Book PDF 6th Edition Fischler

BU I L D I N G M O R E
RESPONSIVE SCHOOLS
COMMENTARIES BY DR. ABRAHAM S. FISCHLER
QUOTATIONS TO GUIDE TEACHERS,

PRINCIPALS, PARENTS, AND STUDENTS
Quotations were pulled from the works of these authors:
With Hillary Howrey and Steve McCrea
Building More Responsive Schools
Abraham S. Fischler
Copyright 2012 by Abraham S. Fischler

All rights reserved. Quotations by others are quoted for educational
purposes to aid the reader in following the commentaries.
ISBN-13: 978-14782 43594

ISBN-10: 14792 43590
Abraham S. Fischler
CONTENTS
Selected Educational Pioneers ............................................ 5
Introduction ........................................................................ 9
The Problem ........................................................... 9
My Vision for Educational Change .................... 10
What do we need ? .............................................. 12
Short Quotations with Commentaries ............................... 15
Excerpts from abe.TheStudentIsTheClass.com .................. 31
Questions & Answers with Dr. Fischler ............................... 37
Commentaries on others' published works .......................... 42
Comments from the public.................................................. 51
Links for additional reading ................................................ 54
Endnote by a taxpayer .................................................... 57
Seven Points from the Blog ............................................ 63
About the Author and editors ........................................ 60
What's Next? ................................................................... 62
Abraham S. Fischler
The purpose of this book is to introduce teachers, administrators,

parents and students to ideas of education that might be missing in
their lives. As Dan Pink has observed, most institutions have
changed dramatically in appearance and in how they operate since
the 1950s banks, supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals all have
different procedures and employ architecture to improve the
customer's experience. The exception: public schools (2001, page
278).
We have included quotes from over two dozen educational pioneers,
some who are not household names. To give the lay reader an easy
reference to these experts, we begin with a short list of their
accomplishments.
Abraham S. Fischler
SELECTED EDUCATIONAL PIONEERS

ERNEST BOYER (1928-1995)
President of Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching.
BILL FERRITER (1965-)
Science teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina. He can be
reached at wferriter@hotmail.com. His blog is found at
teacherleaders.typepad.com/the_tempered_radical.
THOMAS FRIEDMAN (1953-)

Columnist for the New York Times, author of The World is
Flat (2005). His call for better teaching has inspired
teachers to rethink how they present information to
students.
LOU HOLTZ (1937-)
Motivational speaker and retired football coach.
ELLEN LANGER (1947-)
Professor of social and clinical psychology at Harvard
University. She was the frst woman to earn tenure in the
psychology department at Harvard. She has studied the
illusion of control and decision making.
Abraham S. Fischler
DENNIS LITTKY (1951-)

Author of The Big Picture: Education is Everybodys Business.
His school, the Met Center in Providence, R.I., has
spawned a chain of more than 75 schools in the USA.
TOM MAGLIOZZI (1937-)
One of the hosts of Car Talk on National Public Radio,
author of In Our Humble Opinion: Car Talk's Click and Clack
Rant and Rave (2000).
JAMIE MCKENZIE (1958-)
His article in The WIRED Classroom provides a list of
descriptors of the role of a teacher who is a guide on
the side while students are conducting their
investigations. His website fno.org (from now on) is
recommended for teachers who want to teach better
starting today.
MARGARET MEAD (1901-1978)
Cultural anthropologist.
MARIA MONTESSORI (1870-1952)
Italian pioneer in education.
JEAN PIAGET (1896-1980)
Swiss developmental psychologist.
Abraham S. Fischler
DANIEL PINK (1964-)

Author of A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation, has
several memorable lectures on YouTube (search Drive
Daniel Pink Motivation).
ROBERT REICH (1946-)
Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration.
KEN ROBINSON (1950-)
Author of The Element, Robinson has over 400,000 hits
on his lecture describing how schools remove
creativity.
ROBERT STERNBERG (1949-)
Clinical psychologist who described a theory of human
love.
MARK TWAIN (1835-1910)
Author and humorist.
TOM VANDER ARK (1959-)
Self-described Edu-preneur, blog commentator at
EdReformer.com, former head of the charity funded by
Bill Gates that distributed over $800 million to
education.
W.B. YEATS (1865-1939)
Poet.
Abraham S. Fischler
DENNIS YUZENAS (1957-)

Teacher in West Palm Beach, Florida and webmaster of
WhatDoYaKnow.com.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OexlFZK2g4s
Dr. Fischler described his educational philosophy in this interview.
Abraham S. Fischler
INTRODUCTION
The excerpts from Dr. Abraham S. Fischlers blog
(TheStudentIsTheClass.com) and commentaries by Dr. Fischler are
in standard typeface. Editors remarks are in italics.
THE PROBLEM
t the present time, teachers are working hard

but we are still not fulflling the demands of
our students or our society. Why not? The
schools are set up with an agrarian calendar and teachers
are responsible for teaching to a class as a unit. Time is
fxed and the only variable is performance some pass
and others fail. And, if those who fail do not make up
and achieve the profciency that the test is measuring,
they drift further and further behind. The consequences
are numerous and punishing. How does this instill a love
of learning? This approach does not take into account a
truism: all students can learn, but they learn at different
rates and have different preferential learning styles.
Instead of asking the student to ft the administrative
structure (i.e., the class and arbitrary time periods for
learning subjects and achieving competencies), we must
provide each student with the time and means to
Abraham S. Fischler
succeed. Rather than punish the student who learns

more slowly than the arbitrarily chosen period, we must
treat each student as the class.
We must fnd a way of doing this. Other industries have
made similar changes* and it is now time for education
to do the same.
*FedEx can tell you the location of any package at any
time. Look at banking, which is now available 24 hours a
day through ATMs and you can go to almost any ATM
to withdraw or deposit funds. Both industries invested in
information and delivery systems to meet the needs of
their clients rather than asking their clients to
accommodate to a fxed structure. Now the automobile
industry is enabling customers to order on demand
rather than requiring them to accept whatever is
available in the dealers showroom. In the business world,
however, there is competition that requires companies to
adapt education does not have this catalyst.
MY VISION AND STRATEGY FOR

EDUCATIONAL CHANGE
believe that we in education must make the

investment to do the same for our clients, i.e., each
student. What investment is needed?
There are three modes of instruction: 1) self-paced or
CAI, 2) project or problem-solving and 3) discussion.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Self-paced or computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

requires that each student have access to a computer and
modem and access to the curriculum on a server on a
24/7 basis. Projects and problems should be relevant to
students so they can relate to the given subject area.
For English and Math, we should implement CAI in the
1st grade (and continue thereafter). The reason English
and Math are chosen is that these are the two cultural
imperative languages. If you know these two languages
and are motivated as a self-learner, you can teach
yourself almost anything you want to learn. And, one of
the goals of education is to create self-learners.
For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a project or
problem that is relevant to the student. Once the
problem is defned, the class can be broken down into
groups of 4-5 students in order to research the solution
to the problem. If complex, each of the groups may
study an aspect of the problem. With these subjects, the
student uses the computer as a research tool (after having
learned to read). Students are taught to use search
engines such as Google or Yahoo as well as the internet
made available by teachers for the students to gather
information relevant to them.
Students working in groups learn cooperation, shared
responsibility and communication (face-to-face as well as
e-mail). Having produced a written solution to the
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Abraham S. Fischler
problem utilizing the computer (power point) as a tool,

they can then present to the class for discussion. They
can also use email or a written report to other students as
well as to the teacher.
Arbitrary learning within fxed time periods would be
eliminated, i.e., no 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. grades. Instead,
students would be grouped chronologically with
materials appropriate to their learning level and style
using the CAI approach for English and Math, and the
project-problem-discussion modes for other subjects. The
projects given to the students match the level of English
and Math competencies and are related to the students
(their interests and their lives). For example, in 3rd grade,
how would you study the amount of water that a plant
needs to grow? I would utilize the students Math
knowledge (learned through CAI) for science learning.
Likewise, rather than studying history through
memorization and chronology, it can be studied through
problems based on the immediate environment for
younger children and more abstract concepts in later
grades.
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Abraham S. Fischler
WHAT DO WE NEED TO MAKE THIS

HAPPEN?
In order for this to be implemented, what do we need?
1
2
3
4
5
We need to get the concerned people on board:

Parents, teachers, community leaders, as
Dennis Littky points out, Education is
everybody's business.
We need the hardware computers with
modems and Internet access for each student.
Initiatives like Bring Your Own Device can
help.
We need the management system (many existing

solutions can be adapted) to guide teachers,
principals, students and parents.
We need the curriculum Computer Assisted

Instruction (CAI) for math and English and
creative, relevant problems and projects for other
subjects.
We need to implement teacher training. To begin
to implement change, we need all of these things
in place.
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Abraham S. Fischler
I would like to see a group of elementary and middle

schools, and the high school into which they feed (a
demonstration zone) of some size agree to adopt a
vision where time is a variable and mastery what is
expected from each student. A computer company can
be found to donate (or the zone can buy) a laptop with a
modem for each student. The zone needs to build an
integrated management system in order to be responsive
to what students do and how they learn. Part of the
management system is administrative, part is the CAI
component, and lastly, the management system needs to
record and refect the students learning in non-CAI
instruction (student portfolios). The CAI component
must be self-correcting and use artifcial intelligence so
that the component improves as more students utilize the
program for English and Math. Teacher training is
critical and must be done during the summer prior to
implementation.
We will need teachers to buy into this vision. Parents,
administrators and students will have new roles, too. It
will take a village to pull together the transformation
described here. The process of building the new school
system requires a new mindsetthat iswe must agree
that the Student is the Class. From that central mantra
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Abraham S. Fischler
we can build a new way of looking at education and the

roles we play in making schools work.
Dr. Fischler's principles have been turned into posters in PDF fles, which are
available for downloading from Transform-Education.com.
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Abraham S. Fischler
SHORT QUOTATIONS WITH

COMMENTARIES
EDUCATION IS NOT THE FILLING OF A
PAIL, BUT RATHER THE LIGHTING OF A
FIRE.
W. B . Y E AT S
Due to the pressures that teachers and students are

under since the No Child Left Behind Act, more and
more time is now being spent helping students learn at a
comprehensive level. Little time is left for the skills of
analysis, synthesis and self-judgment.
We put information in but we do not give them time to
massage the information and go through Piaget's process
of assimilation and accommodation at the concept level.
How do teachers instill this fre in a school that focuses on
computer-based instruction?
The computer is a tool to be used in many different
ways. It is a learning tool, it is a research tool, and it is a
communication tool. So it depends on the environment
and how it is orchestrated.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Bloom's taxonomy talks about levels of learning.

Comprehension is the lower level. But the student also
needs time to utilize information for analysis and
synthesis. So the computer could be used for those two
purposes.
In the CAI approach you can reorganize students to
solve problems through projects. Small groups can
improve their communication skills, working in
cooperative teams, sharing research responsibilities, and
giving presentations to the entire class.
We have to provide an environment so that students can
use what they have learned through technology.
Rarely should you see a teacher lecturing in front of a
group of students. That would make the assumption that
all thirty youngsters are ready to receive what you are
presenting and to process the information.
ABILITY IS WHAT YOURE CAPABLE OF
DOING. MOTIVATION DETERMINES WHAT
YOU DO. ATTITUDE DETERMINES HOW
WELL YOU DO IT.
LO U H O LTZ
Having a "can do" attitude and being motivated to

succeed are powerful behaviors. This is one of those
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Abraham S. Fischler
quotes that belong on a wall to remind students of the

importance of self-confdence.
I HOPE THAT IN THE CENTURY AHEAD
STUDENTS WILL BE JUDGED NOT BY
THEIR PERFORMANCE ON A SINGLE TEST
BUT BY THE QUALITY OF THEIR LIVES. I
HOPE THAT STUDENTS WILL BE
ENCOURAGED TO BE CREATIVE, NOT
CONFORMING, AND LEARN TO
COOPERATE RATHER THAN COMPETE.
ER N E S T BO YE R
My test would use the following question: Have we

produced a motivated person with the tools and desire to
keep learning?
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Abraham S. Fischler
OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM SHOULD BE

CREATING MINDFUL LEARNERS.
DENNIS LITTKY
I HAVE BEEN A PSYCHOLOGIST FOR 21

YEARS, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO DO IN
THE PROFESSION WHAT I NEEDED TO DO
TO GET AN A IN MANY OF MY COURSES IN
COLLEGE. IN PARTICULAR, I'VE NEVER
HAD TO MEMORIZE A BOOK OR
LECTURE. IF I CAN'T REMEMBER
SOMETHING, I JUST LOOK IT
UP. HOWEVER, SCHOOLS SET THINGS UP
TO REWARD THE STUDENTS WHO ARE
GOOD MEMORIZERS, NOT JUST AT THE
COLLEGE LEVEL BUT AT MANY OTHER
LEVELS AS WELL.
RO B E RT S T E R N B E RG
It is clear that our schools should prepare students for

real world conditions, where many workers have access
to information. Students and teachers should practice
using smart phones and the Internet.
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Abraham S. Fischler
TOO OFTEN WE TEACH PEOPLE THINGS

LIKE THERE'S A RIGHT WAY AND A
WRONG WAY TO DO EVERYTHING. WHAT
WE SHOULD BE TEACHING THEM IS HOW
TO THINK FLEXIBLY, TO BE MINDFUL OF
ALL THE DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES OF
EVERY SITUATION AND NOT CLOSE
THEMSELVES OFF FROM INFORMATION
THAT COULD HELP THEM.
ELLEN LANGER
I agree. Flexibility is the key to success.
"A GOOD TEACHER KNOWS WHEN TO ACT

AS SAGE ON THE STAGE AND WHEN TO
ACT AS A GUIDE ON THE SIDE. BECAUSE
STUDENT-CENTRED LEARNING CAN BE
TIME-CONSUMING AND MESSY,
EFFICIENCY WILL SOMETIMES ARGUE
FOR THE SAGE. WHEN STUDENTS ARE
BUSY MAKING UP THEIR OWN MINDS,
THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER SHIFTS.
WHEN QUESTIONING, PROBLEM-SOLVING
AND INVESTIGATION BECOME THE
PRIORITY CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES, THE
TEACHER BECOMES A GUIDE ON THE
SIDE."
JA M I E M CK E N Z I E
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"... THE TEACHER IS CIRCULATING,

REDIRECTING, DISCIPLINING,
QUESTIONING, ASSESSING, GUIDING,
DIRECTING, FASCINATING, VALIDATING,
FACILITATING, MOVING, MONITORING,
CHALLENGING, MOTIVATING, WATCHING,
MODERATING, DIAGNOSING, TROUBLESHOOTING, OBSERVING, ENCOURAGING,
SUGGESTING, WATCHING, MODELING AND
CLARIFYING."
THE TEACHER IS ON THE MOVE,
CHECKING OVER SHOULDERS, ASKING
QUESTIONS AND TEACHING MINILESSONS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS
WHO NEED A PARTICULAR SKILL.
SUPPORT IS CUSTOMIZED AND
INDIVIDUALIZED. THE GUIDE ON THE
SIDE SETS CLEAR EXPECTATIONS,
PROVIDES EXPLICIT DIRECTIONS, AND
KEEPS THE LEARNING WELL
STRUCTURED AND PRODUCTIVE.
JA M I E M CK E N Z I E
I NEVER LET SCHOOLING GET IN THE

WAY OF MY EDUCATION.
M A R K T WA I N ( S A M U E L C L E M E N S )
What is the goal? To keep teachers employed? To hand

students a diploma? To transfer skills to a workforce? I
believe that the goal is to produce a motivated person
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Abraham S. Fischler
with the tools and desire to keep learning. We need to

have the humility to see that we teachers and we
principals do not have all of the tools. Students need to
take responsibility for at least part of their learning. Can
we shape the classroom and the curriculum to the shape
and dimension of the student?
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Abraham S. Fischler
NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU HAVE GONE

ON A WRONG ROAD, TURN BACK.
T U R K I S H P ROV E R B ( F RO M T H E B I G P I C TU R E B Y D E N N I S
LITTKY)
We have invested a lot of money and training in the bigbox public high schools. Bill Gates has put a billion
dollars or so into making high schools smaller and into
technology for education. We need to stop, turn around,
and start with the beginning of a students education
lets start with elementary schools. By adding a layer of
computer-mediated instruction over the existing system
and by engaging parents, students, teachers and
principals in a vigorous re-connection with the goal of
education, we can move toward making the student the
class.
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Abraham S. Fischler
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SCHOOLS

PRIMARILY TEACH KIDS HOW TO TAKE
TESTS, A SKILL ONE HARDLY USES IN
REAL LIFE (UNLESS ONE IS A
CONTESTANT ON A QUIZ SHOW).
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PREPARES KIDS
FOR JUNIOR HIGH; JUNIOR HIGH
PREPARES THEM FOR HIGH SCHOOL. SO
THE GOAL (IF WE CAN CALL IT THAT) OF
SCHOOLS IS TO PREPARE KIDS FOR MORE
SCHOOL.
TOM M A G L I O Z Z I
THE TEACHER OF THE FUTURE IS AN

EDU-TAINER: GIVING AN EDUCATION
THAT IS ENTERTAINING
D E NN IS Y U Z E NAS
Should teachers be entertainers? I want to change this

quote to: Learning should be fun for the
learner.
Classrooms should be exciting. Students should be the
performers. Teachers should be facilitators and
motivators, asking students to think about challenging
problems. Teachers should reward success, using
language that make learners feel good about themselves.
You can do it.
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Abraham S. Fischler
As the saying goes: The teacher is a guide on the side,

not a sage on the stage.
For the learner, education is a continuum and it is not
important where the student is housed. What is
important at the end is have we produced a motivated
person with the tools and desire to keep learning? In
order to do that, the learner must achieve competency in
two languages, English and Math. Everything else can be
learned if he or she is motivated to learn and to become
a self learner. Professors make it easier by picking out
what they think is necessary in the particular feld of
knowledge. Thus you can achieve more knowledge in a
shorter time if you work with advisors. They also provide
guidance and help you achieve a number of life skills so
you can function effectively with others and assume your
share of the responsibility for achieving the objectives.
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Abraham S. Fischler
CHILDREN ARE WORKING AS IF I DID

NOT EXIST.
M AR I A M O NT E S S OR I
When students work together in small groups on

projects, they become self-motivated, interested in the
problem that they are working on, and learn to help one
another by sharing responsibilities.
The CAI approach delivers the needed level of
comprehension. Jean Piaget says that we redefne a
concept every time we meet a discrepant event: An event
for the learner that does not ft the concept that he
already has. As a result, the learner has to go through
questions: Did that really exist? How do I modify the
concept to accommodate the new information?
Students go through this when they learn that electrons
might not be particles. Electrons act more like clouds in
certain circumstances.
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Abraham S. Fischler
THE PRINCIPAL GOAL OF EDUCATION IS

TO CREATE MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE
CAPABLE OF DOING NEW THINGS, NOT
SIMPLY OF REPEATING WHAT OTHER
GENERATIONS HAVE DONE.
JEAN PIAGET
In order to do new things, they have a concept of what

ought to be. But now they are confronted with a surprise,
something that does not ft. That is the discrepant event.
Then the individual has to go through assimilation,
asking, Does that really happen? Is that real? What is
true? What am I seeing or what have I been told? What
did I expect to happen?...and then it did not happen.
Then, the student has to go through the process of
accommodation, and modify his mental concept to take
into account something that occurred which they did not
expect. Then they are at equilibrium, and they are
content again, until the next discrepant event is
introduced. When you talk to children, you have to know
their level of comprehension, so you know what
information needs to be provided to help them develop
and become more knowledgeable. The individual
learner must experience these steps. The teacher
introduces the discrepant event, and frst the learners
assimilate and then accommodate the information.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Students at Bova Prep in Boca Raton, Florida
If the student does not have the basic comprehension,

you will miss the mark the information that you think is
a discrepant event will go over his head. For example,
you can tell a six-year-old that the earth is rotating on its
axis at a rate of 25,000 miles per day, and this
phenomenon is what creates day and night. Why don't
we feel it? But, if you were in an automobile and you put
your hand out the window, you would feel that force.
With a six-year-old, you are going too fast. You do better
by starting with day is when the sun is out and night
is when the sun is hidden. You can ask, Why is the
night dark? What gives light to the moon? You can give
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Abraham S. Fischler
a six-year-old a bit of this, but he does not really

understand this concept.
After introducing a discrepant event, we need to give the
student time to process the information.
We tend to start with what the child can observe. Science
for grades 1 to 3, the focus should be on what can you
see?
Explaining that the earth is turning is not going to foster
understanding in younger students. Rather, wait until
they begin to ask you about rotation. However, not all
students will be ready to ask you at the same
developmental time. Some require more time, others
less, but these concepts should be taught around their
proximal zone of development rather than on an
arbitrary schedule that inevitably prevents some students
from being able to grasp the information.
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Abraham S. Fischler
GIVEN THE WIDENING ARRAY OF

POSSIBILITIES, THERES NO REASON
THAT EVERY CHILD MUST MASTER THE
SCIENCES, ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY,
BIOLOGY, OR ANY OF THE REST OF THE
STANDARD HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM
THAT HAS BARELY CHANGED IN HALF A
CENTURY.
RO B E RT R E I C H
There is a core of basic knowledge that one expects from

a person at a certain point in time. I don't expect people
to be experts, but biology is a science. In order to
function as a member of society, it is expected that
people have some knowledge about various sub-topics
within biology. Mastery of certain concepts is expected
according to current ability level. Science is not a
cultural imperative. Knowing our language and basic
mathematics are cultural imperatives; accordingly, I
expect every child to function at a certain level in these
domains. For example, the ability to handle and compute
fractions and percentages is essential to function properly
in society. How would one ever cook or shop effciently
without these abilities? However, I do not expect
everyone to know everything about trigonometry. Robert
Reich is right, as long as we do not say master. We
need a core in all areas and you have to give students the
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Abraham S. Fischler
tools for self-learning: if we can read English and we can

do some math, we know when to doubt and we do not
jump to conclusions without considering the proper
information critically.
You can teach yourself most of the sciences and social
sciences if you have the prerequisite English and Math
skills.
ONE-THIRD OF THE JOBS THAT WILL BE
AROUND TEN TO FIFTEEN YEARS FROM
NOW HAVEN'T BEEN INVENTED YET. WE
ARE NOW AT A POINT WHERE WE MUST
EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN IN WHAT NO
ONE KNEW YESTERDAY AND PREPARE
OUR SCHOOLS FOR WHAT NO ONE
KNOWS YET.
M A RG A R E T M E A D
What can we do if we do not know what we do not

know? The education system of the future needs to be
fexible, more so than our current system.
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Abraham S. Fischler
AS CHANGE COMES ABOUT, THE WORK

OF THE CLASSROOM TEACHER WILL
CHANGE DRASTICALLY. INSTEAD OF
LEADING GROUPS THROUGH
STANDALONE LESSONS, TEACHERS WILL
INCREASINGLY MATCH INDIVIDUALS
WITH LEARNING SOLUTIONS ALIGNED
WITH THEIR INTERESTS AND ABILITIES.
CONTENT WILL BE PACKAGED AND
DELIVERED ASYNCHRONOUSLY,
ALLOWING STUDENTS TO WORK
INDEPENDENTLY AND REVISIT LESSONS
AS NEEDED. FACE-TO-FACE EXPERIENCES
WILL BE COMBINED WITH DIGITAL
INTERACTIONS; GEOGRAPHIC
BOUNDARIES BETWEEN TEACHERS AND
STUDENTSAS WELL AS BETWEEN
LEARNERSWILL BECOME INCREASINGLY
IRRELEVANT.
BILL FERRITER
He is on target. We have had individual teachers doing

exciting things but remember we are now speaking about
total schools with thousands of teachers.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Transformation in education begins when teachers exchange

ideas in a culture that tolerates innovation.
Boca Prep, Boca Raton, Florida, bocaprep.net
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Abraham S. Fischler
EXCERPTS FROM
THESTUDENTISTHECLASS.COM
BEYOND MEMORIZATION: GIVE 21ST
CENTURY STUDENTS TIME TO
UNDERSTAND
We can all agree that it is important for students to
graduate from high school. However, what happens
when graduating from high school does not necessarily
represent an understanding of the basic skills needed in
college and the workplace? More than half of the
students entering public colleges and universities in
Florida need remedial classes in math, reading, and
writing prior to starting their college classes. The
problem is not the amount of money we are putting into
our public schools; rather, the structure and curriculum
of public education needs reform. Memorizing
information for the FCAT or College Placement Test is
not going to equip students with the skills needed for the
21st century.
Students need to learn to analyze, understand, and
explain rather than memorize, recite, and regurgitate
facts and information. A student cannot be expected to
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Abraham S. Fischler
master division if he or she does not know what dividing

numbers truly means. Subjectsparticularly reading and
mathneed to be taught on a students individual
timeframe. Learning should be measured against each
students past markers of progress. We must enable
students to learn at varying rates so they come to
understand and analyze information in a way that is
useful and accessible both to them personally and for the
21st century.
We must change our expectations about time and make
conceptual understanding (not rote repetition) our frst
priority.
TIME MUST BE A VARIABLE FOR STUDENT
SUCCESS
Nowhere in my readings have I found encouragement
and funds to reward systems that are trying to build an
educational environment As long as time is fxed, then student
progress is what is variable within the fxed time frame. Thus,
30% of the student population is punished through
failure.
If we moved in core areas - mainly based on students
mastery and making time a variable. English and Math to Computer Based Learning ("CBL" or Computer
Assisted Instruction CAI), the student becomes the
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Abraham S. Fischler
class and each student is given time to master the

materials. Further, what is learned becomes a tool for
future learning.
In science and social studies, projects that are meaningful
to students can be agreed and assigned. Small groups
then may use technology for research purposes as well as
to make PowerPoint presentations to fellow students.
This transformation cannot be done without the
community, without curriculum design and without
teachers who are trained to utilize the classroom
environment properly.
Student management also is important so that the
teacher, the student and the parent see the progress of
each student. This type of system provides accessibility
to all partners, including the principal and state, as well
as a vehicle to help determine the effectiveness of the
learning environment in the classroom.
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Abraham S. Fischler
ISCHOOL
A new model being used in select NYC schools, called
iSchools, seeks to integrate innovative technology with
project-based curriculum and early results indicate
highly successful outcomes. In this model, groups of
students utilize virtual resources on the internet to
complete research projects and in doing so take pride in
their work and ownership of fnal results. Each student
has his/her own laptop and access to a variety of online
resources, which can be monitored by teachers and
parents using a learning management system. These are
all steps toward creating an environment in which time
can be varied to accommodate the learner. As the
student becomes more inclined to utilize technology and
group-based project research, the skills gained will better
prepare the student to enter post-secondary education
and the 21st Century workforce. Source: eschool.com
IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE IN K-12

No longer can we afford to lose more than 30% of our
high school students to the dropout pool. No longer can
we tolerate the outdated agrarian industrial model. No
longer can we tinker around the edges, substituting book
A for book B or modifying a time dimension within a few
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Abraham S. Fischler
courses. No longer can we afford to leave the structure

and organization of K-12 education the same.
This is the moment - this is the time for real change in
the public schools of this country. We have the
knowledge, the tools and the necessary technology to
create a positive learning environment for the 21st
century. We can focus on the student as the class and
offer individualized instruction based on students'
different learning styles. We can vary time so that those
who need more time to master a concept have the
opportunity to do so. The organization and structure of
our current K-12 system must be changed to
accommodate all learners.
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Abraham S. Fischler
DON'T BLAME THE COMPUTER!

Some schools are dropping the computer because they
failed to get the results they wanted. This is a mistake. A
computer is a tool that must be integrated into the fabric
of the instructional process. By itself, it will not change
nor improve results. The curriculum must be modifed;
the teacher must change his or her role from presenter to
a catalyst for learning. Opportunity must be given to
students to work on real world problems.
The computer can be utilized in many ways, including:
as a learning tool
acquiring and organizing information
communicating within a group
helping to analyze data
creating PowerPoint or other presentations and

sharing with the class
Remember: Do not blame the tool. The learning system
must be changed, and teachers must be trained in a new
learning paradigm rather than what is comfortable or
familiar.
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Abraham S. Fischler
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH DR.

FISCHLER
FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL
EDUCATION LOOK LIKE?
The Student will be the Class. We will have had years of
developing the technology and skills and the
communication banks that exist. There will be new ways
of communicating throughout the world. Science
experiments could be done remotely if we feed
information to a central point. We can be doing a great
number of things because of new networks and because
of our ability to communicate. Thomas Friedman is not
wrong. The world is fat. In economics, it is already
happening: the assembly plant is in one location and the
component parts come from a variety of locations, fed
into a central assembly line. So cars are manufactured
using components made wherever people can get them
made to meet basic quality requirements. We need to
strongly consider using the same approach in education.
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Abraham S. Fischler
PERHAPS TEXTBOOKS WON'T HAVE

ANSWERS
In the science textbooks I wrote for teachers, I never
provided answers to exercise questions. For example, in
questions about a chemistry laboratory experiment
involving titration, I would never answer the question,
What color did you get? I never gave the answers to
the teacher because if you accidentally add too much
acid to the base solution, you are not wrong. Most books
assume that you will do everything precisely according to
the directions, so they assume that you will get a specifc
color. However, if you are not perfectly accurate, you will
get another color. You are not wrong because whatever
color you obtained is the color you obtained in your
experiment.
So, if I had described the color in the teacher's manual,
the teacher would have told the students You are wrong.
It says that the color is intense pink and you have pale
pink. As a result, I tried not to give the teacher the
answer where I could, especially in textbooks meant for
use with younger students. Many teachers did not like
my booksthe uncertainty made them uncomfortable.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Instead, imagine if the teacher tells students, Come

over and see what color I got in my experiment. Why do
you think are our colors different?
This type of experiential learning is what fosters critical
thinking, understanding of broader concepts, and
integration of themes. Students do not receive these
benefts simply by obtaining the answer that is specifed
in the teachers manual.
Instead, learning takes time. It takes time away from
pressure.
While you are working in the refective environment, the
students are not gaining comprehension about what is
being tested. So the more we go toward the testing
model, the more rigid the classes have to become.
That's why the school of the future needs the second
class area for small-group projects. Teachers have to be
ready to move students into that area when it is time for
analysis.
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Abraham S. Fischler
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF

CHARTER SCHOOLS OVER PUBLIC
SCHOOLS?
There is no reason that we cannot encourage public
schools to have the same liberties as their charter school
counterparts.
Public schools tend to have a large number of children
from low-income families and therefore have an
increased need for the freedom to accommodate 'each
student as the class'. If children are primarily in a
success-oriented environment, they tend to behave
differently because they are rewarded in a positive
manner. If they have access to computers that contain
software for computer assisted instruction (CAI), then it
is easy to vary time for each student and give all students
the opportunity to be successful. If we combine CAI
with a 'project approach' (i.e., working in small groups on
meaningful problems) in the areas of science and social
studies, students acquire the skills to use technology as a
learning tool, a research tool, and a communication tool.
Such improvementsthat may be available in new
charter schoolsmust be available in our public schools.
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Abraham S. Fischler
CAN SCHOOLS BE SAVED?

Yes, of course. We have to try. Everything we stand for in
the USA came through schools, so we have to transform
our system of public education.
WHY DO SO MANY MATH STUDENTS

HATE MATH?
Many math teachers do not know the beauty of math.
They studied one required math course in college, which
was named College Math. Math is a cultural imperative,
a language that one needs in order to understand and
function in our world.
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Abraham S. Fischler
HOW DO WE GET THE COMMUNITY

INVOLVED?
Parents, ministers, business leaders, employees, they all

have a stake in the schools, so how do we get them to
participate in this plan?
This takes time.
The
community needs to understand a good deal of the new
philosophy. So we have to take the time before we begin
to implement the system to make sure the community
members are on our side. They know why we're
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Abraham S. Fischler
changing and how we're changing and we are not going

to lose their child because we're going to know more
about their child. The parents are going to get feedback
from their children. Through a computer portal, the
parents can come in and see the children's work, both in
the tutorial and the group presentations.
The curriculum has to be bought for the computerassisted and computer-mediated instruction (CAI and
CMI). Technology has to be in place. Every child needs
access to a computer and students can share computers
and learn together, so there needs to be a minimum of
one computer for two children. They need it for all
three modes of instruction. The computers are not in a
computer room, but rather they are in every classroom.
What's important is that the computer is a tool.
Finally, we have to train the teachers. We have to
organize the school and the structures so that time is a
variable. If we require that every student fnish every
part of the curriculum at the same time without this
fexibility, we will not get the benefts of the
individualized results. We need to allow some students to
take longer to gain mastery. It is true that students start
school at six years old, so they come to schools with
different experiences and language skills, even though
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Abraham S. Fischler
everyone has been alive the same amount of time. We

have to know where each student is, what they bring into
the school, what the setting is at home and the
reinforcement that is necessary for the learning process
to take place. The parent has to be able to work with
the child because the child might be working on
something over the Internet.
This organization has to accommodate the change in
philosophy and the existing organization. Not every
student has to be in academically rigorous high schools.
Not every student needs to be in high school until they
are 18 years old. Some will get out at 17 or 16 and there
may be some students who need an extra year. The
important thing is that the diploma says to the outside
world, This student has reached a level of
mastery in English and math and has the skills
to use technology to be a self-learner. The skills
related to work or to go on to university or the
community colleges. Not every child is oriented to go to
the universities but they all have the skills to continue to
learn after they leave high school.
The community college doesn't have to remediate the
students because the high school diploma isn't issued
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Abraham S. Fischler
until the child has shown mastery. As self-learner that's

what the diploma means.
Time Needed for the Change
You can't do this in one year just as the banking system
couldn't change overnight. You have to wait for all of
the technology, the buy-in by the community and
training are in place. You're adding each year the
incremental equipment. Each student has a computer,
which needs to be purchased when the student comes
into the system. Over a period of time, you continue
operating the old system while you are investing in the
parts for the new
system. This is not
like an automobile
assembly line which
can be shut down for
retooling and in three
months you come up
with new models.
This has to be done
over time while you
are operating under
the existing system.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Everyone wants to know how quickly can it take place?

It depends on the resources you have available over and
above what you are already spending to maintain the
system to move, acquire and gather the necessary tools
and help the teachers learn to use the computer as a tool
for students to learn.
What would outreach to the community look like? New
Learning Institute newlearninginstitute.org has engaged the
neighborhoods around Nightingale Middle School in Los Angeles to
design a plan called the Nightingale Initiative. The plan includes
community resources that the school can use. Learn more at
TheD3lab.wordpress.com.
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Abraham S. Fischler
WHAT WOULD BE THE DROPOUT RATE?

There would be no dropout rate. If a student is an
active participant in the learning process and gets
positive feedback and is enjoying what he's doing
because he's going through success, not failure, then
students stay in school. If you reinforce success, and it's
not fxed in time but related to the student's rate of
learning, then there is no need for the student to drop
out.
It reminds me of an adult playing golf. The frst time
you pick up the club, you fnd out that it's not so easy and
when you fnally hit one good shot, it doesn't mean that
the next shot will be good, too. It takes practice. You
have positive reinforcement because you are playing the
game against yourself. The frst dozen times you shoot
over 100, then you eventually shoot in the 90s, and if you
stay at it and you get reinforcement from those you play
with, you end up getting a lower score. But you won't
break 100 the minute you hit the frst ball. You have to
practice. Don't focus on the balls you hit in the water or
the woods. The structure focuses on your success. You
can help students over the diffcult path and they will stay
with you.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Under the existing system the dropout rate is roughly 30

percent and even more in some inner cities. Dropout
tends to be related to economic backgrounds, so the drop
out rate is generally lower in the suburbs. The economy
determines whether the student succeeds, as does the
home environment. This is why it is important to engage
parents and get their support for this transformation of
education. One of the major reasons for the drop out
epidemic is when a child arrives at school with defcits.
It's very diffcult for them to make up the difference in
the time available and they drift further behind and they
are left back. All the research points out that if you hold
back a student twice, they drop out. If you reinforce the
positives, people enjoy the experience.
We have to
change the orientation and culture of the school.
Stop throwing money at the current system
We can't put money in the existing system and expect
change. The analogy that I use is the propellor vs.
rockets. You can throw all the money you want at the
propellor system, but you'll never get to the moon. You
need a new principle operating with a new fuel that can
operate external to the atmosphere to get to the moon.
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Abraham S. Fischler
We have the same problem in education. We

have created a structure that comes form an age that is
entirely different from the one we have now.
The
demands of society today says that we have to educate
every child to at least have a bona fde high school
diploma and skills to get employed. That's the minimum
requirement we have. We have to take into account what
we know about learning and we have to look at what the
student brings into the school and how to capitalize on
the learning style of the student. The diploma has to be
defned by what the student can do. Time becomes a
variable.
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Abraham S. Fischler
If the student is having trouble from going from A to B

or B to C, that's where the teacher comes in to
differentiate and adapt the curriculum to the needs of
the student. With the CAI and self-paced system, the
teacher has time to sit with individual students. Over
time students that are rapid learners and bright and
motivated are moving at a faster pace. The child who
has more diffculty conceptualizing the material can get
help from the teacher, who now has time to help. The
slower child can get help from a student who has already
mastered the material or a teacher's aide. You can have
students helping another student. This changes the
climate of the school and the parents through the
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Abraham S. Fischler
internet portal sees what the student is doing.

Homework isn't just doing repetitive work, it's being able
to come into the servers and continue to grow because
you are working on projects that you enjoy and you're
motivated to learn.
We have to provide time to let students become
successful. Bringing in good teachers and principals is
not enough. We need the transformed structure, and a
change in philosophy and culture.
Three parts of the transformation: A concerned member of the community, a

teacher and an administrator during a school visit. Dr. Fischler and Dennis
Yuzenas (teacher and webmaster for WhatDoYaKnow.com) listen to the dean
of student life, Richard Tripp, at a school in West Palm Beach, Fla.
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Abraham S. Fischler
COMMENTARIES ON OTHERS
PUBLISHED WORKS
DISRUPTING CLASS
C . M . C H R IS T E N SE N, M . B . H O R N & C . W. J OH N S O N
The authors explain why major changes are required in

public education if we are to educate every child from
every background to fnish high school with the
knowledge and skills needed either to either enter the
world of work or
continue
their
education in the
21st century. This
book
appreciates
the uniqueness of
each
student
(referencing
the
Multiple
Intelligences theory
introduced by Dr.
Howard Gardner)
and recognizes that we need to adapt instructional
methods to match the learning styles of each student. Its
'disruptive innovation theory' explains why it is so
diffcult to move public education from its current focus
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Abraham S. Fischler
on the 'class' to a new and needed focus on the 'student'.

The authors' concept of a future classroom is one that
incorporates technology and software to provide
alternative methods and options for students to achieve
the required objectives. They also encourage an
environment in which students work together on projects
and share and conceptualize their learning rather than
memorize bits of information. Whilst this book
recognizes the need for fexibility within the organization
and structure of the learning environment to
accommodate individual variations, it does not spell out
suffciently the need to vary time because students learn
at different rates.
WHY GO TO SCHOOL?
S TE V E N WO L K , P H I D E LTA K A P PA
The May 2007 issue of Phi Delta Kappan has a

wonderful article written by Steven Wolk entitled Why
go to School? It is a critique of what we are teaching
and how we are teaching. In the article, he states the
following: If the purpose of our schools is to prepare drones to
keep the United States economy going, then the prevailing curricula
and instructional methods are probably adequate. If, however, we
want to help students become thoughtful, caring citizens who might
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Abraham S. Fischler
be creative enough to fgure out how to change the status quo rather
than maintain it, we need to rethink schooling entirely. Mr. Wolk
outlines what he considers to be the essential content for
a new curriculum. The essence of what the article states
is similar to the essence of the early writings found in my
blog.
International exchange student from Hungary in a Florida school

that uses the International Baccalaureate program.
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Abraham S. Fischler
SPEAK UP SURVEY: IS TECHNOLOGY

MISSING THE MARK?
DAV E NA G E L
The nationwide survey polled approximately 270,000

students, teachers, and parents on "subjects ranging from
technology, math, and science instruction to
communications, collaboration, and self expression".
The fndings were very interesting.
The article quotes Julie Evans, CEO of the non-proft

group Project Tomorrow-NetDay as saying that "[m]ost
importantly, this survey shows that technology presents a
unique opportunity to engage students in their corecurricular subjects, such as math and science, by
providing them the high tech tools that raise their levels
of interest in this coursework." Students also expressed
interest in the integration of real-world problem solving,
talking to professionals, and using multimedia and
interactive simulations.
We, as educators, must prepare the youth of this country
to creatively address problems and challengessome
that may have happened before and others undoubtedly
that will be unprecedented. We have gone through many
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Abraham S. Fischler
ages as a nation and world: agricultural, industrial,

technological, information, and now we must enter the
age of creativity. Creativity involves imagination,
innovation, and entrepreneurship along with reasoning,
problem solving, and critical thinking. Listening,
memorizing and regurgitating learned information is no
longer suffcient. We need to do more in our schools
through personalized education. And, in fact, it is even
time for us to consider how to integrate the home
environment into the fabric of the learning process.
TOUGH CHOICES OR TOUGH TIMES

TH E C OM M I SS I O N R EP O RT ( N C E E )
A report by the Commission on the Skills of the

American Workforce (National Center on Education and
the Economy) entitled 'Tough Choices or Tough Times'
has some wonderful recommendations that should be
taken in serious consideration. Therein, Richard W.
Riley, the former Secretary of Education states, The
question this report raises is whether our country has the
kind of education system that is needed to maintain
Americas standard of living for our children, our
grandchildren, and future generations. I very much hope
that it will spark the kind of tough, honest debate on that
topic that it so richly deserves. Another notable quote
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Abraham S. Fischler
from the report is by Thomas W. Payzant, Former

Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. He states
Piecemeal reform of public education in America is
insuffcient to deliver the promise that every child will
receive an education that leads to a good job, productive
life, and responsible citizenship. The New Commission
Report is a coherent, comprehensive, systemic plan for
how to enable public education in America to be the best
in the world. The report concludes that our current
public K-12 education system cannot be fxed, and
therefore it must be replaced.
The generalization which emerges relates to what I have

been advocating for a very long time. Every high school
graduate has to be competent not only in the two
languages (English and mathematics), but also must be
able to analyze, synthesize, use value judgment, and be
able to communicate effectively using modern
technology. In addition to these outcomes, every student
must graduate with a salable skill to be employed, should
he or she choose not to pursue higher education. In
order to achieve all of the above, we must reorganize and
restructure public education to accommodate every
learner.
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Abraham S. Fischler
HOW TO BRING OUR SCHOOLS OUT OF

THE 20 TH CENTURY
C L AU D I A WA L L I S
On December 16th, 2006, we read the following

headlines: More Teens Drop Out in the Miami
Herald and Dropout Rate in Broward Increases
in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. This did not surprise
me, nor should it surprise you. The higher the standards,
the more diffcult it is for students to achieve their goals if
the structure and organization of the learning
environment is not changed. In my previous blog entries,
my theme is consistent- Children learn at different
rates and have different preferential learning
styles. Time must be the variable and mastery the
goal. If students do not fully understand algebra, they
will have a diffcult time learning trigonometry. If they
have not mastered reading, they will have a diffcult time
comprehending high school science textbooks or the
New York Times. The consequences of not making this
change leads to an increase in dropouts and eventually to
an increase in the poverty-level class.
TIME magazine recently ran an interesting article

entitled How do we bring our schools out of the 20th
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Abraham S. Fischler
Century? by Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe. It states,

The world has changed, but the American classroom,
for the most part, hasntkids spend much of the day as
their great grandparents once did: sitting in rows,
listening to teachers lecture, scribbling notes by hand,
reading from textbooks that are out of date by the time
they are printed. This article also introduces a new
commission on the skills of the American workforce. The
commission reports that standards of living are being
jeopardized by the current system. The report lays out a
series of steps designed as an integrated approach to
change the entire system. The recommendations include:
Revamping the high school-college transition.
Reallocating funds to high priority strategies for

improving system performance.
Pre-K for all.
Redesigning how schools are funded.
Redesigning how schools are managed.
Educating the current workforce to a high

standard.
Creating personal competitiveness accounts.

I can agree with these recommendations, but the absence
of computer assisted instruction in the core (and the use
of the computer as a research and communications tool
for all students), as well as a learner-centric approach
with time and learning style as variables, are errors of
omission. It is only through the use of technology as a
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Abraham S. Fischler
learning tool that will enable us to vary time and allow

each student to master the requisite objectives.
EACH STUDENT NEEDS CREATIVITY, TIME

AND THE BASICS
D O ROT H Y R I C H
On Monday, December 4, 2006, I read a wonderful

article by Dorothy Rich in the Miami Herald. In the
article, she incorporates much of what I try to say in my
blog. For example, she states, there are no magic
answers for the many teachers and students in
our many classroomsI would like to have a
magic bullet. She points out that in every classroom
there are individual students, each with different sets of
genes, learning at different rates, and having different
strengths.
Because of the states emphasis on testing, teachers are
under such pressure that there is little time for creativity,
for allowing students to derive joy from learning.
Learners need hope and optimism but unfortunately in
our educational environment their natural imaginations
are often stifed.
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Abraham S. Fischler
In New York City, there is an area superintendent by the

name of Kathleen M. Cashin, who is responsible for one
of the roughest areas in the New York City School
System. In her schools she reinforces the opportunity for
students to utilize their creativity through group learning.
She encourages students to write stories and discuss their
ideas. She also encourages the teachers to take the time
to get to know each student. Through her efforts the
scores in Region 5 have been steadily increasing.
I call this blog The Student is the Class. I reiterate
that we must allow time for students to learn the basic
core (English and Math), allow them also to acquire the
ability for self-learning through working in groups, and
fnally do written and verbal presentations where they
can utilize their higher learning skills and interact with
their peers. The teacher is like a conductor blending all
three modes in a classroom setting, while the utilization
of computers facilitates in the process.
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Abraham S. Fischler
COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

HOW DO YOU WANT TO LEARN?
I think a student like me should use really modern methods. To
learn English (or another language), studying the perfect grammar
at school is only the beginning. The real way to learn English
perfectly is practicing. So it's a really good way using Facebook (for
example, my best friend is American, so I always speak in English
with her and it really helps me) and then talking about things we
like. You should give the student all the things you know and then
let her choose the things he/she wants to do. Most teachers think
that being under pressure makes us give our best. THAT'S NOT
TRUE. When I'm anxious or nervous, I really cannot do
anything. It's like I am blocked. So I think that the right way to
improve is feeling comfortable and doing things that interest us.
- A R I A NA C O N S TA N T I N ( M I L A N O, ITA LY )
WHAT MAKES LEARNING INTERESTING?

A student's opinionI think this class is interesting and I believe it
is because we can lead the lesson by suggesting topics, discussing
and discovering new things on the net and changing the program if
we don't like it or fnd it boring. I can't really suggest a way to
make this class better since we have a lot of freedom and can
change what we are doing according to what we would prefer much
more.
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Abraham S. Fischler
What makes a class boring? The wrong topics, a boring teacher,

bad classmates are things that can make a class terrible. Choosing
a topic that is not fascinating or not putting passion in teaching
destroys the attention of the class. Not helping in creating
cooperation within the students is the worst thing a teacher can do.
I like the fact that students are nice and we get along. I love
choosing every day what I want to do and I'm fond of discovering
something I didn't know, such as "Save the Last Dance For Me"
(a song that was sung in our class).
- G I U L I A M A S T R A N TO N I ( P I AC E N Z A , I TA LY )
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THE

METHOD?
We could read more books, like the ones about the method we are
experimenting with. And this would be interesting. Or we could
keep some books on our own as I would like to do tomorrow, to
practice with the reading with chapters that are more diffcult than
newspaper articles.
G I U L I A M A S T R A N TO N I ( P I AC E N Z A , I TA LY )
1) It is best to know enough about your students that you

can start a lesson from their interests. If they are
interested, then they will work. You may have to set up
small groups based on interest.
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Abraham S. Fischler
2) Give students the opportunity to share with others

what they are learning, especially after they reach a point
when they are ready to share. After they have completed
their presentations, positive reinforcement is important.
DR. ABRAHAM S. FISCHLER
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Abraham S. Fischler
OTHER COMMENTS FROM REVIEWERS

I was shocked when I witnessed a language arts meeting in my
school on Thursday. It was 100 percent FCAT test strategies.
There was no language arts at all! When I brought up authentic
assessment, I was shot down. "This is what we're graded
on" and "We don't have time for the cutesy funsey
stuff" are two replies that stick in my head. This is what
NCLB hath wrought. It's about time we wake up and realize the
severity of the educational crisis we fnd ourselves in. The
disconnect between the people determining educational policy and
the people asked to be the practitioners of that policy is a mile wide
and a mile deep. Dr. Fischler has managed to distill ffty years of
educational research into a manifesto that should be taught to the
policy makers and shared with teachers and parents everywhere.
Dennis Yuzenas, high school teacher, West Palm Beach, Florida, and webmaster of
WhatDoYaKnow.com.
Dr. Fischler tells us that teachers, parents and administrators will

have new roles, and students will be more responsible for their
education in 21st century. It's not about better and more
memorization. It is clear that students will need to work more
flexibly than they have in the past.
Ugur Demiray, Editor, Turkish Online Journal for Distance Education (TOJDE), Anadolu
University, Eskisehir, Turkey. Anadolu University is the largest distance education university
in Turkey with 1.5 million students.
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Abraham S. Fischler
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Abraham S. Fischler
Over the last decades, the world has become increasingly

interconnected. Many aspects of daily life have changed profoundly.
Unfortunately, our school system has not. We must adapt our
teaching methods to the needs of today's students. The student is the
class. This is what Dr. Fischler's book is all about.
Christian Braun, English language teacher, Germany Christian612@web.de
Dr. Fischler makes use of his enormous wealth of knowledge and

experiences to focus our attention on the key problems of education
in the United States today. Being a pioneer of educational reforms,
Dr. Fischler takes us on a short but solid reading which focus on
three main aspects: the time factor in learning, the correct methods
for delivering instruction, the role of technology, and the need to
bring all the main actors together into his vision of the teachinglearning process. A very intelligent selection of educational quotes
guides us through the main aspects in question. This is a necessary
reading for teachers and families. Mario Llorente, teacher, Miami, Fla.
mariopatriot@yahoo.com
While a student at Nova University in the 1980s, I heard a

professor say that there is a certain amount of social responsibility
that we all take on because of our relationship to the community.
That has always stuck with me. This is the power of a single
quotation when presented with commentary and passion. I have
repeated the quotation hundreds of times to students that I counsel.
I believe Dr. Fischler's commentaries will have the same widespread
impact.
Maria Espinosa, guidance counselor, Miami-Dade County Schools, mae33012@gmail.com
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Abraham S. Fischler
Dr. Fischler is qualifed by experience. The wisdom and concepts

in this book, based on his experience, represent the only way to
produce the flexible education system required to prepare every
student for life in the 21stcentury. We, in education, owe it to the
next generation to create the mindset shift that will bring about these
reforms.
Will Sutherland, director, QBEAcademy.net, England QualifedByExperience.com,
ws@QBEglobal.net
Advice from a master. These techniques can be adapted to

classrooms now. I use them everyday.
Matt Blazek, developer of the Blazek CD for Projects and Discussions,
MJBlazek@hotmail.com
An interesting look at modernizing education and improving the

learning process of a student. In essence, it's a manual on helping
a student learn to learn.
Rohit Kilpadi, software applications, Budapest, Hungary
71
Abraham S. Fischler
Search on Youtube.com Abraham Fischler education
72
Abraham S. Fischler
LINKS FOR ADDITIONAL READING

WEBSITESSCHOOLS
BigPicture.org, the Dennis Littky / Eliot Washor organization
CHADphila.org, Charter High of Architecture and Design,
Philadelphia
HighTechHigh.org, San Diego, Calif.**
MavericksinEducation.com, chain of charter schools
MetCenter.org, Providence, R.I.** One of the schools in the Big
Picture network of schools
NewCitySchool.org, St. Louis
(publishers of a widely used workbook
for introducing multiple intelligences in
academics)
Tracy.MHS.schoolfusion.us,
Millennium High School, Tracy,
California. Motto: Aspire, achieve,
advance
73
Abraham S. Fischler
UrbanAcademy.org, New York City** Motto: A small school with

big ideas
**These schools were profled in High Schools on a Human Scale:
How Small Schools can Transform American Education (2003) by Thomas
Toch, introduction by Tom vander Ark, Beacon Press, ISBN 9780807032459
74
Abraham S. Fischler
WEBSITESREFORMERS & PUBLISHERS

ASCD.org, publishers of The Big Picture: Education Is Everybodys
Business (2004) by Dennis Littky and Samantha Grabelle, ISBN
978-0871209719
EdReform.com, Center for Education Reform
EdReformer.com, Tom vander Arks blog, now at
gettingsmart.com
edSpresso.com, newsletter, served hot with a twist
emaginos.com, Jack Taubs site
RevLearning.com, vander Arks investment group
EssentialSchools.org, Coalition of Essential Schools
GatesFoundation.org, funding for education reform
GuideontheSide.com, Steve McCrea, teacher training workshops
New Learning Institute, newlearninginstitute.org, search for d3
lab new learning institute Slogan: Transforming how young
people learn. Sponsored by the Pearson Foundation.
Nightingale Initiative, Nightingale Middle School, Los Angeles.
Search new learning institute nightingale initiative to fnd the 7
75
Abraham S. Fischler
MB PDF update (57 pages) or the original 25 MB version of the

Phase 1 report (47 pages).
media.newlearninginstitute.org/downloads/NightingaleInitiative.pdf
PZ.harvard.edu, Project Zero, Harvard University, teacher

training
QBEAcademy.net, Will Sutherland, innovative curricula
theLearningWeb.net, Gordon Dryden, New Zealand, author of
The Learning Web with Jeannette Vos: How to quit school at 14 and
eventually write a top-selling book about learning.
abe.TheStudentIstheClass.com, Dr. Abraham Fischler's blog
2mminutes.com, Two Million Minutes, Robert A. Comptons
project
WhatDoYaKNow.com, Dennis Yuzenas, master teacher and
trainer, developer of workshops integrating digital portfolios
Other Resources: BIBPenpals.com
BIBPenpals is a program to bring classes together. Professor Jair
da Silva has participated in numerous Skype classes. His English
for Special Purposes class in Florianopolis, Brazil used posters
available from Dr. Fischler for pronunciation practice.
76
Abraham S. Fischler
Contact Jair on Skype
Here's an example of a screenshot from a Youtube video recording

of an in-class Skype call. Students can study the results and replay
the video for students who missed the class.
77
Abraham S. Fischler
Similar results can be obtained by using video-sharing sites like YouTube and
email or social media like Facebook.
78
Abraham S. Fischler
VIDEOS TO SUPPORT TRANSFORMATION

These videos can stimulate discussion.
Dan Heath has produced a series of videos with Fast Company to
guide transformation in business. Schools could use many of the
methods described by Heath. Search dan heath fast company.
These videos have millions of views:

1.1 million views (November 2012) Education
scientist Sugata Mitra tackles one of the greatest
problems of education -- the best teachers and schools
don't exist where they're needed most. In a series of
real-life experiments from New Delhi to South Africa
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Abraham S. Fischler
to Italy, he gave kids self-supervised access to the web and saw results that could revolutionize
how we think about teaching. Sugata Mitra's "Hole in the Wall" experiments have shown
that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each
other, if they're motivated by curiosity and peer interest. (Review reprinted from TED.com).
13 million views (November 2012) Ken

Robinson makes an entertaining and profoundly
moving case for creating an education system that
nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
Robinson challenges the way we're educating our
children. He champions a radical rethink of our
school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence (reprinted
from TED.com).
Over 9 million people have

seen this animate based on
Dan Pink's talk to the Royal
Society of Arts (RSA). Pink
describes his book Drive on
Twitter as follows:
Carrots & sticks are so last century.
Drive says for 21st century work,
we need to upgrade to autonomy, mastery & purpose.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Also available from

danpink.com
Excerpt: The manifesto you

have here offers advice that runs
counter to what you might have
heard elsewhere. Ive found that the
individuals and organizations doing
great things have often flipped the
conventional wisdom. Theyve taken
age-old beliefsand turned them
upside down. What theyre doing, and what Im advising based on their success, represents
smarter advicedespite (perhaps because of) running counter to what many others believe.
New Learning Institute has a collection of videos highlighting the

important work of education leaders and innovators. Go to
NewLearningInstitute.org and click on Film Series.
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Abraham S. Fischler
Found at http://www.newlearninginstitute.org/flm-series.
YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Youtube.com/channelname
BPLearning by BigPicture.org
EdutechFoundation
HTHvideo
QBESchool
Please send your suggestions for
AGuideOntheSide
additional websites and YouTube
VisualandActive
channels.
2MillionMinutes
82
Abraham S. Fischler
ENDNOTE BY A TAXPAYER
Dr. Fischler began blogging in 2006 about the advantages of a
well-rounded, well-designed CAI system. His frst entry at
TheStudentIsTheClass.com lays out the features of a three-tiered
system that could be introduced in a zone of a public school.
Careful implementation of computer-assisted instruction (CAI)
could invigorate a K-12 environment. As a pioneer who
introduced technology to higher education and distance learning,
Dr. Fischler aims to bring new learning methods and experiences
to children and teenagers currently stuck in school systems that
have changed little since 1950.
The photo shows an informal after-class gathering of students,
bringing together people from South America and the Middle
East. These sorts of gatherings are possible when the teacher takes
time to get to know his students and looks for ways to cross
pollinate classes. Why not ask students in a math class to meet
with international visitors who are learning English grammar?
As a taxpayer, I am
always looking for better
ways for my tax
dollars to be spent. As a
teacher, I want to
work in a school where
students have a role in
deciding what they will
study each day. As a
trainer of teachers, I
know my limitations: I
can
show teachers what has worked in my
classes, but I don't have the academic background to explain why
the techniques work that I pulled from Piaget, Friedman, Littky,
Gardner and Daniel Pink.
83
Abraham S. Fischler
In 2009, I saw the need for a small book that the stakeholders in
schools could carry with them and refer to often for guidance. In
the classroom, under pressure to deliver results, I often slip back
into comfortable behaviors, copying my mentors and imposing on
my students the same disciplines that I suffered through when I
was a teenager. Some of the techniques work; others should be
improved. Dr. Fischler's perspective has guided me in selecting
more effective methods. Computers can help students learn but
it's not a good idea to impose digital devices on students who are
not ready for the potential distractions of a multifaceted computer.
Dennis Littky, an educational pioneer in Providence, R.I., writes,
Education is everybody's business. This quote and
commentary project began with you in mind. Teacher, student,
parent, principal, taxpayer: you all will fnd something new and
helpful in these pages.
In 1964, a little red book spawned a political and cultural
revolution in China. Eighty years later, why can't a small book of
commentaries by the president emeritus of a pioneering university
make a positive change in education?
If you have a favorite quotation about education that you would
like Dr. Fischler to consider commenting on in his blog, please
send your request to emeritusassistant@nova.edu.
- S T E V E M C C R E A ( F O RT L AU D E R DA L E , F LO R I DA )
84
Abraham S. Fischler
ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND EDITORS

DR. ABRAHAM S. FISCHLER, ED.D.
Dr. Fischler is President Emeritus and University
Professor at Nova Southeastern University in Fort
Lauderdale, Florida. He served as President of Nova
University from July 1970 to July 1992. Prior to coming
to Nova in 1966, Dr. Fischler was Professor of Education
at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his
career in education as a science teacher and earned his
Ed.D. degree at Columbia University. Subsequently, he
became Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of
Education, Harvard University. After his retirement as
President, he served on the Broward County School
Board from 1994 to 1998. Dr. Fischler has been a
consultant to the Ford Foundation, to various State
Departments of Education, and to school districts in a
number of states. He has authored many articles and
publications dealing with science education and
advanced teaching methods. He is a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
and a member of numerous other educational and
scientifc organizations.
85
Abraham S. Fischler
HILLARY L. HOWREY, M.S.

Hillary is the executive assistant to Dr. Abraham Fischler. Hillary
is a doctoral candidate and psychology trainee in Clinical
Psychology at Nova Southeastern University, having previously
obtained her masters degree in counseling. Hillarys main research
interests include twelve-step based recovery from substance use
disorders, positive psychology, and secondary outcomes (e.g.,
psychological well-being, sense of community, etc.) of individuals
in long-term recovery from substance use disorders.
STEVE MCCREA
Steve McCrea is an advocate of using video in the classroom. His
Youtube channel visualandactive and website GuideOntheSide.com show
ways that teachers can support integrated lesson plans with
technology.
He curates the Network for Educators and
TransformTeaching.org.
86
Abraham S. Fischler
Seven Points from The

Student is the Class
blog
1. Time is a variable: We must provide each
student with the time and means to succeed.
Rather than punish the student who learns more
slowly than the arbitrarily chosen period, we must
treat each student as the class (see Note 1 below).
2. Three approaches of instruction: 1) selfpaced or Computer Assisted Instruction, 2)
project or problem-solving and 3) discussion (see
Note 3 below).
3. One of the goals of education is to

create self-learners. For all other subjects, the
teacher can pose a project or problem that is
relevant to the student. Once the problem is
defned, the class can be broken down into groups
of 4-5 students in order to research the solution to
the problem (see Note 2 below).
4. The culture in a school starts at the top
and filters down. Culture is what you bring to
the table: your experiences, your knowledge, your
personality. It's not better or worse, there isn't a
"good culture" or a "bad culture" because within
the population some people respond to different
cultures in different ways. A school can have open
87
Abraham S. Fischler
(bottom-up) or closed (top-down) management

and still be transformed.
5. Math is a language. Math is a way of using
synonyms. One quarter is like 25 out of 100 or 41
out of 164. Math teaches students about the need
to be fexible.
Suspend judgment. If we anticipate a
particular result or predict what will happen, then
we usually see what we expect to see. Do not
prejudge. Keep your mind open to what is
actually happening in front of you.
6.
Science is a verb. Many people

approach chemistry as a challenge to be
memorized: halogens do this, sodium and fuorine
do that. When asked the difference between
mitosis and meiosis, some people recite defnitions
like a catechism. Instead, let's act out our
learning in science. Let's make the learning
interactive so that we can explain Bernoulli's
principle with a sheet of paper rather than with a
well-rehearsed defnition.
7.
Note 1: Other industries have made similar

changes and it is now time for education to do the
same. FedEx can tell you where any package is at
any time. Look at banking, which is now available
24 hours a day through ATMs and you can go to
almost any ATM to withdraw or deposit funds.
Both industries invested in information and
88
Abraham S. Fischler
delivery systems to meet

the needs of their clients
rather than asking their
clients to accommodate to
a fxed structure. Now the
automobile industry is
enabling customers to
order on demand rather
than requiring them to
accept whatever is
available in the dealers
lot. In the business world,
however, there is
competition that requires
companies to adapt
education has not had this catalyst.
As long as time is fxed, then student progress is
what is variable within the fxed time frame.
Thus, 30% of the student population is punished
through failures.
I would like to share some good news with The
Student is the Class readers. In New York City
Schools, under the direction of Chancellor Joel
Klein, there has been initiated a program wherein
time is used as the variable and competency the
expected outcome. Currently they are building 30
high schools (known as Transfer Schools) where
at risk 9th graders will be given the opportunity to
go through an assessment process from that point
until graduation. If it takes the students fve or six
years to achieve the needed competencies, they
will not be punished along the way; instead they
will be encouraged to reach the goals through the
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Abraham S. Fischler
reinforcement of personal achievements. (12

September 2007, abe.thestudentistheclass.com)
Note 2: If the project is complex, each of the
groups may study an aspect of the problem. With
these subjects, the student uses the computer as a
research tool (after having learned to read).
Students are taught to use search engines such as
Google or Yahoo as well as the intranet made
available by teachers gathering information
relevant for the students. Students working in a
group learn cooperation, shared responsibility
and communication (face-to-face as well as email). Having produced a written solution to the
problem utilizing the computer (power point) as a
tool, they can then present to the class for
discussion. They can also use email or a written
report to other students as well as the teacher.
Note 3: Teachers must be trained to allow each
student to progress at his/her own pace in the
CAI approach, and yet be able to integrate them
into the other two modes. Some teachers fnd it
diffcult to allow students to learn at their own
rate without being actually instructed by them. In
the CAI mode, the teacher should be a motivator
and one who rewards each student for success.
The teacher is responsible for setting the stage for
the other two modes of instruction.
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Abraham S. Fischler
My theme is consistent: Children learn

at different rates and have different
preferential learning styles. Time must be
the variable and mastery the goal. If students do
not fully understand algebra, they will have a
diffcult time learning trigonometry. If they have
not mastered reading, they will have a diffcult
time comprehending high school science
textbooks or the New York Times. The
consequences of not making this change leads to
an increase in dropouts and eventually to an
increase in the poverty-level class. (28 December
2006, abe.thestudentistheclass.com)
Self-paced or computer-assisted
instruction (CAI) requires that each student have
access to a computer and modem and access to the
curriculum on
a server on a
24/7 basis.
Projects and
problems
should be
relevant to
students so
they can
relate to the
given subject area.
For English and Math, we should implement CAI

in the1st grade (and continue thereafter). The
reason English and Math are chosen is that these
are the two cultural imperative languages. If you
know these two languages and are motivated as a
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Abraham S. Fischler
self-learner, you can teach yourself almost

anything you want to learn.
Arbitrary learning within fixed time
periods would be eliminated, i.e., no 1st,
2nd, 3rd, etc. grades. Instead, students would be
grouped chronologically with materials
appropriate to their learning level and style using
the CAI approach for English and Math, and the
project-problem-discussion modes for other
subjects. The projects given to the students match
the level of English and Math competencies and
are related to the students (their interests and their
lives).
Followup: what is next?
Contact Fischler@nova.edu to suggest more
quotations for commentaries.
Use the discussion sheets in the next pages.
92
Abraham S. Fischler
Ask for a collection of free posters in PDF format

from TheEbookman@gmail.com (or download it
from TransformTeaching.org).
Available: Workshops and to assist teachers,
students, parents and principals to work together
to transform schools.
93
Abraham S. Fischler
Extended remarks about culture

Culture is what you bring to the table: your
experiences, your knowledge, your personality.
It's not better or worse, there isn't a "good
culture" or a "bad culture" because within the
population some people respond to different
cultures in different ways.
You might like to work for a manager who is
direct, tells you what to do, you know what he
expects, you know what you will be doing and you
know how you are going to be judged. Another
teacher might not like that.
Another teacher likes someone who interacts with
him and reaches a point where the employees are
helping to defne the policy and the behavior that
they like to respond to. Some teachers don' like a
directive. The directive cuts off communication.
If I tell you, "This is what I want you to do,"
the probability is that you are not going to argue
with me because I'm the authority. Some
employees like that. It's clear to them. They like to
be judged in clear terms. They will give you what
they think you want.
A school can have open (bottom-up) or closed
(top-down) management and still be transformed.
The culture starts at the top.
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Abraham S. Fischler
PRESSURES ON THE PRINCIPAL or

SUPERINTENDENT
What pressures are on a principal? A principal
sits in the middle of a triangle. At the top is the
board of governors, the trustees. In a public
school it's the school board or the superintendent.
On the left are
the staff, on the
right are the
students and
parents. The
students and
parents can make
noise. The staff
can rebel. You're
in the center. You
have to make sure before you make change that
the trustees or the school board have bought into
what your philosophy is. If they buy in, you can
almost escape the staff rebellion and the noise
from the students and parents.
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Abraham S. Fischler
For a discussion in a workshop

Here are some statements.
Please indicate your agreement or
disagreement with each statement.
We will discuss each point.
1. Time is a variable: We must provide each student
with the time and means to succeed. Rather than punish
the student who learns more slowly than the arbitrarily
chosen period, we must treat each student as the
class.
2. There are three approaches for instruction: 1)
self-paced or Computer Assisted Instruction, 2) project or
problem-solving and 3) discussion.
3. One of the goals of education is to create selflearners. For all other subjects, the teacher can pose a
project or problem that is relevant to the student. Once
the problem is defned, the class can be broken down into
groups of 4-5 students in order to research the solution to
the problem.
4. The culture in a school starts at the top and
filters down. Culture is what you bring to the table: your
experiences, your knowledge, your personality. It's not better
or worse, there isn't a "good culture" or a "bad culture"
because within the population some people respond to
different cultures in different ways. A school can have
open (bottom-up) or closed (top-down) management and
still be transformed.
96
Abraham S. Fischler
5. Math is a language. Math is a way of using

synonyms. One quarter is like 25 out of 100 or 41 out of
164. Math teaches students about the need to be fexible.
6. Suspend judgment. If we anticipate a particular
result or predict what will happen, then we usually see
what we expect to see. Do not prejudge. Keep your mind
open to what is actually happening in front of you.
7. Science is a verb. Many people approach chemistry
as a challenge to be memorized: halogens do this, sodium
and fuorine do that. When asked the difference between
mitosis and meiosis, some people recite defnitions like a
catechism. Instead, let's act out our learning in science.
Let's make the learning interactive so that we can explain
Bernoulli's principle with a sheet of paper rather than
with a well-rehearsed defnition.
FOR DISCUSSION
1. In your small group, please discuss and

agree or disagree with these seven points.
2. Describe the methods used by many
teachers in classrooms today.
3. Talk about how you would put the ideas in
this blog into practice. What procedures
would you introduce into your classroom (if
you are a teacher) or into your school (if you
are a principal)?
Talk with your small group about why these
procedures are needed. Why will these
97
Abraham S. Fischler
procedures lead to better results than how

we are teaching today in many classrooms?
Transform-Education.com
TransformTeaching.org
Copyright 2012 by Abraham S. Fischler
It takes time to visit schools, but it's worth it. A school visit shows
us how our colleagues are using the principles of psychology in
education. We can learn by observing. Shown here: Dr Fischler
with Mario Llorente, a teacher in Florida.
98
Abraham S. Fischler
WHATS NEXT?
We invite you to subscribe to the blog, The
Student
is
the
Class,
at
abe.TheStudentIsTheClass.com. I continue
to blog about these issues, so please send your
questions and comments to Fischler@nova.edu.
Transform-Education.com
99
Abraham S. Fischler

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BU I L D I N G M O R E

QUOTATIONS TO GUIDE TEACHERS,

With Hillary Howrey and Steve McCrea

Building More Responsive Schools

Copyright 2012 by Abraham S. Fischler

ISBN-13: 978-14782 43594

Building More Responsive Schools

Building More Responsive Schools

The purpose of this book is to introduce teachers, administrators,

Building More Responsive Schools

SELECTED EDUCATIONAL PIONEERS

THOMAS FRIEDMAN (1953-)

Building More Responsive Schools

DENNIS LITTKY (1951-)

Building More Responsive Schools

DANIEL PINK (1964-)

Building More Responsive Schools

DENNIS YUZENAS (1957-)

Building More Responsive Schools

t the present time, teachers are working hard

succeed. Rather than punish the student who learns

MY VISION AND STRATEGY FOR

believe that we in education must make the

Self-paced or computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

problem utilizing the computer (power point) as a tool,

Building More Responsive Schools

WHAT DO WE NEED TO MAKE THIS

We need to get the concerned people on board:

We need the management system (many existing

We need the curriculum Computer Assisted

I would like to see a group of elementary and middle

we can build a new way of looking at education and the

Building More Responsive Schools

SHORT QUOTATIONS WITH

Due to the pressures that teachers and students are

Building More Responsive Schools

Bloom's taxonomy talks about levels of learning.

Having a "can do" attitude and being motivated to

quotes that belong on a wall to remind students of the

My test would use the following question: Have we

Building More Responsive Schools

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM SHOULD BE

I HAVE BEEN A PSYCHOLOGIST FOR 21

It is clear that our schools should prepare students for

Building More Responsive Schools

TOO OFTEN WE TEACH PEOPLE THINGS

I agree. Flexibility is the key to success.

"A GOOD TEACHER KNOWS WHEN TO ACT

Building More Responsive Schools

"... THE TEACHER IS CIRCULATING,

I NEVER LET SCHOOLING GET IN THE

What is the goal? To keep teachers employed? To hand

with the tools and desire to keep learning. We need to

Building More Responsive Schools

NO MATTER HOW FAR YOU HAVE GONE

Building More Responsive Schools

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SCHOOLS

THE TEACHER OF THE FUTURE IS AN

Should teachers be entertainers? I want to change this

As the saying goes: The teacher is a guide on the side,

Building More Responsive Schools

CHILDREN ARE WORKING AS IF I DID

When students work together in small groups on

Building More Responsive Schools