I've been grumpy all day, so I've decided to be grumpy about education. A Thread.

What is the purpose of school? Is it "developmental outcomes"? Children grow and develop whether we will or no. All parents know this feeling.

Do we want “critical thinking skills"? It's hard to think a whole lot without any knowledge to think about. Willingham wrote a relevant book.

Do we want students to "apply knowledge to novel situations"? Humans are notoriously bad at transferring knowledge from one domain to another. CP Snow wrote a relevant essay.

Do we want "interpersonal skills"? Teachers aren't therapists. I don't work at a finishing school--do you?

Do we want students to manage their own work? Uh, hello, as any parent of a small child knows, they're notoriously bad at judging the quality of their own work. See also, Dunning-Kruger effect.

Do we want them to "find resources"? How about having the background knowledge the judge the quality of those resources? See also: tree octopus study.

How about "communicate effectively"? Many memes have been made of people who don't stay in their own lane of expertise and knowledge.

"a different kind of...learning than...in prior eras...when learning was...the acquisition of facts" I don't know when learning was all facts, but I'll allow it. Have humans magically evolved? Funny how Cicero's De Oratore mentions mind palaces, used by memory competition winners

I don't know of anyone who can teach "executive functioning." I think that's a function of the developmental stages of the brain. Can we teach organization skills? Sure, but as anyone who's lived w/a partner who fills the dishwasher differently those are a matter of opinion.

You know what helps to teach "resourcefulness"? Resources.

You know what helps to teach "perseverance"? Some evidence that perserverence in this area will pay off. See also, marshmallow study follow-up.

If you think you can teach "resilience" I have this bridge in Arizona I'd like to sell you. Trauma-informed therapy takes literally years, and I am not a therapist.

Should "academic instruction should be motivated by...the world beyond the classroom"? That's a utilitarian view. Some pieces of knowledge are simply beautiful. Not everything has to have external worth--like people, some pieces of knowledge are valid in and of themselves.

Do we want Ss to "struggle first"? Asking Qs that you know S don't have the answer to is mean. I'd drop that class faster than a 400F cast iron skillet. Just tell Ss what you want them to know. Ask them to struggle using it, not be dancing to a tune you've made up to "engage" Ss.

Eschewing the necessity of memorizing key vocabulary, facts, and processes is a facet of the error of expertise. Just because *you* don't struggle remembering those facts doesn't mean that it will be effortless for your students.

It's a fool's errand to ask students to make connections without requiring them to know things first. This is how you end up with a curriculum I bought the other week that banned asking Ss Qs b/c it might make them feel like you're testing them.

You can't add things to schemas if you don't know the things, and you can't deliberately practice the things if you don't know the things, and you can't make connections if you don't have anything to make connections with.

Saying that memorized facts, vocab, & processes aren't valuable is a sign of your own privilege. They aren't valuable *for you,* but that doesn't mean that they're not valuable to other Ss, particularly those who struggle w/working memory.

The purpose of school isn't to provide medical care (although they do). That's what health care workers do.

The purpose of school isn't to provide food (although it does). That's what SNAP, WIC, & similar programs are for.

The purpose of school isn't to provide mental health care (although it does). That's what therapists are for.

The purpose of school isn't to provide clothing (although it does). That's what clothing vouchers are for.

The purpose of school isn't to provide personal care items (although it does). That's what cash assistance is for.

The purpose of school isn't to provide child care (although it does). That's what families, daycares, and camps are for.

The purpose of school isn't to teach students values (although it does). That's the domain of families and religious organizations.

The purpose of school isn't to teach students social skills (although it does). That's the domain of families and therapists.

The purpose of school isn't to provide a supportive environment (although it does). That's the domain of families and child care.

The purpose of school is to teach children knowledge. And if at the end of the day, you've loved children, made them feel supported, and given them emotional skills--that's great, but you've not done your job.

You might be able to get away with that with the most privileged students, who are going to pick up the necessary academics in their home environment. Mom will hire a tutor, pick up a copy of 100 Easy Lessons, nab those math facts flash cards.

If you're after social justice, not teaching our most vulnerable students facts, vocab, and processes in math, science, social studies, ELA, and lit is the most harmful thing you can do as a T b/c you're their access to these bastions of privileged knowledge.

So no, I'm not up for any theory of teaching that doesn't involve, at its core, at the most fundamental point, teaching students to memorize key facts, vocab, and processes.