Similar to what many of you probably do, I find myself frequently yelling at the TV set!  I am so tired of hearing incorrect grammar used by TV commentators, Teachers of the Year, firemen, city council members, college professors, political figures, Congressional staffers, recent college graduates, and people-on-the-street.  "He sung loud and clear...The interview was between him and I...She laid down for her nap just before the house became engulfed in flames...Sally snuck out to the playground...Jim dove into the swimming pool...The bell had rang by the time the police arrived...He and she often goes home early...Neither him nor me are interested in starting the meeting early...The park is more lovelier now than it was ten years ago." 

This week the National Math Panel released its excellent report detailing what is lacking in K-12 math instruction -- an emphasis on the basics. To save the U. S. the time, effort, and funding to appoint yet another panel to study what is lacking in K-12 English courses, I would like to suggest a plan.  Let's take the National Math Panel's report, cross out the words which relate to math, and insert instead the terms which apply to K-12 English courses.  The shortcomings in the teaching of math are basically the same ones that are found in K-12 English courses -- a return to the basics.

To prove my point, I have chosen an article written by Sean Cavanaugh in Education Week (3.19.08) entitled " Panel Calls for Systematic, Basic Approach to Math."  My substitute wording is highlighted in red:

*At various points, the authors also allude to the enduring philosophical battles over how to teach the subject ­commonly referred to as "the English communication wars." Those disputes tend to pit those who argue that students should be grounded more firmly in basic grammar against others who advocate the teaching of "textual intelligence" of grammar and holistic scoring...

But the authors also identify a clear path to prepare students for college English courses and the workforce.  Students should become proficient with verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, noun and pronoun usage, correct use of adjectives and adverbs, punctuation, capitalization, various sentence patterns, simple/complex/compound/compound-complex sentences, typically taught in the 8th or 9th grade, the report says.  State tests, teacher education programs, and textbooks should be tailored to promote those skills; so should the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as "the nation's report card," it says...

The panel's report repeatedly calls for students to be able to recall grammar/usage concepts quickly and effortlessly. It also says that students' difficulty with subject-verb agreement and incorrect usage of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs is "pervasive" and a "major obstacle" to being college and workforce ready...

"To prepare students to be college/workforce ready, the curriculum must simultaneously develop a student's understanding of basic English grammar/usage while at the same time requiring him/her to implement correct English grammar/usage into her/his speaking and writing.  Debates regarding the relative importance of these aspects of grammar/usage knowledge are misguided. These capabilities are mutually supportive, each facilitating the learning of the others..."

Helping Disadvantaged Students

"Children's goals and beliefs about learning are related to their grammar/usage performance. Experimental studies have demonstrated that changing children's beliefs from a focus on ability to a focus on effort increases their engagement in grammar/usage learning, which in turn improves their writing/speaking outcomes. [Research shows] that the engagement and sense of efficacy of African-American and Hispanic students in correct and fluent English communiction tend to be lower than that of white and Asian students, but also that it can be significantly increased...

Teacher- vs. Student-Centered Instruction

"All-encompassing recommendations that instruction should be entirely 'child-centered' or 'teacher-directed' are not supported by research..."

'Explicit' Instruction

"Explicit instruction of grammar/usage with students who have English communication diffculties has shown consistently positive effects on their writing and speaking performance." The panel defines that term to mean "that teachers provide clear writing/speaking models by using an array of examples, students receive extensive instruction and practice in use of newly learned strategies and skills, students are provided with opportunities to think aloud [talking through decisions they make and steps they take], and students are provided with extensive feedback..."

"If your mental energy is consumed figuring out what tense to use or what subject fits the verb when that should have been covered three or four years ago, how are you going to be able to write and speak with sophisticated communication abilities?  Mr. Williams said after the meeting...

But panel members also discovered that some areas related to English communication, such as cognitive studies of how children learn, have produced much more high-quality research than others, such as how to prepare English teachers and give them ongoing professional development, said Mr. Faulkner, the chairman.

"We're going to have to learn more about what makes a good teacher and how to instill" those abilities, said Mr. Faulkner. "Very little is known about these things," he added, "surprisingly little, given [their] importance..."

"This really transcends politics or administrations," Ms. Spellings said.

Link to 3.19.08 Education Week article about the National Math Panel's report.

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