As an educator, I think that I’ve been looking at this from the wrong side of the lens. For years, I have been soap-boxing that we need to find out what business and college need our students to know and to teach it.
However, after posting and reading the comments here and on my Facebook page, I think we need to also look at the children. What do they already know? What, then, do they need from us to help them go forward?
My state and district have adopted the Common Core Standards which were developed to provide equity for our nation’s students and to prepare them for college and the workforce. http://www.corestandards.org/
There is one standard specifically related to the skill of using technology, and it’s under Writing: Production and Distribution of Writing progressing through each grade level, i.e., W.1.6 = Writing Grade 1; W.11-12.6 = Writing Grades 11-12.
The standard is worded in general terms and teachers can create assessments and activities that specifically meet the needs of the kids, but will they? I do not think so, for a number of reasons, primarily because of assessments.
Teachers are hyper-focused on the skills that are tested on the high stakes assessments because their own evaluations and sometimes pay are linked to increasing students’ test scores, in the name of accountability. There is little time to play with the creative activities that spark enthusiasm and curiosity because they “aren’t on the test.”
This results in tedious lessons that redundantly cover the same skills presented five years before. The students react in boredom and misbehavior, and their skills regress rather than progress.
I wonder if our students might be more successful if we look at where they are now and show them how to move to the next step. While keeping our eyes on the standards, I think we should also look at the student herself.
Of course, that might necessitate a smaller teacher to student ratio, rather than the typical 150 students – 1 teacher. But that is a topic for another day.
Hey there, Mona:
Areas you are touching by way of implication.
• Social Media as medium for learning.
• Success in school jurisdictions being measured by groups of students and their achievement and not by the lifelong achievement of each student.
• Entrepreneurialism with technology seems the next world venue for careers.
• Dr. Ken Robinson points more to identifying student passions and working to meet and forward these in the child’s education; no doubt you’ve read his book ‘The Element’.
• The conception of the way we have lived into the 21st Century is likely not how we can live in the 21st Century; a glimpse of this is provided in Timothy Ferris’ book, ‘The Four-hour Work Week’ and the nouveau riche.
• Education may (or may not) accomplish good by educating students in groups.
• The ideal student-to-teacher ratio is likely one-to-one, as in parent and child, (but may not be).
• It is possible for jurisdictions to embed practice and support that nudges forward 21st Century learning; a school division that doesn’t do so is failing its students. It’s capacity building in the schools that’s needed.
There are many subtleties in thought and practice and intent as any school division moves forward with 21st Century learning; it likely associates to what globalization in education is becoming and can become.
Well said. No, I had not read ‘The Element’ but will look into it.
Is this the book? The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. It looks intriguing. I think I’ll get it.
http://www.amazon.com/Element-Finding-Passion-Changes-Everything/dp/0670020478
I agree with You!
Thanks.
I fully agree with you Mona!
Thank you, Leonie.
Mona,
I love the idea of starting with what our students already know. That should be a critical step in our teaching – assessing their prior knowledge and skills. All too often we pile on what we think is “new” information without really thinking about whether or not the students already know it and whether or not they have the prior knowledge to which they can add this new information – of course, this includes me as an educator. I make this mistake all the time.
Wow! 150 students to one teacher? Never heard of such a ratio. Ours during good financial years are 30-40 to one, and in bad financial years when teachers are let go, about 60 to one.
Well, Russel Ray, that would be 150 students in the whole day (I have more than that). However, there still is little time to really work with students individually. I have 28 – 31 in each class (6 classes). I attempt to give one-one writing instruction but it just doesn’t work. When I focus on one kid, the other 29 are going bonkers. So I have them write online & I make my comments at night. That’s the best individual attention I can give.
Ah-ha! Now I understand.