Nothing Can Replace a Good Teacher

Jay Matthews

Those who hope 21st-century technological wonders will save our schools should read a recent lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan. It tells the story of Melvin Marshall, a seventh-grader at Barber Focus School in Highland Park.

During the just-completed school year, the lawsuit says, "Melvin was enrolled in a class called 'Virtual Learning English Language Arts,' in which he answered questions on the computer. While he worked on the computer, his teacher graded papers or did other work on her own computer. His teacher did not lecture or use the blackboard for instruction. Melvin did not receive direct instruction from his teacher and was frustrated that, although the computer program would indicate whether he answered a question correctly, it never explained why a particular answer was correct."

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 18, 2012 1:10 AM
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