Texas GOP opposes teaching "critical thinking skills"

[techs]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...skills-really/2012/07/08/gJQAHNpFXW_blog.html

In the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff department, here’s what the Republican Party of Texas wrote into its 2012 platform as part of the section on education:


Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

Yes, you read that right. The party opposes the teaching of “higher order thinking skills” because it believes the purpose is to challenge a student’s “fixed beliefs” and undermine “parental authority.”

 

[QuantumPion]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...skills-really/2012/07/08/gJQAHNpFXW_blog.html

In the you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff department, here’s what the Republican Party of Texas wrote into its 2012 platform as part of the section on education:


Knowledge-Based Education – We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.

Yes, you read that right. The party opposes the teaching of “higher order thinking skills” because it believes the purpose is to challenge a student’s “fixed beliefs” and undermine “parental authority.”

I see no problem with this. You read the paragraph wrong. They didn't say they are against "higher order thinking skills”. They are against liberal buzzword bullshit teaching methods which are proven failures. Your thread title is totally misleading and factually incorrect.

 

[QuantumPion]

From the article: "It opposes, among other things, early childhood education, sex education, and multicultural education, but supports “school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded.”

Keeping in mind that "early childhod education" = head-start, which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS ADMITTED IS A FAILURE, who has a problem with any of the rest of this?

 

[fskimospy]

I see no problem with this. You read the paragraph wrong. They didn't say they are against "higher order thinking skills”. They are against liberal buzzword bullshit teaching methods which are proven failures. Your thread title is totally misleading and factually incorrect.

Apparently the Texas GOP has also read the paragraph wrong as they have since said that their attack on critical thinking skills was 'a mistake'. If only they had QuantumPion to clarify their own writing to them perhaps this misunderstanding could have been avoided.

 

[zsdersw]

From the article: "It opposes, among other things, early childhood education, sex education, and multicultural education, but supports “school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded.”

Keeping in mind that "early childhod education" = head-start, which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS ADMITTED IS A FAILURE, who has a problem with any of the rest of this?

So sex education and multicultural education is wrong, but anything that emphasizes Judeo-Christian principles is good? Yes, I have a big problem with that.

Stop bringing your social agenda into the classroom... liberals are bad enough when they do it, conservatives shouldn't be doing it too.

 

[dank69]

Double Repost

 

[superccs]

repost, and yeah Texas is a beacon for anti-civilization thinking. Can they just secede already and get taken over by Mexico.

 

[gevorg]

repeat after me:

I am an obedient worker
I am an obedient worker
I am an obedient worker

 

[techs]

repost, and yeah Texas is a beacon for anti-civilization thinking. Can they just secede already and get taken over by Mexico.

There is hope for Texas. Due to changing demographics Texas should be Democratic within 10 years. Unless they figure out a way to keep citizens from voting...

 

[HomerJS]

From the article: "It opposes, among other things, early childhood education, sex education, and multicultural education, but supports “school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded.”

Keeping in mind that "early childhod education" = head-start, which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS ADMITTED IS A FAILURE, who has a problem with any of the rest of this?

Christians = good
Mooslims = bad

Sounds completely rational for the GOP

 

[Kadarin]

Apparently the Texas GOP has also read the paragraph wrong as they have since said that their attack on critical thinking skills was 'a mistake'.

They're only saying it's a mistake because they got called out on it and realized they look like fucking idiots for it.

 

[techs]

Didn't Texas tale Thomas Jefferson out of their history books and replace him with Phyllis Schlafly?

 

[Wreckem]

From the article: "It opposes, among other things, early childhood education, sex education, and multicultural education, but supports “school subjects with emphasis on the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded.”

Keeping in mind that "early childhod education" = head-start, which the DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS ADMITTED IS A FAILURE, who has a problem with any of the rest of this?

1. Christian fiction has no business being taught by the state.

2. They also want to do away with half and full day kindergarten. Not just Head Start. They are also against free school breakfast/lunch.

3. They don't want anything taught that doesn't have a conservative bias because they don't want conservative parents to have to deal with children being taught "liberal" things ie: factual things based in fact and/or science like history, biology, etc. Instead they want to teach bogus shit like intelligent design, and down play people/aspects of history they don't agree with. Just look at the god damn state board of education. Absolutely NO ONE on that board is qualified to be on that board. They push their political and religious agenda, all while Texas continues to sink into the abyss when it comes to education.

4. Yes, Texas DESPERATELY needs to teach sex ed. They currently do not. Abstience Only education(NO Sex Ed) is taught in Texas and it does nothing. Just look at the teen pregnancy rate in Texas(4th highest in the nation). Yes it has dropped in recent years, but its dropped in every state. Just so happens the biggest drops are in liberal bastions like CA etc where they teach actual sex ed.

5. Texas is a very diverse state from a cultural standpoint. Multiculturalism should be taught. White people are already merely a pluarlity, but in 8 or less years hispanics will out number whites. By 2040 Hispanics will have an outright majority not just plurality with non Hispanics only making up 45% of the population

6. Oh yeah you are a moron that knows nothing about Texas or what the Texas GOP is doing to try and destroy the state of Texas.

 

[Wreckem]

There is hope for Texas. Due to changing demographics Texas should be Democratic within 10 years. Unless they figure out a way to keep citizens from voting...

That is their plan, sorta. They are hoping to win against the DOJ and have parts of the Voting Right Acts repealed. Then they will continue to gerrymander and dilute minority voters where even when Hispanics are the plurality they'd still only have the border districts even though the are becoming/will become majorities in most Urban counties.