If you asked a politician, a business leader, a teacher, a parent, and a student what the purpose of education is, you're likely to get five different answers. In his article titled "Redefining Teachers with a 21st Century Education 'Story'," Thom Markham of MindShift explains how education has been stuck, for the last 150 years, in an "endless wash cycle" of differing beliefs of what education should be. Two of the most prevalent ideologies are the idea of student-based learning that emphasizes personal growth and citizenship, and the idea of scientific, standardized education that emphasizes measurable results. And while this tug-o-war of academic philosophies continues, Markham has some words of advice for teachers. Firstly, he asks that teacher appreciate the importance and the challenge of being a teacher in the 21st Century. He says that a teacher's "passion, vision, and sense of mission" will dictate how well they perform but that those qualities must be accompanied by appreciation for the opportunity to do such a momentously important job.
Secondly, Markham suggests that teachers dream big when it comes to their goals. Teachers shouldn't limit their vision to just their class or school. Teachers everywhere are aiming to help their students get out of poverty, prepare them for adulthood and successful careers, and shape the world for the better. Markham wants all teachers to be apart of that global dream. Thirdly, Markham challenges teachers to "redefine smart." High test scores and proficiency exams are great for statistics and getting state and federal funding, but as teachers, we need to be trying to elicit more general, life-long skills from our students. They need to hone in on their curiosity, their resiliency, and their critical thinking. These attributes are harder to measure and arguably even harder to teach, but they're what teachers should be striving toward. Lastly, Markham tells teachers to connect with the global teaching community. Communicating and sharing ideas among peers can reduce stress and help us gain insight into the profession. Overall, I don't disagree with Markham's suggestions. He makes valuable suggestions that I think would benefit most teachers. The only point of contention I have with his article is the comparison made between high-performing organizations and education in the United States. It's true, successful and innovative businesses these days incentivize employees by creating a desirable work environment that gives employees freedom, respect, and challenging goals. However, this employer/employee dynamic is a give and take in which rewarding, successful businesses want talented, highly motivated employees and talented, highly motivated individuals want to work at rewarding, successful businesses. In other words, instead of looking at the big picture, Markham is looking at one segment of the business world and asking, "Why isn't U.S. education like this?" Using this same logic, you might look at the institution of high school basketball and ask, "Why don't they play like the Golden State Warriors?" It's not fair or accurate to take a micro-environment such as top performing organizations and compare it to a macro-environment such as the entire U.S. education system. Nevertheless, Markham's advice is well received and, at the very least, a much needed pep talk for struggling educators. Markham, T. (February11, 2015). Redefining teachers with a 21st century education 'story'. MindShift: How we will learn. Retrieved from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/02/11/redefining-teachers-with-a-21st-century-education-story/
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As I've begun shifting from the role of student to the role of teacher, I've noticed just how different the world of education looks from the teacher's standpoint. As a student in grade school, I was fairly oblivious to all of the effort teachers put in on a daily basis. I failed to see just how hard some teachers work to make their lessons effective. I'm seeing education from a very different lens now, which is why I was surprised after reading the post on Grant Wiggins' blog, "A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days - a sobering lesson learned". I've been so focused on my new perspective of school as a teacher, I'm neglecting to think what school was like from the perspective of a student.
This post on Wiggins' blog tells of the lessons a veteran teacher learned after shadowing a 10th grade student and a 12th grade student for an entire school day. The teacher not only shadowed both students but also completed the same tasks and assignments that the student was given. The teacher's main findings were that being a student and sitting in a desk all day is extremely exhausting. She says that, "By the end of the day, I could not stop yawning and I was desperate to move or stretch." At this point in the article, a lightbulb came on over my head. I realized I had the same exact experience in high school where it seemed the longer I sat, the more tired and disengaged I became. And, while I try to create student-based interactive lesson plans, some students are still clearly fatigued from sitting in a desk all day. My first class of the day seems far more alert than my last class of the day. After this eye-opening experiment, the teacher highlighted some strategies she would implement immediately such as a mandatory stretch session halfway through class and more hands-on activities that would require students to move around. She also recognized through this experience that students are sitting and listening passively for the vast majority of their day and they can be made to feel like a nuisance when they miss directions or have to be told what to do more than once. To change this situation, she suggests more activities that allow for student interaction and for teachers to refrain from using sarcasm or sass with students and to "dig deep" for more patience when they have to explain directions multiple times. I completely agree with this teachers' findings and think Wiggins' blog post serves as a valuable lesson and a profound insight into the lives of our students. Going forward, I will be more mindful of the student experience and hopefully get students out of their seats and moving a little more often. Wiggins, G. (2014, October 10). A veteran teacher turned coach shadows 2 students for 2 days - a sobering lesson learned. [Web log]. Retrieved from https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/10/10/a-veteran-teacher-turned-coach-shadows-2-students-for-2-days-a-sobering-lesson-learned/ |
AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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