Textbooks or eLearning, Content Reigns

A school district in Westport, CT recently built its own customized math curriculum that spends less time on more essential concepts, rather than broadly covering more topics.  The argument of the school is that it can go more deeply into certain ideas using tried-and-true tactics from their classrooms than any textbook could hope to.  Textbook companies argue that their courses and books are the result of much research in the field and have been used successfully in myriad schools. 

The real issue here, for me, is how to use online curricula for student success.  A friend who teaches downtown says her school puts Regents prep courses online so they can free up review time in their curriculum.  Several books I’ve read on online learning make the case that online course allow student to move through content at their own paces making the teacher more of a tutor than a whole-class instructor.  The most important point is that online courses be seen as a tool, but not a wonderous magical fix-it for education.  How such courses are used is as important as what content is in them.  

For the whole NY Times article, click below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/08/education/08math.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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