Comments on: Sustained improvement resembles the improvisation of jazz http://dennissparks.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/sustained-improvement-resembles-the-improvisation-of-jazz/ Dennis Sparks offers his views on transforming teaching, learning, and relationships in schools Fri, 17 May 2013 00:09:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Jim Knight http://dennissparks.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/sustained-improvement-resembles-the-improvisation-of-jazz/#comment-776 Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:21:52 +0000 http://dennissparks.wordpress.com/?p=844#comment-776 I’ve always thought the idea of presenting was a lot like Jazz, too. We start out with a plan and then improvise based on the plan. Structure is important, like the melody of the songs–without melody it’s just noise, but the real fun is what happens when we improvise.

]]> By: G. Michael Abbott http://dennissparks.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/sustained-improvement-resembles-the-improvisation-of-jazz/#comment-771 Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:28:52 +0000 http://dennissparks.wordpress.com/?p=844#comment-771 Interesting observation about a children’s book, jazz and children and the educational reform movement. Carrot and stick “motivators,” and scripted jobs may work on an assembly line, but not with teaching, which requires sustained, thoughtful engagement with students. Teaching is not a production line with teachers stuffing knowledge into them. As you said, it’s nuanced, too nuanced to be scripted. But then, lots of money is being made in charter schools, and in making textbooks, tests, and technical gizmos by pushing these thoughtless policies onto teachers and children. These reforms are sucking the life out of genuine education. A generation of children may be damaged before we see what we’ve done.

Mike

]]>