Wednesday, July 06, 2005

The Education Wonks: The Carnival Of Education: Week 22

The Education Wonks: The Carnival Of Education: Week 22

Quoth the mavens:

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And, of course, your comments and constructive criticism are always most welcome.

There are, I assert, three levels of qualification.
1. Ordained by the Diety. I, ahem, haven't seen this often, 'specially not in the education realm, but I've seen plenty who claim this mantle... or is it a halo?
2. Entitled to have an opinion. A Medical Doctor diagnosing a cough, for instance, or -- ahem, again -- an experienced teacher describing classroom practices. By far the largest of the three groups, there are a couple of points that need to be made.
2a. Such people are appointed, not anointed. They don't, in other words belong in category 1, above. The more they rest on their qualifications in the face of contrary evidence, the more they leave category 2 and fall into
3. Walkin' talkin' examples of why appeal to authority is a logical fallacy.