I have become immune to the claim that something is “research based.” When someone has a new, hair-brained scheme they want to push they claim that research has shown it to be effective. Those of us who have been around the track a few times know that anything can be proved by research and that the results are often predetermined by the way the research is structured. In typical fashion educators are rising to the occasion.
When you can’t pull the wool over people’s eyes any more you switch to cotton. If people begin to understand that your words are meaningless, get new words. Develop some new jargon.
At our last faculty meeting I noticed a new term. It may have been used before but I wasn’t listening. The principle admitted that research based doesn’t mean much but the new program was “evidence based.”
Excuse me? What is “evidence based?” Just what it says. The success of a program is based on evidence. Tell me more. As I listened I began to realize that this is even shakier than “research based.” The evidence is all anecdotal. So now our research is simply going around collecting stories that back up your point and ignoring everything else. You don’t need to do all that expensive research and you get the same results. Nifty. This is where post-modern thinking is taking us. If there are no rights and wrongs, if morality is cultural and not absolute, then the truth is what you want it to be. Faking your research is no longer faking your research. It is now creative and builds self esteem.
The scientific method would still be king if it were ever used. The problem is that it is ignored in the quest for grants and political points.
A word to the wise, if it sounds like it doesn’t make sense, it probably doesn’t make sense. Trust you logic and ability to think.
homo unius libri
It's all smoke and mirrors. Ad lots of acronyms and it sounds modern and scientific. Our education department comes up with "new" ideas almost every month which will turn every learner into a genius. Never works, but the keep coming.
ReplyDeleteI've always been amused by the term "independant Study." I suppose there is such a thing, but my "research" has shown no "evidence" of them! ;-)
ReplyDeletePhillip, one of my favorite silly titles was a "Leadership Class" we had for all the juvenile delinquents on campus. You would think people would learn but we forget that most of them went to public school.
ReplyDeleteGeorges, I am glad to know you are doing research. It is more scientific than that done by education because you are actually looking at facts and desiring truth.
Grace and peace, gentlemen.