There has been a common thread I have been seeing in our blogs that is woven into our readings, our conversations that deal with the Common Core Standards, the way we test our students and the statements that revolve around the questions if we are failing our students when it comes to literacy in our schools. Even in the book that I'm reading is asking "How do we make reading more visible?" How do we engage our students and make the learning relevant to their lives now and to the life they are going to live?
I love this Video. Check it out.
Matt, thanks for the video. I think I will share it. Unfortunately in NM teachers will now receive grades, schools receive grades. It is an awful cycle of valuing...or devaluing what we love to do and what we work so hard to accomplish with every single child. Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed the talent.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I have so much to say about this; where to start and do I include it all...?
ReplyDeleteWell, first, perhaps standardized testing is a bit limited, however, without it how can universities then judge who to admit, or how can jobs determine the hard workers from the lazy ones from the ones who just get it or the ones who try hard but struggle harder. The thing is, we all want to be judged as individuals outside the limits of standardized testing, yet is is impossible for university admissions or hiring managers to know the entire history of an individual before they are accepted; there isn't enough time, money, or resources to immerse oneself into the full cultural, emotional, mental, and educational background of each applicant. There does need to be some kind of "standard" to determine qualifications. I think the question may be what should that standard be, and who gets to determine it? Perhaps some find the common core standards limiting, but at the very least they set some kind of guideline as to where a child should be in developing. Perhaps it is unfair and unjust to apply those same standards to every single individual, but I think it is also unrealistic to have a free for all in the classroom when we as teachers are going to be managing ~200 kids each week.
I understand what the boy is saying in this video, and the message he is trying to address, but as a younger kid, I'm sure he also isn't thinking that some of those kids learning the pythagorean theorem are actually going to go on to be engineers who WILL use it to build a steady bridge one day. Or that some of the silly information he learns one day and "forgets" the next is actually a subcontext theory that he has to understand before he can understand something else. Maybe I won't have to ever use the water cycle in application ever again, however, learning about the water cycle helped me understand the world around me in a better way so that I know when I recycle I'm helping to prevent acid rain.
I really just don't think anyone can value the simplicity of the lessons we sit through in school until we're developed enough to understand the simple connections they have to each other and how they in turn connect to how we understand the world. Best example, this kid's poetic words were made possible through his ability to learn and comprehend language.
I think I'll cut off here, and I hope I didn't start a huge debate on your blog :/ but what I think this kid is suggesting is an apprenticeship type education where people are carted off to study the subjects they're most passionate about. Coming from someone who changed their major from math to english/math to english to journalism in my first 2 years of college, having core requirements are the best way for kids to explore every subject in an attempt to find what they're truly passionate about. How can you choose a passion when you haven't experienced everything there is the world has to offer.
When my students would start whining, "why do we need to know this? I'll never use this in real life.." I had would relate it back to exercise. A body needs exercise to remain healthy and in shape. Just as a brain needs exercise to keep in shape. These math problems are just exercising a part of your brain to keep it active. You're right. You probably will never need to know how to do this math equation later in life. But your brain will be active and healthy and you will be able to problem solve because you exercised your brain as a kid. You don't want it getting flabby and out of shape. I still have to tell myself this somedays..
DeleteI enjoyed reading your response and you are right. We don't know what we want alot of the times until we immerse our selves and try things out. And we never know if a little piece of knowledge we were forced to study or read about may some day come back to help us and bring us understanding.
As for tests, my main disgust and argument is that we stress the kids out. This is not about them; we are testing what we have been able to do as teachers, yet the kids are beyond freaked out for weeks at a time because of the pressure placed around these tests. And the amount of time we take to test.. I find it pretty absurd. Get it done in a day or two and move on. Not spend weeks making testing banners to cheer the kids on, giving out snacks and dragging the testing out for hours and weeks.
I absolutely agree that exams should not be dragged out, but I sure wish someone would give me free snacks during UNM finals. lol. I know that I personally will spend at the very least 3 weeks before finals studying, however, I also know for a fact that there are others cramming last minute. I do think they are necessary, and I think that teacher encouragement to study is a good thing, but perhaps there is too much pressure and build up. I wouldn't solely say that exams test only how good the teacher was, I think the relevance is also answering, "Was the student able to retain information from throughout the semester?" With that said, I do also HATE HATE HATE cummulative exams.
DeleteI have feelings about this because as you may know I spent a lot of time in Asia. People there can be very pissed off because your future is determined by one test in multiple subjects, unrelated to your interests/aspirations--ie, Sun Yat Sen studies. If you mess up that day, are sick, or are a bad test taker, you are sort of screwed. By the way, China is the biggest consumer of standardized English tests.
ReplyDeleteI know successful academics in both the US and in Asia, who could not make it into universities in their home countries.
I always tried to avoid this by constructing my classes with multiple papers.
I never knew that China was the biggest consumer of standardized English tests. Oh my. I'd love to spend time looking at the companies that make these tests, where they are located, etc. I never have researched that part. Someday I'll get to it. I know that with the CCSS states were given the choice to choose between 2 different tests. PARCC and someone else. NM chose PARCC. http://www.parcconline.org/ It will be an interesting next few years as the CCSS and tests associated with play out.
DeleteSuzanne I totally agree with you, unfortunately the system has lost the passion of teaching, but rather it seems that we are making everything a competence between child to child and school to school. I really hope soon there is a new and more focus on the child-type of way to test them, which would not only help them gain a passion for their learning and find a path they wish to continue through their education. Great job in your post Matt, this video is very inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with this video. I agree that standardized tests aren't geared toward all students. Therefore, some students will never be able to successful on these gets because they are not written in a way for all students to understand. Some of these tests keep students out of education and that is not fair. But I think it's more than tests, it's politics as well. I do think that students should take advantage of all subjects they learn in school. You never know what kind of work you will be doing one day so why not take advantage of any knowledge you can attain in school?
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