things that educators have been saying for years but we are ignored. I am concerned that people don't value the opinions of professional educators.Alice Flarendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634192093535694594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-5356627325151902702013-02-24T21:04:23.522-05:002013-02-24T21:04:23.522-05:00Excellent piece Lisa. I am a firm believer in wha...Excellent piece Lisa. I am a firm believer in what Nik and others are trying to do for themselves. I think it's quite amazing to see all that they are accomplishing. We as educators speak constantly about our students needing to create a brand for themselves and take on the world at large. I have heard many educators tell me they wish that more of their students were outspoken and were trying to be apart of society. <br /><br />We should give these students the opportunity to share their opinions fairly and openly.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01683203028433429144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8318734518772387227.post-73630535609155965122013-02-24T20:46:24.200-05:002013-02-24T20:46:24.200-05:00Thank you Lisa and Lisa! You are right on! Thank you Lisa and Lisa! You are right on! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16854964378619588258noreply@blogger.com