Based off of the reading and videos I watched this week one thing has been abundantly clear. The world that we are teaching our students in today is not the same world we are trying to prepare them for. When my fourth grade students graduate from high school there will be technologies, jobs, and challenges in the world that do not exist today. So granted that we cannot rely on the old form of education where a teacher imparts knowledge into their students, teachers today must teach students how to teach themselves.
One struggle I have had in my classroom is convincing my students to be deep thinkers who are willing to struggle. After reading Darling-Hammond this week I have a better understanding why. My students see know point in putting themselves through all of that uncomfortable-ness. While they are less keenly aware of systemic differences in education, they are aware of cultural and racial inequalities in this country and in our state. They have very few role models to look to to show them why they should struggle. This means that there are several key elements that must be incorporated into my classroom in order to prepare my students for the unknown future. These are:
My favorite on-screen teacher always took her students on this magical bus where they would go on amazing field trips which provided her students with incredible opportunities for failure, problem solving, and eventual success. And while I may not have a magic school bus like 'The Frizz' I can always encourage my students to "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"
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I like to think of myself as a very passionate teacher. I care deeply about the overall wellbeing of my students and I believe that education is their ticket to freedom from poverty. A challenge I have noticed so far, is that my students are not nearly as passionate about their education as I am. I understand that they are young and may not have the maturity to understand why education is so important, but I worry that they truly do not like challenging themselves. That being said, I think I would like my driving question to be something close to, "How can I foster an excitement for learning in my students that allows them to enjoy the essential risk-taking portion of the learning process?"
I know that I am not the only teacher feeling this way today in America because there is a nation-wide trend towards encouraging students to be more active thinkers in the classroom. With the rise of CCCSS we are asking our students to make cross-cutting connections and be creative thinkers now more than ever. My school is introducing GLAD strategies into our instruction this year and these again ask students to work together, communicate their ideas, and think creatively. I think something that is needed to improve this situation is more freedom from the standards and standardized tests in our daily instruction. While there is nothing we, as teachers, can do about high-stakes testing, I believe that we do not need to spend all of every day focusing on standards in order for our students to do well. Last year my students did short research projects on any topic of their choosing. It was the end of the year and I wanted to spend time providing my students with opportunities to pursue their interests and to practice their research and writing skills. They worked harder and were more engaged with those projects than they were on any other assignment I gave them that year. A room full of fourth grade students worked independently on their projects for an hour and a half and complained when I told them we needed to move on to another subject. I would love to see that engagement and excitement in my students all the time, but I don't know how to organize my time so that I can do that and meet all of the district curriculum requirements at the same time. |
AuthorI am a fourth grade teacher in Vacaville, California. Archives
November 2017
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