Many teachers completely avoid the subject of politics in the classroom while others feel it is their responsibility to share their political agendas with their students. I imagine most teachers fall somewhere in between. I believe that discussing politics and current events in the classroom is a vital component of a liberal arts education.
My approach is to always express both sides of an issue, sometimes three or four sides. An educator’s role is not to indoctrinate but to enlighten. Our goal should be to teach young people how to research the facts so they can draw their own conclusions.
In my 12th grade Personal Finance class I include a unit called Taxpayer Responsibility. I begin by explaining the general agendas of today’s political parties. I explain that the basic mindset of the Democratic Party is that that government is responsible for taking care of people. Restrictions on business are necessary to protect people and the environment from negative business practices and any negative impact of business on society and the environment.
Our Republican legislators generally support laws that limit restrictions on business. Their mindset is that businesses create jobs and wealth and government-imposed restrictions limit jobs and wealth. Republicans try to reduce taxes on business and individuals and do not believe that it is the government’s responsibility to provide financial support for citizens. They also advocate for a strong military.
Libertarians strive for smaller government. They want to reduce business and individual taxes and social programs. Many Libertarians believe that large countries, like the United States of America, should not be heavily involved in world politics and should limit military and humanitarian aid. They also want to eliminate government restrictions on businesses and also on individuals.
There are a number of other political parties, such as the Green Party, which has an agenda related to caring for the planet. All of these parties have good intentions, they just see the world differently.
I explain to my students that they should understand the motivations of political parties so that when it is time to vote they can choose a candidate that represents their personal beliefs and agendas. I also teach how to locate resources to learn more about candidates. I demonstrate how to use https://www.govtrack.us to see what elected officials are doing. I encourage students to get involved by contacting elected officials and expressing their concerns. I also explain the impact of political contributions on the actions of elected officials and how to research the source of political contributions candidates receive.
Finally, I try to teach all of this without revealing my personal politics so that I do not influence their decision making. I am not here to indoctrinate but to educate and to help prepare the young people I have the privilege of teaching to become the productive citizens of tomorrow.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Facilitator
ISTE Standards for
Educators: The Facilitator (source: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators)
Educators facilitate learning with technology to support
student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students. Educators:
- 6a Foster a culture where students take ownership of their learning goals and outcomes in both independent and group settings.
- 6b Manage the use of technology and student learning strategies in digital platforms, virtual environments, hands-on makerspaces or in the field.
- 6c Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems.
- 6d Model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections.
Educators as facilitators is a newer concept. When I
attended public school in the 1970's and 80's, all instruction was
teacher-centered and teacher-led. There was very little concern about the needs
of individual learners. My higher education experience was similar.
Today's classroom has a different structure. In a
student-centered learning environment, students have autonomy, and the teacher
offers support which may increase student motivation and interest in learning.
There is abundant research on the benefits of the teacher as the facilitator of
student learning rather than the orchestrator. "Autonomy support revolves
around finding ways to enhance students’ freedom to coordinate their inner
motivational resources with how they spend their time in the classroom"
(Reeve, 2005, p. 7).
6a Foster a culture
where students take ownership
When one reflects on what areas of life are important, the
results generally produce of list of areas where the one reflecting has some
control, or ownership. This list may include general health and fitness, family
relationships, work and home life, and so on. As adults assign a greater
importance to those areas of our lives that are self-controlled, it is a
natural assumption that the same is true of students in our classrooms.
ISTE paints a very clear picture of what this looks like in
the 6a standard:
Creating shared values, social
norms and goals around the purpose and approach to learning by, for example,
bringing students into the process of establishing and maintaining culture;
setting up space and time for students to fail and try again; establishing
space and time for student reflection and goal setting; allowing students voice
and choice in demonstration and evaluation of competency.
This picture does not look like a traditional
teacher-centered classroom with desks in a row and the teacher separate at the
front of the room. This looks like a classroom where the teacher truly listens
to the individual learner and considers their input. This definitely does not
look like a classroom where standardized testing is the highest priority. If
this is a concern, know that student-centered learning has been shown to
improve standardized test scores and graduation rates (McKenna, 2014; Richmond,
2014).
This change in classroom culture will not be a comfortable
transaction for many educators. However, the potential benefits to the learner
make a solid attempt at a student-centered lesson worth the effort.
6b Manage the use of technology
and student learning strategies
Those already familiar with ISTE standards for teachers and
learners will have no trouble with this objective. For those who are new to using technology in
the classroom, particularly in a student-centered environment, there are many
resources to help one get started.
Start small. There are many free online tools designed to
engage students and let them take the lead in their own learning. Consider
online chats or forums, web quests, or even a digital field trip. A quick Web
search should help you find something that relates to the curriculum you teach.
Google Classroom is free and has a number of wonderful resources. Talk to other
teachers, or read their blogs, and see what they are doing.
6c Create learning opportunities
that challenge students
During the past 17 years, public schools have been lowering
the bar for students in order to keep graduation rates up. The result is that
graduates are finding they are not prepared for college or the work force. Employers
are frustrated when employees lack necessary soft skills, such as communication
and problem solving skills (Junior Achievement, 2013). According to https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/,
the majority of U.S. high school graduates are not proficient across the board.
It is time to try something different. Raising expectations
placed on students is a good place to start. Students need to be actively
engaged in the learning process in order to raise their motivation. When they
take ownership of their learning the results are positive. Fletcher (2008)
demonstrated that when provided the opportunity, students became an active and
positive influence on the community,
6d Model and nurture
creativity and creative expression
Teachers teach because of a passion for seeing minds opened.
Following the Facilitator Standard puts educators in the position to guide and
encourage as students taken ownership of their learning and realize that what
they do matters. Students can become givers rather than receivers. The
opportunity to fail in a safe environment may lead students to take more
changes and explore alternatives that are discouraged in the
standardized-testing environment.
Switching to a role of facilitator can be very challenging.
Use available resources and remember to keep the focus on achieving learning
objectives while keeping students involved and engaged. A good place to start
is with Howton (2017), "Turn your classroom into a personalized learning
environment." From there, continue to explore ISTE resources and many
others. When you see the enthusiasm in your classroom start to grow, you will
be glad you did.
Sources:
Fletcher, A. (2008). The Architecture of
Ownership. Educational Leadership,
66(3). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/nov08/vol66/num03/The-Architecture-of-Ownership.aspx
Howton, R. (2017). Turn your classroom
into a personalized learning environment. Retrieved January 16, 2018, from
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=416
Junior
Achievement (2013). Are students prepared for the workplace? New tools for a
new generation. Retrieved from https://www.juniorachievement.org/documents/20009/20652/Are+Students+Prepared+for+the+Workplace.pdf/c1b75524-016d-4bd1-b8aa-74395f51021a
McKenna, B. (2014). New research shows effectiveness of
student-centered learning in closing the opportunity gap. Stanford Graduate School of Education New Center. Retrieved from
https://ed.stanford.edu/news/new-research-shows-effectiveness-student-centered-learning-closing-opportunity-gap.
Reeve, J. (2006).
Teachers as facilitators: What autonomy‐supportive teachers do and why their
students benefit. The Elementary
School Journal, 106(3), 225-236. doi:10.1086/501484.
Richmond, E.
(2014). What happens when students control their own education? The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/10/what-happens-when-students-control-their-own-education/381828/
Saturday, December 30, 2017
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Citizen
What is a citizen? According to Dictionary.com, a citizen
is, "a native or naturalized member
of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to
its protection." By definition, the term citizen implies action; it is not a passive but an active role in a
community. A citizen receives the benefits of a community, but also owes
allegiance, or loyalty and commitment, to the community.
According to the ISTE Standards for Educators, an educator,
as a citizen of the educational community. should inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly
participate in the digital world. Educators:
3a Create experiences for learners
to make positive, socially responsible contributions and exhibit empathetic
behavior online that build relationships and community.
3b Establish a learning culture
that promotes curiosity and critical examination of online resources and
fosters digital literacy and media fluency.
3c Mentor students in safe, legal
and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual
rights and property.
3d Model and promote management of
personal data and digital identity and protect student data privacy.
3a Create experiences
for learners
This ISTE standard requires educators to create experiences
that engage learners and permit them to contribute to the body of knowledge and
other resources available publicly, and also privately, in a safe and positive
manner. As specified in the definition of citizen, learners are expected to
take an active a role as members of the educational community. They are not to
be only observers. The educator is required to offer learners the training,
guidance, and opportunity to become full citizens of the educational community
through their original works. These could be any form of intellectual property
such as poetry and prose, music and lyric, video, or even counseling, tutoring,
and fundraising.
There are two more parts to creating this learning
environment. In additional to making "positive,
socially responsible contributions," learners are to "exhibit empathetic behavior online that
build[s] relationships and community." This standard requires much
more than an educator throwing a lesson together and presenting it to students.
It requires that an educator know what is appropriate for the learning
environment, research appropriate tools, develop meaningful assignments,
monitor learner activities, and more.
I imagine this is overwhelming to one looking at all of this
for the first time. Remember, none of us is working alone. There are numerous
resources that can be drawn on to get started. No one needs to reinvent the
wheel to meet this standard. If you are feeling lost, join a PLN or a Facebook
group that encourages student-centered learning in the digital age. Many
teachers and organizations publish blogs with creative ideas for projects and
other assessments that meet the ISTE Teacher and Learner standards. Some
educational organizations publish state standards for education online and
include curriculum-based project ideas you can reference.
3b Establish a
learning culture
The learning environment is no longer teacher-driven. As I
like to say to my students, education is not a spectator sport; you must
participate, and what you receive from your education is directly impacted by
what you put into it. There is not enough room for creativity in a teacher-driven
system. Learners must have the opportunity to explore in order to feed their
curiosity.
A large part of achieving this standard requires that
students have an opportunity for self-reflection. They need to not only be
trained to determine the validity and reliability of the information they are
looking at, but also how their own personal bias might impact how they receive
it. Media fluency requires that learners develop the skills necessary to "interpret large amounts of complex
information in multiple formats and communicate and share across various media
formats."
Providing a digital and information literacy program that
begins at the kindergarten level will help learners develop these skills, but
many of our young people have not had any training in evaluating information
sources. Today's educator must find a way to help learners develop these skills
so that they can become productive citizens of the digital age.
3c Mentor students
Mentoring may be a new concept for a lot of us. It requires
that we listen to and observe each learner to determine what their individual
needs are, and do our best to meet those needs within the learning environment.
Everyone learns differently so the teacher-centered approach will not fit here
as a citizen of the learning community. Student must be given opportunities to
share and to help other learners.
Learning environments should be based on "safe, legal, and ethical practices with
digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property."
Today's learners must be aware of the laws and usage opportunities afforded
them under current copyright laws and Creative
Commons licensing. They should also understand what it means to violate
these rules.
3d Model and promote
smart practices
Modeling is something that educators do every day. Modeling
according to the ISTE citizenship standard sets the bar higher than some
educators might be used to but it necessary for today's learners. The first
aspect requires that "Educators
engage in these best practices themselves; bring
transparency to them with colleagues, parents, students, and other
stakeholders; and promote them among students colleagues and stakeholders."
Educators are in the public eye, and what we do may impact how others behave.
It is important that educators demonstrate best practices in citizenship in and
out of the classroom and in social media.
Another aspect of this standard is protecting student data.
Educators model this by password protecting their own data and not sharing
personal information. Educators also need to be aware of who is present when
they are discussing issues related to student academics or behaviors. Student
work should not be shared without specific permission; demonstrate to learners
proper methods of presenting intellectual property that belongs to others.
Resources:
·
Digital Citizenship
·
Student centered learning resources
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Collaborator
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Collaborator (source: https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators)
Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems. Educators:
·
4a Dedicate planning time to collaborate with colleagues to create
authentic learning experiences that leverage technology.
·
4b Collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new
digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues.
·
4c Use collaborative tools to expand students' authentic,
real-world learning experiences by engaging virtually with experts, teams and
students, locally and globally.
·
4d Demonstrate cultural competency when communicating with
students, parents and colleagues and interact with them as co-collaborators in
student learning.
4a
Dedicate planning time
Anyone who works in education
knows that prioritizing is a must. In order to meet the standard as a
Collaborator, time must be set aside for collaboration. Find a way to collaborate
regularly with others who can add to your educational portfolio. There are many
PLNs who focus on just this sort of thing.
4b
Collaborate and co-learn
One thing that greatly improves
the educational experience for a young person is an opportunity to give within
the learning environment. So much of traditional education is based on getting.
For example, you “get passing grades” to move from 5th grade to 6th grade. You
“get a high school education” to get into college. You “get a college degree”
to get a job. Our students also have a lot to give, and they will give freely
when they have an opportunity to do so.
When using technology, students
need to be given time to explore and to make mistakes. Many of us learn a great
deal through the mistakes we make. In a testing environment, everything is
either “right” or “wrong.” In an exploratory environment, nothing is wrong. When
a student has taken a different turn, they can turn around, come back, and try
again.
4c
Use collaborative tools
Today’s technology makes it
possible to coordinate with educators and others in your field all over the
world. Students will be more engaged learning experiences are authentic -- relevant
to their personal experiences. Kognity.com has some good resources to get you started
with connecting your students with others around the world. There are many
others to explore as well.
4d
Demonstrate cultural competency
“Cultural competence is the
ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people
across cultures. Cultural competence encompasses: being aware of one's own
world view, developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences, [and] gaining
knowledge of different cultural practices and world views.” See more at weHearYou.acecqu.gov.au.
Understanding the cultural
background of other people and their point of view leads to tolerance. When all
stakeholders can take part in a child’s education, everyone benefits. Many
educators find that understanding their students’ cultural backgrounds and incorporating
them into regular educational activities creates a richer educational experience.
Resources:
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
ISTE Standards for Educators : The Leader
Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning. Educators:
- 2a Shape, advance and accelerate
a shared vision for empowered learning with technology by engaging with
education stakeholders.
- 2b Advocate for equitable access
to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to
meet the diverse needs of all students.
- 2c Model for colleagues the
identification, exploration, evaluation, curation and adoption of new digital
resources and tools for learning.
2a Shape, advance and accelerate a shared vision for empowered
learning.
The
few words in this statement say a great deal. I would like to start with shared
vision. They say it takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a
holistic education system to educate a child. If we all follow different
visions of what education looks like, we would provide a disjointed system of
education in which students may become frustrated and confused. When we all
share a vision and impart this vision to our students and all education
stakeholders, the path to educational accomplishment is simplified and everyone
gains.
Shape implies that this vision has a form; it is shaped through the
knowledge and experience of educational leaders and must take all stakeholders
into account. Advance and accelerate indicate that we must not
wait but most make this shared vision a reality.
Empowered learning is the path that will lead to the
educational accomplishment we all envision for our students. I often tell my
students that education is not a spectator sport, that they must participate in
order to gain from the experience. Empowering students as equal partners in
education gets their attention and helps to motivate them. Through technology,
student empowerment and engagement can move beyond the classroom where there
are no limits to educational growth.
2b Advocate for equitable
access
Equitable
access is a grand idea though it may be the most difficult to achieve. Access
to technology, digital content, and learning opportunities requires money be
budgeted and spent. It is difficult to justify setting up a computer lab when
the food pantries are empty. I do not know what the answer is for this. I am
fortunate to live somewhere that access to technology is readily available to
all for free at local libraries. Many are not so fortunate. There are wonderful
programs such as the One Laptop per Child initiatives, but it will be a long
time before this vision is realized.
Internet
access is another tool that many take for granted, but is considered an
unnecessary luxury to others. In many industrialized nations, Internet access
is provided through infrastructure established and maintained by the
government. In other countries, Internet access is privatized and offered
for-profit to willing subscribers. Net neutrality laws may make access even
more difficult for some.
2c Model for colleagues
Objective
2c is directly tied in with 2a. Modeling is one of the best ways for us to
share the vision for empowered learning. I believe it is one's responsibility
to share tools and techniques that lead to academic success for students. It
can be difficult with our busy schedules to make time to help others. But as
the overall goal is to empower today's learners, withholding knowledge or
information that would help achieve that goal undermines the entire education
system.
There
are many resources available already through the World Wide Web, so if there is
something you would like to share, you may find someone else has already done
it. Workshops and Webcasts are available for free, and for pay, all around the
world.
Monday, October 9, 2017
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Learner
ISTE Standards for Educators: The Learner (source:
https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators)
Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with
others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to
improve student learning. Educators:
Ø 1a Set professional learning goals to explore and
apply pedagogical approaches made possible by technology and reflect on their
effectiveness.
Ø 1b Pursue professional interests by creating and
actively participating in local and global learning networks.
Ø 1c Stay current with research that supports improved
student learning outcomes, including findings from the learning sciences.
Educators should model a
life-long learner standard. Part of this is setting educational goals. Teachers
should set new goals each year. If you are not sure where to start, reading is
always a good place. Reading new material can lead to improving current
classroom practices and inspire one to try new things, and it is a great place
to start with setting new goals.
Read everything you have time
for related to your educational discipline. This can include blogs and wikis
but also research. If you have more time, read material related to other educational
disciplines to stretch yourself. If you are an elementary math teacher,
learning more complex mathematical concepts may inspire how you teach the basics.
Also, read about educational standards and practices in other countries.
Finally, decide what is most
important to you this year. The article “Goal-Setting for Teacher: 8 Paths to
Self-Improvement” at cultofpedagogy.com
provide some good starting points.
When you consider a PLN, think
not just what you can get from it but what you have to offer. If you are an
experienced teacher, you have a great deal to share and you can help mentor
less experienced teachers. Teachers love
to teach, right? What better way is there than to share all that you have
learned through your joys and struggles to help others become better teachers
themselves?
If you are a member of ISTE, you
probably are already aware of the PLNs available through the organization. That
is a wonderful place to start. Periodically, you want to revisit the Learning Networks
page to see what is new and what meets your needs in the place you currently
are. The key to meeting the ISTE Learn standard requires more than just
membership; it requires meaningful participation. If online PLN’s are not what
works for you, consider joining or starting one at your school or campus. You can
invite educators in your school and neighboring schools.
1c Stay Current with Research
If you have been reading to
set your goals for the year, you already have this one covered. Choosing what
research to read can be an overwhelming task. I recommend not going it alone. One
thing you might do is ask members of your PLN to read different sources and
then come together to share what you have learned. You can do this face-to-face
or using a blog or wiki. If you are someone who prefers to work alone, limit
your research choices to one specific area at a time. Read the abstracts
carefully so you know if a research study is right for you. Finally, if you do
not have the time to read a whole article or study, read just the introduction
and the conclusions.
Perhaps your professional
goal for this year will be to become more active in a PLN, or even start one so
that you can stay current with best practices in your field of education.
·
The Library of
Congress Research Tools at loc.gov
·
ISTE Professional
Learning Networks at iste.org
·
Education PLNs on
Pinterest
·
Goal-Setting for
Teacher: 8 Paths to Self-Improvement at cultofpedagogy.com
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
My Dream Education System
I Have a Dream
I dream that one day all
classrooms will be filled with enthusiastic students actively engaged in the
learning process; students who want
to be present because they are receiving a value-added education. Active
engagement is paramount to a successful classroom atmosphere because learning
is not a spectator sport.
For many years I have been
analyzing research on best practices in education. I have also read about
schools that have stepped outside of the box and taken a chance, putting
students and student learning first instead of teacher achievement and test
scores. An interesting outcome of these programs is that student test scores were
higher than national averages, even without any time spent in test preparation.
Needham (2010) found “the use of
problem-based learning can increase standardized test scores at least as much
as traditional teaching methods.”[1]
For the past 20 years the New Tech Network has been using a school-wide
project-based learning model.[2]
Outcomes of this model included graduation and college admissions rates that
were higher than the national averages. New Tech Network research also
demonstrated that graduates develop strong critical thinking skills. Gallagher
and Gallagher (2013) found that quality project-based learning activities
increase student engagement and, as a result, student achievement.[3]
I envision an amazing education
system where all students could receive a value-added education; a
student-centered atmosphere where teachers excite and facilitate student
learning. I envision an environment where students are engaged, learning
content offered in a design that best meets each individual learner’s needs.
Learning Styles
Early learners should be grouped
by personal learning style and provided an instructor who excels in teaching to
that learning style. While conflict still exists in the research on the topic
of the impact learning styles have on student learning outcomes, there is no
shortage of research on the topic of student learning styles and academic
achievement, as well as the potential impact of learning styles on student
dropout and incarceration rates.[4]
As someone with a doctorate in education and many years of teaching experience,
I am convinced that learning styles impact student learning outcomes; students
perform better when their personal learning styles are considered and utilized.
I recall a statistic on learning
styles I heard mentioned in a course I attended at Bloomsburg University; while 80% of all teachers
are auditory learners only 20% of students are auditory learners. Because so
many of us teach the way we learn, this may cause 80% of the students who are not auditory learners to have difficulty
learning from 80% of the their teachers. It would be beneficial to students if
teacher education programs included methods of identifying and teaching to the
varied learning styles.
I also know that addressing
learning styles impacts learning outcomes because I am one of the 20% of
teachers who is not an auditory
learner. I am a kinesthetic learner. I have tried to learn from auditory-only
material and failed miserably. One example was a course in Italian on cassette
tape that I attempted before my trip to Italy. I learned nothing from it. In
fact, I became highly agitated in attempting to learn listening to the tapes.
During college classes, I often stood in the back of the room so I could have
the opportunity to move around; moving helps me to absorb and comprehend new
material. High school was more of a challenge but I fidgeted a lot and filled
my notebook with intricate doodles in order to keep my mind focused on
instruction.
I also want to make a point about
elementary math instruction. Many of our young people have math anxiety and
believe that even a simple mathematical concept, such as calculating a percentage,
is a difficult thing. Seymour Papert wrote about the importance of elementary
school teachers comprehending deeper mathematical concepts.[5] This is even more of an issue for teachers
who must now follow the Common Core in their lesson planning. [6]
Papert also researched the impact
of project-based learning on mathematics instruction.[7]
Math needs to be taught in a hands-on, applied sense, not a theoretical sense.
For example, instead of having students solving for some random variable X, why not teach them to calculate how
many boxes of flooring tiles would be needed for a kitchen remodel? In physical
class, students might design a skate park with ramps and rails.
I dream of classrooms, grades K-2,
where students are grouped by learning style so that all students can learn the
fundamentals in a way that best meets their needs; a K-12 curriculum model the
truly meets the needs of all learners. Since the lessons will be presented
according to methods that meet their needs, student may be able to accomplish
more academically during these formative years. Additionally, before students
advance to higher grades, they will receive instruction and practice to prepare
them to learn in settings that do not cater to their personal learning style. I
hypothesize stronger social skills will be developed as an additional result of
the reduction in stress afforded by this type of learning environment.
Strength-based
Learning
There is no shortage of quality
research that demonstrates the positive outcomes of a strength-based education.[8]
For some reason, those that administer the education system in the United
States have decided to punish students for their weaknesses rather than
focusing on individual strengths. This frustrated me quite a bit as I raised my
children. My daughter struggled with mathematics, so she was enrolled in math
course after math course. She was required to take the 4Sight math exam so many
times she memorized it! And what did she learn? She learned that her teachers
did not care if she learned anything; they demanded that she improve her score
on a test that would have no impact on her life! I know that she would have
gained much more from her K-12 education if she had been allowed to develop her
strengths.
After the early grades, students
should be grouped with like-minded peers who can help them to excel. For
example, students with a strong interest and/or aptitude in music may work with
others who have a strong interest and/or aptitude in music. All students would
still be given instructions in all educational areas, but within an atmosphere
that more closely aligns to their personal strengths. For example, the study of mathematics can be
incorporated in an almost infinite number of ways within the study of music.
Volume, tone and tempo all have mathematical implications. Students will have
the opportunity to independently (or with a group) solve problems, find
solutions, and develop critical thinking skills.
I dream of classrooms where students
are encouraged to do what they are good at and what they enjoy. Imagine what
students could accomplish if their education was focused on individual
strengths. Imagine the outcomes when students with strong science aptitudes are
allowed to experiment together. Picture what may happen if those who prefer to
work alone were given the time and space to do this instead of being placed
into group work where they may be slowed down. Imagine a classroom where the
teacher can help students develop their individual skills and abilities instead
of feeling they must teach to the lowest-ability students in the classroom. An
excited teacher excites his/her students!
Stop Teaching When it
is Time
We currently have a compulsory
education system in the United States that requires children to stay in school
until a specific age, set by state law. Compulsory education ages range from 16
to 18. Public schools are required by state law to permit students to attend
classes until their 21st birthday. The taxpayers are responsible for
the educational funding. From what I have seen, there are some shortcomings to
this system.
Because students are required to
be in school, education is an entitlement. There is no incentive for attendance
or participation other than what is intrinsic to the student or mandated by a
parent or guardian. I was very surprised when I learned that even the most
accomplished students in my classroom do not comprehend the value of learning.
They understand the value of grades and the value of a diploma, but that is
where it stops. This may be in part because they received little incentive to
learn; the focus is almost always on grades and test scores. But I believe a
large contributor to the problem is the compulsory education system.
Mandatory schooling does not need
to continue through grade 12. For many of our students, a 9th grade education
is sufficient. I have worked with hundreds of students who know what they want
to do with their life and know that a college education is not necessary to
accomplish their goals. I would never say there is no benefit to a college
education, but it is clearly not for everyone. So those who know they will not
go to college are frustrated that they must go to school every day and receive
an education that they perceive does not benefit them personally.
What I propose is a compulsory
education system that continues through grade 9. Students who would like to
continue through grade 12 can either pay tuition or compete for state-sponsored
or private scholarships. Scholarships might be granted according to class rank,
project-based assessments, teacher recommendations, or some other criteria as
determined by each school district and/or state government. This would provide
an incentive to do well because attendance in grades 9 through 12 would no
longer be an entitlement but something to be earned through hard work. For
those who do not wish to continue past the 9th grade, vocational training could
be made available on the same basis; either students pay tuition or they
compete for public and private scholarship money.
There are already public and
private schools offering high school student internship programs. The Southwest
Oregon Area Health Education Center has a high school internship program.[9]
Fairview High School in Boulder, CO offers a variety of internships and
provides an opportunity for students to create a customized learning
opportunity.[10] The
New York City Department of Education has year-round internship programs.[11]
All of these these programs could be expanded on.
I dream of a school where all
students want to attend and comprehend
the value in learning. If education were considered a privilege, not a right,
it would have more meaning to our students. They might even look forward to
classes as some of us did our college studies. Fewer students might be left
feeling imprisoned and as if they are wasting their time. I envision classrooms
where students are rewarded for learning and have the opportunity to use what
they learn for the greater good of the community, not for grades and test
scores
Thank you for listening.
[1]Comparison of standardized test scores from traditional
classrooms and those using problem-based learning http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.921.9693&rep=rep1&type=pdf
[2]New Tech Nework https://newtechnetwork.org/resources/category/research/
[3]Using problem-based learning to explore unseen academic
potential http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/vol7/iss1/9/
[4]Differentiating core
instruction by knowing the learner http://documentslide.com/documents/differentiating-core-instruction-by-knowing-the-learner.html
Common
core
standards’ impact on high school drop out rate http://davidsortino.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/10304/common-core-standards-impact-on-high-school-drop-out-rate/
[5]Papert,
S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children,
computers, and powerful ideas. New York: Basic Books.
[6]Elementary school
teachers struggle withCommon Core math standards http://hechingerreport.org/elementary-school-teachers-struggle-with-common-core-math-standards/
[7]Seymour Papert: Project-based learning https://www.edutopia.org/seymour-papert-project-based-learning
[8]White, M., & Waters,
L. E. (2014). A case study of ‘The Good School:’ Examples of the use of Peterson’s
strengths-based approach with students. The
Journal of Positive Psychology,. doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.920408. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2014.920408
[9]High School Internship Program (HSIP) http://www.healthyoregon.com/programs/hsip
[10]Fairview High School Internships https://www.fairviewhs.org/counseling/interests-and-careers/internships
[11]NYC High School Internships & Scholarships http://schools.nyc.gov/ui/cms/sites/empoweringboys/docs/takeaction/Real_World/High%20School%20Internships%20and%20Scholarships.pdf
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