Every year as I get to know my students better, I
recognize very similar traits from students from the past years. Kids like to
learn and if they don’t then there’s something preventing them from doing so. When I hear rumblings about children being
lazy it really irks me as I totally disagree – students are not lazy; they are
either not being empowered and challenged or there is something preventing them
from being active learners.
My 6th Grade Students - this year
I remember way back at the beginning of my career,
having children in my class who had major trouble reading and writing even at
the basic level. With such huge classes (over 30 students) it was difficult to
help them in individual ways and to be honest; I didn’t know how to help them.
Teaching college had not prepared me for anything outside of the norm... as if
all kids were “the norm.” Students with
challenges were left to stumble their way through work sheets, text books and
tests, with varying degrees of success and usually feeling inadequate, hating
school and generally feeling horrible about themselves.
My 6th grade students - this year
Has education provided support, help, advise, for
these children that need something different? I guess that in some ways there
have been improvements. Accommodations are made as children are tested and
diagnosed with a number of learning problems, but do we really help children
feel better about themselves? I wish I could get in touch with those learning
challenged kids of the past. Where are they now and what life decisions have
they made? Could I have made school easier and more fun for them? If only I
knew then what I know now!
My first PBL
experience many years ago in Scotland. We studied fairy tales, chose Snow White
and designed, created and built this float, including costumes for Gala Day. These
students were problem solvers, creators and makers.
Isn’t it strange that the Education system in place
today hasn’t really changed since the 1940’s yet look how our world has
changed! Gone are the days when everyone had to memorize all the information
needed for their cubicle jobs, working solo doesn’t seems to be the norm any
more and people tend not to settle for one career or work for one company for
life. The walls and borders have come down and the world today seems much
smaller, as we we connect live through the many devices, tools and programs
available. So why have tests become the most important part of educating in
education today and why is it not changing?
Alfie Khon states in his book, The Case Against Standardized Testing“Standardized tests are not like the weather, something to
which we must resign ourselves. . . . They are not a force of nature but a
force of politics-and political decisions that can be questioned, challenged, and
ultimately reversed."
Another innovative educator, Bill Boyd recently wrote this interesting article “Still
Raising the Scores, Still Ruining the Schools
I loved when I found, private, progressive schools in the USA. At last, I could teach the way it came natural to me. I loved making choices about curriculum, sharing my passions with my students and learning about their passions. Children called teachers by their first names and I could build relationships with each student with the small class sizes. There were no more standardized tests to give, no more grades and lots of hands on activities and fun collaborative projects. .
I have really enjoyed changing my teaching style, especially during the last ten years or so. I have learned so much from my PLN (from Twitter), PDS colleagues, global connections, students
and parents. Technology has made teaching so much more transparent and powerful in so many ways. I have been able to implement a much more
student centered classroom, with student led teaching, student decision-making,
technology integration and global collaboration with many students and experts from
around the world. My job has become more of a coach and facilitator than the teacher
who was expected to know everything about everything. I know this way of
teaching is slowly emerging in schools around the world, but not quickly enough. The results are that
students enjoy coming to school to learn and feel they have a voice in their own learning, curation
and creating. If we value education, we must prepare our young people to be
global citizens, problem finders, creators, and life long learners in this
ever-changing new world.
My students over the years have not changed, but
education MUST!