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Tony Wagner

Tony Wagner Biography

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“What would a final exam look like in a course organized around a complex problem that must be considered in the light of several disciplines? Students would be asked to write an extended take-home essay about "what it means to be an American."-- and they would know from the first day of class that this was the final exam question. The second part of the final exam would require students to present and defend their papers in a public exhibition where parents would observe and ask questions. The Students’ oral and written work would be assessed on their ability to display a range of evidence to make their points. They would have to meet a performance standard to get a Merit Badge in American Studies.” -- this is the essence of the digital portfolio. (page 139)”

PresentationsExhibitionDigital Portfolios
Book:Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era
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“Four years ago, about 4,900 ninth grades began their high school career in the Boston Public schools. Today there are about 3,400 twelth graders. Nearly one third -- 1500 students -- have dropped out of the class in three and a half years. Almost half of the group that hopes to graduate (1,648) in six months' time has not passed the required standardized test (MCAS).”

Standardized TestsTony WagnerReinvent Schools
Book:Making the Grade: Reinventing America's Schools
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“Students spend their school hours bored, covering irrelevant material, doing mindless tasks, taking far too many standardized tests, and having the creativity and innovation schooled out of them. Our focus shouldn't be to give all kids equal access to the same bad education. We need to reinvent education and give all kids a fighting chance in life. page 58”

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Book:Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era
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“While at Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Tony found himself to be a complete outlier. He was almost constantly at odds with the mainstream of education. He is the first to admit that a doctorate from Harvard is important largely because everyone thinks it’s important. Page 3”

EducationHarvardOutlierTony WagnerDoctorate
Book:Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era
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“Students were asked only factual recall questions and then given a writing assignment that was, in my opinion, more suited to an elementary school class. They were not asked for their interpretations of the story. They were not asked to discuss a real moral dilemma in their lives and compare it to the one in the story. And they were not asked to write an essay where they would have to analyze a theme of an idea using supporting evidence. In other words, there was no intellectual rigor. Chapter 1”

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Author:Tony Wagner
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