EricHoefler.com

Response to “In Defense of NCLB”

Saturday, January 27, 2007

I found Dan Meyer’s blog post “In Defense of NCLB” through Chris Lehmann’s post “A Smarter Mind than Mine Takes on NCLB.” I wasn’t planning on writing a blog post today (I have a pile of essays, stories, and scripts to read), but I just couldn’t not respond. Originally, I had planned on [...]

Starting to Think about Gaming

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

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For a while, I’ve been interested in the intersection of gaming and education and the possibilities that both online and offline games have for helping us improve education. My original interest in this was sparked long ago by role-playing games. It always struck me as somewhat amazing the amount of time, thinking, reading, and calculating [...]

Important Things Require Vigilance

Sunday, January 14, 2007

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As the end of the first semester closes in, it’s time to review what I’ve been doing in my classroom. I’ve been aware of the changes in my teaching and teaching philosophy over the last year or so, but only nebulously. I think I’ve needed to allow that vague drifting in order to [...]

Just Juggling

Thursday, January 11, 2007

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I’ve been thinking lately about what makes a “good” teacher. I’ve met and worked with a wide range of “good” teachers during my eight years in education. Some are amazingly organized and maintain impeccable records on their interactions with students and parents; some have trouble finding their desk. Some are excited about [...]

Teaching is Consequential

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

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After what seems like an entire year spent pondering my own path to happiness, I think I’ve finally come to an understanding that is helpful … at least for me. It happened while I was compiling a list of “quotes to live by” for my MySpace page, which in turn was prompted by [...]

Permission to Play

Friday, December 8, 2006

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For about five years, I’ve been running an online community with a few teachers and their students at my school. This year, as “Web 2.0″ continues to expand our educational options, I’ve started finding ways to wrap some of these features into the site, and I’m very excited about the tools we can offer [...]

Studios and Studiousness

Friday, December 1, 2006

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The Brooklyn Free School is an “institutional” example of “unschooling”that I wrote about a few days ago. My same agreements and concernsapply to both, and some of my concerns are apparently shared by parents andorganizers of the free school, evidenced by a few requirements that are startingto creep in: Students will soon have to meet [...]

Evolving Manifestos

Thursday, November 30, 2006

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Clarence Fisher posted his “Mini-Manifesto for Classrooms 2.0” on his blog yesterday. I’ve been working on a manifesto, too … but on my wiki (so I can keep changing it … plus, I don’t have the time or discipline right now to craft a 500-word-or-less version). I particularly like what he has to say about [...]

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Sunday, November 26, 2006

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Home Schoolers Content to Take Children’s Lead – New York Times Today’s New York Times carried an article about “unschooling,” a subculture in home schooling where the learning is led completely by the interests of the child. a philosophy that is broadly defined by its rejection of the basic foundations of conventional education, including not only the [...]

Bill Moyers on Education

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

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These words gave me chills when I read them … and again when I re-read them. Delivered by Bill Moyers to the Council of Great City Schools on October 27, 2006. Teach your kids they don’t have to accept what they have been handed. Teach them they are not only equal citizens under the law, [...]

Helping Students Cheat

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

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I’ve been thinking lately about the difference between teaching knowledge and teaching skills. As the internet changes how we find and use knowledge, it becomes increasingly clear that what we should be teaching are the skills: research, critical analysis, writing, reading a variety of texts, speaking and presenting, etc. When I hear teachers bemoan the [...]

Why Kids Hate School

Thursday, June 1, 2006

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A friend of mine recently told me she was growing concerned because her son, an elementary-school student, started saying he "hates school." It’s troubling, and by the time students reach high school, most feel the same way. What shocks me is not that students say they hate school–that’s nothing new–but that the adult world doesn’t [...]