Use and misuse of words: theory and hypothesis

"'I am taking what you have told me, and what is in this book, and what I have seen and heard, and making an imagining from them.'

"'A hypothesis,' I said, 'That is what Windlow called it.  A hypothesis; an imagining which might be true.'" - "The True Game: Wizard's Eleven", Sheri S. Tepper

How often have you heard an idea is "only a theory", for example, evolution?  Often others retort that gravity is only a theory, but don't walk off a cliff.

All of us should learn to use each word in its proper context.  A hypothesis is an idea that has some basis in facts, but not enough facts are known yet.  A theory is an idea that has a preponderance of facts to substantiate it.  The "four corners of the earth" was a hypothesis based on limited geographical knowledge.  A round earth is a theory based on so much evidence that few of us question whether the earth is round or not.

How many of us are going to use "hypothesis" instead of "theory"?  My hypothesis is that few of us, including me, are going to use these words properly.

Grading teachers, there you go again!

See "Method to Grade Teachers Provokes Battles", Sam Dillon, New York Times, 2010-08-31.

Supposedly somebody's come up with a way to accurately grade teacher performance, but others find many flaws in applying the measures.

However, the major flaw is that teacher performance can be measured on how students perform on standardized tests.  Passing tests is not what made this country great; it was learning to be creative.

Furthermore, if you look back at your own education, which teachers do you think were most effective.  Those who prepared you for tests or those who put a dream in your head?  Who do you remember best?  Miss Grumpy who made you an expert on parsing sentences?  Or Frank McCourt who taught you how to tell your own story?

Libraries in schools, frill or necessity

As I rode up the chair lift with an 8-year-old ski student, I asked her what books she's been reading. She said Judy B Jones. I asked her what the books were about. "She does things." "Does she solve problems or get in trouble?" "Gets in trouble." "Does she figure out how to fix things up?" "Generally."

I asked her if she gets Judy B Jones books at the public library or the school library. "School library". "Which do you prefer, the library or the classroom?" "The library." "Why?" "There are so many books."

There is a whole kid world out there that many adults are unaware of. First, I never heard of Judy B Jones until I talked to this girl about her interests. Second, my own expectation of what names sound like led me to assume the wrong name. The heroine of the books is Junie B Jones!

I found this out by a search of the web. Check http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb/books/books.html
For another series that is exciting kids, see Captain Underpants.

Maybe we have schools organized all wrong. Instead of classrooms where children sit in rows or circles, maybe we should have libraries, labs, workshops, and other activity centers. They would be staffed with teachers who would make suggestions and answer questions. On certain days children would move from one activity center to another. On other days they would choose which they wanted to use and when.

Yes, there should be benchmark tests, but they should be written or oral presentations or they should be demonstrations of skills. The demonstrations could be musical or theatrical performances, an art work, or construction of an object.

In other words, schools should be places where kids imaginations and creativity are allowed to soar. Tests should be something that take advantage of kids' desire to show off.

There is no standardized kid; why should they take standardized tests?