This week I want to talk about the big picture of learning. Learning, in my opinion, has changed over time due to the increase of standardized tests. Teachers have taken to teaching to the test or too specific. I find this disturbing. Students are learning to memorize a small set of information instead of learning skills that can be applied to many different types of problems. I fear that teachers are so fearful of their students not being prepared for the standardized tests that instead of taking a risk, and teaching at a deeper level, they simply teach chunks of information. When teacher teach this way the students memorize the information long enough to take the test and it does not create lasting learning. I hope that one day the tests become less important giving teachers the freedom to teach skills. When students learn skills their learning is lasting and can be applied to multiple subjects and situations. Therefore, skill learning is a huge part of education that is lacking.
This week at our school we are teaching Romeo and Juliet. One of the English teachers is only showing the movie version of the play, and this concerns me. The purpose of teaching Romeo and Juliet is not to teach the play. The purpose is to teach about Shakespearean language and literary devices. By having students just watch the movie the whole point of reason students even learn about Shakespeare is missed. I find that many teachers are taking the easy way out and missing the point to teaching to create lasting learning.
What are some ways that you would like to teach Romeo and Juliet that would allow you to keep the "big picture" in view?
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you said skill learning is lacking in english. What do you call skills? I don't know very much about english education, but in math, Common Core pushes concept concept concept and little skill. And we are now trying to test and measure people's conceptual understanding of material. However, it is difficult to do this. It's easier to measure skills...hence why most standardized tests until PARCC have been skills based. I don't know, it just seems that many teachers are trapped in this dilemma of constantly teaching the tests because there is so much fear that their students will fail and therefore they will be labeled a bad teacher. But now that we have new conceptual tests (at least in elementary and middle), can teachers really teach to the test anymore since it isn't skills based? So maybe there is no better time than now for teachers to start trying new things and get away from teaching to the test...what can they lose?
ReplyDeleteSo maybe positive things will come out of all this increased testing? I am trying to be optimistic haha
DeleteI feel that this whole testing epidemic is just a way for the testing companies to make money. They are just weeding through kids to see what schools will be eligible to receive more funding for specific programs and which will receive less or no funding. Shelli I totally agree with you that teachers are only teaching to the test but I don't think I would blame the teachers as much as I would the educational system in this country and their values on education. Last summer I was in a program that went to Chili and thought english to middle and high school students. I found that the students there were more relaxed and so were the teachers because the school focused on the students being well rounded and not teaching to a test. During lessons the students seemed to be more engaged in the lesson and were able to retain information and use is the following day. We are testing our students way to much to the point where we can't teach them and in the process some of us have forgotten how to teach.
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