Comments on: Why I Think Mark Bauerlein is STILL Wrong http://avenue4learning.com/2008/06/05/why-i-think-mark-bauerlein-is-still-wrong/ Ideas for Teaching Students in THEIR World... Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:47:30 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: Michelle Baldwin http://avenue4learning.com/2008/06/05/why-i-think-mark-bauerlein-is-still-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-26 Michelle Baldwin Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:50:42 +0000 http://michelleblogs.edublogs.org/?p=38#comment-26 Glad you made your way here... I've had fun reading the discussion on Will's post, too. You're right. Bauerlein does place some blame in his book on the Boomers... but he didn't label the Boomers "the dumbest." So, again, my point is that we are labeling a group of young people with a very unfortunate label indeed. As an educator, I believe that the self-fulfilling prophecy aspect of labels is the best reason NOT to use labels, and I personally think it was irresponsible of Bauerlein to choose that particular title. Additionally, in his interview on your site, one of his points about why he thinks Gen Y is so dumb-- "...in spite of having more money than any other generation, more access to knowledge... they have actually lost ground on historical knowledge and on reading and verbal test scores." So, more money means they should be smarter? We already know throwing more money at a problem doesn't make it go away. He's also assuming that those reading and verbal test scores are the ultimate assessment tool of what kids know. I argue that there are problems with our testing of THIS generation. We aren't testing what they know... and we're also not teaching them what they SHOULD know. Also look at the groups of people we're educating. 10-20 years ago, test scores reported from public education did not include many of the groups we include now. We ought to be celebrating the fact that we are teaching ALL kids, regardless of background, disability, or even which language is their native language. Ignoring these factors leads people to believe our kids are not performing as well as they did in the past. Here's what his book and all his interviews sound like to me: he was frustrated with a particular age group, because he's to that age where he's forgotten what it's like to be a young person. I'm there myself. But to generalize a whole group of people and say they are the dumbest ignores all the valuable contributions this group HAS brought to our society... and will continue to bring if we know how to nurture them. Just because WE don't know how to teach them, to know what it is they need, doesn't make THEM dumb. And worst of all, calling them the dumbest provides them an excuse for failure. That's just not an option in my book. Glad you made your way here… I’ve had fun reading the discussion on Will’s post, too. You’re right. Bauerlein does place some blame in his book on the Boomers… but he didn’t label the Boomers “the dumbest.” So, again, my point is that we are labeling a group of young people with a very unfortunate label indeed.

As an educator, I believe that the self-fulfilling prophecy aspect of labels is the best reason NOT to use labels, and I personally think it was irresponsible of Bauerlein to choose that particular title.

Additionally, in his interview on your site, one of his points about why he thinks Gen Y is so dumb– “…in spite of having more money than any other generation, more access to knowledge… they have actually lost ground on historical knowledge and on reading and verbal test scores.”

So, more money means they should be smarter? We already know throwing more money at a problem doesn’t make it go away. He’s also assuming that those reading and verbal test scores are the ultimate assessment tool of what kids know. I argue that there are problems with our testing of THIS generation. We aren’t testing what they know… and we’re also not teaching them what they SHOULD know.

Also look at the groups of people we’re educating. 10-20 years ago, test scores reported from public education did not include many of the groups we include now. We ought to be celebrating the fact that we are teaching ALL kids, regardless of background, disability, or even which language is their native language. Ignoring these factors leads people to believe our kids are not performing as well as they did in the past.

Here’s what his book and all his interviews sound like to me: he was frustrated with a particular age group, because he’s to that age where he’s forgotten what it’s like to be a young person. I’m there myself. But to generalize a whole group of people and say they are the dumbest ignores all the valuable contributions this group HAS brought to our society… and will continue to bring if we know how to nurture them. Just because WE don’t know how to teach them, to know what it is they need, doesn’t make THEM dumb. And worst of all, calling them the dumbest provides them an excuse for failure. That’s just not an option in my book.

]]> By: GFS3 http://avenue4learning.com/2008/06/05/why-i-think-mark-bauerlein-is-still-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-25 GFS3 Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:39:42 +0000 http://michelleblogs.edublogs.org/?p=38#comment-25 Hi Michelle: Thanks for linking to the Dark Party interview with Mark. Although I'm unsure if you've read the unfortunately named book he wrote "The Dumbest Generation." Because Mark spends an inordinate amount of time criticizing the Boomer generation for eroding educational standards and traditions. So he does not put the blame entirely on Gen Y -- at all. But there is a little doubt that Gen Y has more income, more leisure time and more opportunity than any generation previously -- and as dozens of studies show -- they struggle with reading, writing, history, politics, geography and civics. Whether we like the term or not -- they are proving to be the dumbest generation. Hi Michelle:
Thanks for linking to the Dark Party interview with Mark. Although I’m unsure if you’ve read the unfortunately named book he wrote “The Dumbest Generation.” Because Mark spends an inordinate amount of time criticizing the Boomer generation for eroding educational standards and traditions. So he does not put the blame entirely on Gen Y — at all.

But there is a little doubt that Gen Y has more income, more leisure time and more opportunity than any generation previously — and as dozens of studies show — they struggle with reading, writing, history, politics, geography and civics.

Whether we like the term or not — they are proving to be the dumbest generation.

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