As I watched this great video I was reminded of what we do to our students as educators on a daily basis. I laughed as I heard the crazy answers people gave but also realized the information they were being asked for was part of a textbook in MS or HS. Was it on some state assessment. Did I care when I learned it or did I have any connection to the material at all when it was learned so I would have a need to remember it. The first person was unable to make a connection between the leading questions by Jay between China and Panama. Was it really the information or not making connections.? Is Louis Armstrong the first thing to come to mind because of his fame, marketing, rhythm? Why did she remember that? The young man that made the comment about the “founding fathers of what” was a perfect example of thinking within his world and his immediate surroundings because that is where he is at. He is not a “global” thinker and why should he be. He is probably working long hours to make ends meet and none of any info beyond his daily grind is really going to benefit him. The young lady who actually finished the “4 score” with “who are in heaven was a result of constant drill in catholic masses where the words just roll off her tongue with no meaning just memorization. Think about the connection the young man made between the acorn and the squirrel. Was that incorrect? It was based on the question but he was definitely interpreting this in his own way. No comment on BYOB.
It has been time and will continue to be time to give what we want students to know and be able to do when they leave our system a hard look. It isn’t just looking anymore though it requires action. Learning should be meaningful and purposeful, students should develop and define their own content and the structure of education should pave the way to a challenged based environment full of a need to know. It is not an idea but a need.
In this months eschool news in an article called Teach 21st Century skills or the US will fail the author discusses what we need to think about as educators to better prepare our students for the world of work. Quotes like “It has become aparent that this isn’t a lack of employees being technically proficient, but a lack of employees who can adequately communicate and collaborate, innovate and think critically” or “All Americans need 21st century skills that will increase their marketability, employability and readiness for citizenship.” I hope you aren’t hearing this for the first time. And c’mon let’s look within ourselves and evaluate whether our classrooms reflect these principles. I don’t think so. As I continue to walk down hallways I am inundated with desks in rows, teachers teaching, and students just looking disinterested. Those that are interested are those that have a vision for themselves so they see why they need to learn. Those in poverty or perhaps in a situation that does not value your future this does not occur. What are we going to do about it? In the graduate course that I teach I asked teachers what is the role of technology. Even though I prompted them to no end the answers were still what their parents might have said. To improve learning or augment instruction or something like that. Nowhere was there a differentiated look at what it can do for our children. It isn’t just the skills we are developing but the customized support that only technology can provide, a way to break down walls, bring the community and everyone inside our buildings to create that global atmosphere to really educate. What would that mean?? Teachers would have to collaborate themselves with the community not just the person next door to make this happen. Isn’t this what this article is saying? How can we expect our teachers to provide this learning environment if they don’t embrace it themselves. I have become impatient with the rhetoric and hope people take a long hard look at what they are doing and providing as teaching is one of the largest responsibilities there is.
This month in District Administrator, Gary Stager, wrote an article about building relationships with students and that can give all students the opportunities to be successful. It is in the February issue of District Administration 2008 Teach the Kids You Have. He continues to challenge our ideas about diagnostics, learning styles, testing, putting students in groups based on whatever a test says, etc. His point is if we just build relationships our experience will pave the way to educate all students through the use of compassion and a knowledge of working with kids not at them. As educators we have a bag of tricks that includes the latest in pedagogical skills but also weaves that in with instinct, keeping students engaged and believing there is a way to reach all. He says that too often ” the emphasis is one what the teacher does to the student as opposed to how to create the conditions for learning.” I was working with some of our guidance staff a few weeks back and found that their primary job is to test and provide results for diagnosis and analysis. I question if their time could be better spent working directly with children. Do we need to categorize and constantly put students in boxes or perhaps have a diagnosis that aligns to some sort of plan? Gary says that ” teachers who read, engage in professional activities outside of class, and knows each student will help them progress forward.” It is really why I originally became a teacher. I thought I had a gift to be that person. How many of us are tied by so much administrivia that we can’t move forward? The infrastructures alone to support the intense lists of tests and diagnostic tools is staggering. There are technical, personnel, and supervisory systems in place to be successful. I am not sure of the exact number but I might venture to say we could significantly reduce class sizes and have a lot more hands on time with our students. As an administrator who manages these systems it is frustrating and sometimes debilitating. I can’t always see the connections or the improvement it is making for our students that come to school without being fed, they were up all night because their parents were fighting, they are homeless, they just have not hope. How is testing helping them? Just some rants for the hour!
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