Testing Is Not Teaching: What Should Count in Education by Donald H Graves

by Donald H. Graves

In the rush to implement high-stakes testing, narrow standards, and top-down management of public education, the interests of two key stakeholders have been ignored: students and teachers. Not anymore.

In Testing Is Not Teaching, his most political book to date, Don Graves focuses on the education issues of our dayand he doesn't always like what he sees. In 22 new essays that are classic Graves, he shows how testing encroaches on teacher freedom; considers how narrow standards can actually reduce student achievement; asks questions that can help teachers to cope with these new restrictions; discusses practices that support humane teaching in a testing environment; and much more.

Graves packs his thoughts into short but substantial essaysnuggets perfect for teacher meetings, planning sessions, teacher reading groups, or individual teachers pressed for time. Whether you know the ins and outs of standards and testing or whether you want to know more, Graves writing will push you toward a better understanding of our current education climate and how it impacts your curriculum.

After twenty years as your mentor in classics like Writing and A Fresh Look at Writing, Don Graves has become your advocate, speaking out because, like you, he cares about your students, your practice, and your professional dignity. If the arrival of testing and other "accountability" measures compromises your classroom, don't let your interests be ignored. Join your voice with Don Graves' and reclaim your practice.

Genres: Education

Paperback

First published September 6, 2002

About the author

Donald Graves was one of the greatest voices of his generation, a plain spoken, thoughtful genius. He was an educator, a writer, an outspoken advocate for educational best practices. His death was a loss too great to put into words for people the world over, whether they were aware of it or not. A Professor Emeritus at the University of New Hampshire, Donald Graves, with the help of mentor Donald Murray and contemporaries like Lucy Calkins and Ralph Fletcher, revolutionized writing instruction in the U.S. with the widespread practice of practical workshop-based language arts instruction. In his decades at the forefront of writing instruction research, Donald offered numerous works that continue to shape the face of instruction today and for the foreseeable future.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all educators. It reaffirms all I know to be true about teaching and learning. I really miss Don's voice in our current education landscape.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had the chance to meet Donald Graves when he was alive. This text was a collection of short essays about topics in writing education. The essay I found the most interesting was the child as an evaluator of their work. In this text, Donald Graves references his other text the Energy to Teach published in 2001. I know this is a text I will read soon. Deep thinking text for my teacher friends but I would recommend to all.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was m first Donald Graves book and I am looking forward to reading more of his work.
He validated many of my teaching practices, in particular our commitment to writing EVERY DAY....
he says, when children write every day they think about the writing even when they are away from it
and the writing stays in motion. Skip a day or two and it's like starting over. How true.

[Ross Bussell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, I had to read this short piece for a graduate course, but it speaks the truth. This isn't anything an education practitioner wouldn't want to read, but for me, it has influenced my own growing research and background on the politics of education. A very telling, truthful scholarly work.

[Jason Courtmanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theory-lite, but an inspring read.

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short collection of essays. Graves is great at getting to the point and shares his feelings and research about teaching and learning.