Comments on: A Sense of Urgency http://ateachersthoughts.com/change/a-sense-of-urgency/ Learning and Science in the 21st Century Sat, 17 Apr 2010 18:59:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Rick Biche http://ateachersthoughts.com/change/a-sense-of-urgency/comment-page-1/#comment-7657 Rick Biche Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:31:08 +0000 http://ateachersthoughts.com/?p=188#comment-7657 When the standards movement got going in the 90's I remember hearing that standards would allow authentic approaches to learning. You know, pull together ideas from different areas using standards. That didn't last long. Once the documents were produced the sheer overwhelming nature prevented anyone not brave enough to ignore half of what they saw from doing anything different. Then tying testing to the standards just tightened the reigns more. Again I am hearing, this time from the edtech crowd, that we can delve more into authentic learning. And from your comment you may have proof that it works. But how to get that message across amid the din of conversation about data? When the standards movement got going in the 90′s I remember hearing that standards would allow authentic approaches to learning. You know, pull together ideas from different areas using standards. That didn’t last long. Once the documents were produced the sheer overwhelming nature prevented anyone not brave enough to ignore half of what they saw from doing anything different. Then tying testing to the standards just tightened the reigns more.

Again I am hearing, this time from the edtech crowd, that we can delve more into authentic learning. And from your comment you may have proof that it works. But how to get that message across amid the din of conversation about data?

]]> By: Looking Beyond the Easy Meaurements | A Teacher’s Thoughts http://ateachersthoughts.com/change/a-sense-of-urgency/comment-page-1/#comment-7655 Looking Beyond the Easy Meaurements | A Teacher’s Thoughts Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:00:12 +0000 http://ateachersthoughts.com/?p=188#comment-7655 [...] mission of our school for children to be proficient at all state measures.”   Faced with urgent need for change the question of what a school (and therefore community) should value often becomes framed within a [...] [...] mission of our school for children to be proficient at all state measures.”   Faced with urgent need for change the question of what a school (and therefore community) should value often becomes framed within a [...]

]]> By: John Spencer http://ateachersthoughts.com/change/a-sense-of-urgency/comment-page-1/#comment-7654 John Spencer Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:14:28 +0000 http://ateachersthoughts.com/?p=188#comment-7654 life love justice anything big or small I want my students to think well about life. I want them to delve into paradox so they can learn to live better. I want them to grow more knowledgable so they grow more humble and I want them to gain wisdom. Those ideas are the antithesis of a Race to the Top, which is why I am a heretic in the Cathedral of Data. The only thing that has saved me is this: an authentic approach works and as awful as standardization might be, the mere fact that I don't teach to the test is why my students ace the test and so, alas, the Sultans of Standards must put up with me. life
love
justice

anything big

or small

I want my students to think well about life. I want them to delve into paradox so they can learn to live better. I want them to grow more knowledgable so they grow more humble and I want them to gain wisdom.

Those ideas are the antithesis of a Race to the Top, which is why I am a heretic in the Cathedral of Data. The only thing that has saved me is this: an authentic approach works and as awful as standardization might be, the mere fact that I don’t teach to the test is why my students ace the test and so, alas, the Sultans of Standards must put up with me.

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