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Muhammad Ali: A D- Student? Or an F- School? | Beyond School

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Saved by 8 people (-1 private), first by anonymouse user on 2008-04-27


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And teachers - English teachers, especially, but any teacher using writing to assess understanding and merit in your classrooms - ask yourself, in this age of user-created video and audio, if it makes any sense to keep giving the Muhammed Ali’s of our classrooms a D- because they can’t write well, when they can speak well enough to be honored, like Ali was, at Harvard and Oxford. The English teacher in me is uncomfortable with this question, but the history teacher in me thinks it’s justified: Writing is no longer supreme since the Digital Revolution. It’s now on equal footing with Speaking and Graphic Communication. Isn’t it?

Highlighted by alicemercer

In the real world, if you’re trying to proofread an essay, two spellings are not given.

You’re kidding me, right? Two spellings sure as hell are given. I type my essay. I proofread by reading it. If there are spelling errors, I can see them. I right click, there are two spellings.

Highlighted by hfeldman3

on 2008-04-28 by hfeldman3

No, you are not given two spellings. Using the current example of "duel" vs "dual": you type "duel" but the intended meaning is "dual." The computer does not catch this. When proofreading, you cannot see two spellings, you see only your incorrect "duel." If, however, you just plain spell it wrong, perhaps "duil" then yes, you will be presented with various options.

only in English can “ghoti” spell “fish” - lauGH wOmen naTIon

Highlighted by hfeldman3

on 2008-04-28 by hfeldman3

What?

on 2008-04-28 by cburell

gh is an f sound if lauGH. o is an i sound in wOmen ti is a sh sound in naTIon. --Get it? GH O TI = F i SH. The phonetics of English are whacked. German is a perfectly spelled language, by contrast: each word tells you how it sounds.

I swear, after learning the basics by grade 4 (age 10?) or so, I got more valuable “writing instruction” from addictively reading comic books and science fiction in my spare time. That, and talking to my friends and their older siblings. Language is acquired naturally more than through instruction. It’s osmosis.

Highlighted by hfeldman3

in the eye of the average American

Highlighted by hfeldman3

on 2008-04-28 by hfeldman3

The average American does not speak with correct grammar.

we are labeling kids as failures because of the narrowness of current assessment practices. Any narrow assessment scheme that is used punitively will end up hurting someone.

Highlighted by hfeldman3