Who Will Join in My Crusade?

Ah, the joys of coming down with extreme laryngitis.  Sitting at home, feeling not too bad, totally unable to work, way too much time to think....

Science and medicine have been burdened since the beginning with fakers and charlatans who make outrageous claims without any kind of evidential backing.  Think patent medicines (early 20th century), homeopathy, anti-vacination, that sort of thing.  The skeptical movement began in order combat this sort of thing.  Real scientists and doctors take the time to point-by-point refute the nonsense claims and studies done by hacks.

Why can't we get the same kind of movement going for education?  If there is any field more besotted with quacks, and desperately needs a corps of skeptics, I cannot think of it. This group needs to consist entirely of veteran teachers, who openly laugh at their experiences in university ed school.  They need to be fearless and not pull punches.  They need to be knowledgeable both about pedagogy and academics.  They need to be generous and willing to share their work freely with those who desperately need it. 

Dan Willingham has pointed the way with his book, When Can You Trust the Experts?, but it is generalized and is afraid of concrete examples.  We need people who are unafraid of saying, "Program X is rubbish.  It will not work in the classroom.  Here's why...." And then goes on to list all the reasons.  Tom Bennett has made a start with Teacher Proof, but at $25 a pop for the ebook, it's doubtful very many of us will ever read it.  And besides which, there is a thick layer of bullshit covering the educational garden, one guy with a shovel ain't up to the task of removing it all.

The rising tide of crap is sinking all boats.