Sitting…
Waiting… Wishing…
Think about
our students, the students in your class, are they sitting, waiting, wishing?
In the
publication The Teachers of 2030,
Barnett Berry’s statement, “The rules and tools of the No Child Left Behind Act
have reinforced an over-reliance on traditional measures of student achievement
and promoted a cautious curriculum and lock-step teaching,” caught my attention.
Are we preparing our students to be
successful? In an
effort to teach our students to master state standards are we enabling them?
Think about state assessments, what do they ask students to demonstrate?
Generally students are asked to recall information. Does this prepare students
to be successful? In an effort to meet AYP, have we lost
track of what we should do or need to do to prepare students to be contributing citizens? Yes, assessment is necessary, but at
what cost?
So if we are
teaching our students to be successful after they leave school, what does that
look like? What would it look like in your class? Your school?
It might
include student discussions and teachers facilitating learning. Teachers might
ask students a question to push their thinking, helping them discover the
answer or solution on their own. Students might be self-directed learners
asking each other questions, thinking and exploring options. Teachers may explore possibilities of
making their curriculum more relevant, more real. Would teachers and businesses
be working together to the create opportunities for students?
So as you
look out at the new students sitting in your class this year ask yourself this
question: How will you make your curriculum and instruction more relevant and
real so students are not sitting, waiting, wishing?
A link is
provided if you’d like to read the article: The
Teachers of 2030.
http://www.teacherleaders.org/node/4307
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdoqxGbkPWM
