Posted on August 27, 2016 by Joseph P. Farrell
OK, I know, it's too early for another rant on Amairkuhn Edgykayshun and the billionaire busybodies like Bill Gates who want to hurry the process of ruination and dumbing down even more, by more injections of technology. But I have to rant anyway, and you'll probably want to join me after you finish reading this study that was sent to me by Mr. S.D.H. Only in this case, we're talking not just about the dumbing down of Amairkuhn edgykayshun, but also about its numbing down:
What do I mean by numbing down? Well, the above report, while lengthy, says it all, and I cite here a lengthy section from this article to drive the point home:
Impaired cognitive functioning:
Imaging studies have found less efficient information processing and reduced impulse inhibition (Dong & Devito 2013), increased sensitivity to rewards and insensitivity to loss (Dong & Devito 2013), and abnormal spontaneous brain activity associated with poor task performance (Yuan 2011).
In short, excessive screen-time appears to impair brain structure and function. Much of the damage occurs in the brain’s frontal lobe, which undergoes massive changes from puberty until the mid-twenties. Frontal lobe development, in turn, largely determines success in every area of life—from sense of well-being to academic or career success to relationship skills.
In other words, all this "screen time", now enforced through Rotten to the Common Core's individually adaptive computerized tests and "assessments", is doing actual brain damage, and as a result, damage and impairment to children's abilities to recognize and name their emotions. (And please note an additional thing that I've ranted about occasionally: note the use of completely inadequate methods of citation: this is now the [dumbed-down] standard in professional journals: one need no longer cite the article by title, magazine or journal, volume number, and actual page citation where the specific points are to be found, one need only cite the author and year of publication, and one does so by inserting a parenthetical expression in the main text itself, interrupting the smooth flow of argument and the "look on the page"! Had I tried this "now acceptable" nonsense in high school on my papers, Mrs. Connors would have returned the paper with a big red letter F for lack of adequate and proper scholarly citation. But through the efforts of the "educators", these shoddy methods are now considered acceptable. And I say, they are not. They need to be ditched, completely, and professional journals need to insist on the older style of referencing such as I use in my books. Period. End of discussion. No negotiation here.)
Referencing orthography problems aside, the focus of the article is clear: do we want to expose schoolchildren, whose brains are still developing, to the fallacy of "more" (as my co-author Gary Lawrence in Rotten to the (Common) Core put it), to more "obesity, sleep deprivation, mental illness,and radiation"(to cite the article once again). I think the answer is a perfectly clear "no!"
The most damaging study cited by the article, however, is this finding on "technology in the classroom":
Last fall, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development published its first-ever, and one of the largest-ever, international analyses of student access to computers and how that relates to student learning. "Students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes, even after controlling for social background and student demographics."
That's right. Lots of computer time meant worse school performance — by a lot.
A little bit of computer use was modestly positive, the authors found. But countries that invested the most in technology for education in recent years showed "no appreciable results" in student achievement. And, striking at the root of one of the biggest claims made about tech in education, "perhaps the most disappointing finding in the report is that technology is of little help in bridging the skills divide between advantaged and disadvantaged students."
(A) study published in July looked at high-achieving eighth-graders across North Carolina who had the opportunity to take Algebra I online. The study found that they did much worse than students who took the course face-to-face — about a third of a letter grade worse, in fact. The study author, Jennifer Heissel, a doctoral student at Northwestern University, noted that across education research, "There's not a lot of cases where you see these big of drops in high-achieving students. Usually you can throw a lot at them."
So, do we really want students to be spending more time with Bill and Melinda Gates via their computers and standardized tests and electronic textbooks? Well, as one person put it to me in a recent private email to me, not only are the tests proprietary, and hence, not subject to parental scrutiny, the fact that more and more schools are moving to electronic textbooks - amendable at the touch of a button, let us remember - little Johnny or Susie cannot come home and easily point to their schoolbook and ask parent for clarification in many cases, thus removing parental scrutiny from the "texts" themselves. Of course, currently many parents can probably access these "e-texts" via their home computers. But just wait for what's coming down the pike, for you know it as well as I do: the "edugarchy" and their corporate billionaire busybody masters will next come up with some lame excuse to prohibit parents from that access. Remember, the game is total control, so that even parental access to textbook content will have to go inevitably, and the "e-textbook" is a convenient stepping stone to that end.
Recently someone asked me why I think so many modern American schoolchildren cannot, like, talk coherently, like, without like dropping like the word "like" into every, like, sentence, you, like, know, man? Well, like, consider this, like, explanation for the, like, phenomenon:
“Children learn to talk and communicate through interactions with other people. That’s the way it has always been and that’s the way it will continue to be, despite any new technology that comes our way. The first several years of life are crucial for your child’s language development. It is when their brain is the most receptive to learning new language and is building communication pathways that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Once that window closes, it is much more difficult for someone to learn and develop language skills. “Every minute that your child spends in front of a screen is one fewer minute that he could spend learning from your interactions with him or practicing his interactions with you. Screen time takes away from time that could (and should) be spent on person-to-person interactions. “Communication is about interacting with others, the give and take. The speaker responds to the listener’s body language and responses to change and adapt what they are saying. The listener uses non-verbal cues to gain deeper meaning from the speaker’s message. There is so much more going on than the list of vocabulary words that the lady in the video is teaching. Videos do not replace person-to-person interactions for teaching language or communication.”
Dr Farrell's new book on Common Core is only 13.95 on Amazon.
Rotten to the (Common) Core: Public Schooling, Standardized Tests, and the Surveillance State Paperback –
by Joseph P. Farrell (Author), Gary Lawrence (Author), Catherine Austin Fitts (Foreword)
Top Customer Reviews
Compulsory Reading For Those Interested In The Deeper Layers Of Common Core
Rotten to the (Common) Core by Dr. Joseph P. Farrell and Gary Lawrence is a sobering, honest, unique and yet much needed foray into the topic of Common Core.
The main strength of this book is that it doesn't fall for - as the authors note - the ever-present red herring regarding this topic, which is that of focusing on the Common Core curriculum standards, but instead goes beyond that and delves deeper into the inner workings and the "follow-up assessment (testing) process)".
This is quite notable, because unless the populace realizes what are the true issues at hand, the problems we face concerning this growing dilemma cannot be solved to their fullest extent.
In a sense, this book is about the multi-tiered approach by the Edu-garchy [the authors words] which encompass a "complex interlocking network of foundations, professional groups, government agencies, testing services and corporations" that stand to benefit greatly in many ways from the implementation of Common Core in all its unholy glory.
Noted cogently by the authors, they remark that most of the greatest minds of all time [Plato, Tesla, Da Vinci, Dostoyevsky, Mozart, etc.] not only weren't privy to our modern education system, but they thrived without it. However, instead of society proceeding with the classical education model that helped the aforementioned great minds excel, for various reasons we're fast approaching a time of hyper-homogenization of society while also dumbing down society at an immense scale.
The authors incisively note the implications:
"The historical record indicates that, if anything, the implicit collectivist impulse in standardized testing stands in stark contrast to the basic values of individual genius and responsibility that formed the central core of the founding of the republic itself."[1]
Farrell and Lawrence promptly proceed through the bowels of Common Core by beginning with an examination of whistleblower testimony from within the belly of the beast.
From there, various examples of standardized testing are gone through with a fine-toothed comb outlining their inherent [intentional?] flaws of such tests, while also delving into some more disturbing fluid elements that will no doubt leave the reader aghast that such "test questions" are even allowed to see the light of day. In fact, the authors troublingly note that in some cases the there are vacillating metrics taking place on standardized testing. No, this is not said in jest!
Regarding the standardized testing, the authors home in keenly:
"...such tests in the end punish, rather than reward, real ability, with the end result that such tests really measure the ability of an individual to conform to the outlook and interests of the elites composing such tests..."[2]
Thankfully, the authors also touch upon the troubling issue regarding the veritable attack on individuals, their creative potential, and how the system is being set up to establish conformity from every angle imaginable.
Later on, the authors sink their teeth into various components that encompass the edu-garchy in manifesting this top-down educational control/conformity system: the foundations, the agenda pushers and dogma.
The authors even touch upon the fact that at certain points in history the powers that will cease to be even bought into their own propaganda, which might be hard to fathom to some, but goes to show the irony of the matter.
Also, the enormous powers foundations [Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates, etc.] wield in the social engineering of individuals cannot be overstated. These institutions as they currently operate are a true antithesis to freedom, individuality and progress. Folks need to be weary of such foundations as they wield power far beyond their manipulative wholesome appearance.
Other disturbing aspects the authors shed light on regarding Common Core not only include the revolving door between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Educational Establishment, but also the connection of to the CIA, mind control and MK Ultra.
While Farrell's other books will undoubtedly get more attention, this is arguably the most important book he's penned - with co-author Laurence of course - given that it centers upon the top-down educational control grid that will be foisted upon the populace if we don't take action. Topics like the Nazis, Breakaway Civilizations, Ancient Antiquity, Alternative History, et al won't matter if people are too dumb down to be able to understand them, their context, and deeper implications. This is why it's imperative for individuals not only to refuse in every way shape and form this incoming wave of conforming change, but to also strive to further their education away from the current one-size-fits-all system that seeks to dumb people down.
Regarding our plight, the authors note that Common Core is:
"A deliberate plan against liberty and intellectual and pedagogical freedom. In short, the Common Core assessment process and its implicit philosophy and cosmology are nothing but a conspiracy against the individual, and his or her own humanity, genius, and aspirations."[3]
Common Core is one component of the Full Spectrum Dominance humanity is facing. Full Spectrum Dominance is only going to be solved with a Full Spectrum Response. And the only way that takes place is by making sure our education, that of our kith and kin does not get hijacked permanently. This book goes a long way in showing the reader how that will take place if we remain stagnant. That alone is worth the price of the book.
Kindest Regards,
- Zy Marquiez
Rotten to the Core
