Make School Different: Five Things to Stop Pretending

-
#MakeSchoolDifferent

 Thanks to Louise for laying down this challenge for me, and thanks to my sister Beth; I read her '5' (my first) just last night.

 When it comes to education...

 1. ...we have to stop pretending that it is OK to avoid uncomfortable discussions about improving assessment practices. Yes, these conversations can be tension-filled. They will certainly challenge some firmly-held beliefs. Embrace the awkwardness. Relish the confusion. Accept that there is room for improvement.

2. ...we have to stop pretending that preparing students for standardized tests should ever take priority over student learning and well-being. As classroom teachers our job is to mentor, nurture, and inspire our students. Supporting their learning and well-being cannot take a back seat to test prep. Ever.

3. ...we have to stop pretending that students don't have a role to play in driving innovation in education. They are probably more open-minded about solutions than we are. At the very least, they will give us valuable feedback on how we're doing. At most, they should be at the heart of figuring out how to #makeschooldifferent.

 4. ...we have to stop pretending that it is OK for teachers to wait for quality PD to be delivered in a tidy package. There are no excuses anymore. Stay after work and learn with your team. (That's right. I said it.) Get onto Twitter. Order a book from Amazon. Watch some TED talks. Attend a conference. Just do it!

 5. ...we have to stop pretending that mastery of content knowledge is 'good enough' for teachers or students. Teachers who master content knowledge don't necessarily embrace good pedagogy. Students who master content knowledge don't necessarily have the skills they need to succeed as productive citizens. Time to level up.

 It all started with Scott McLeod...http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2015/04/we-have-to-stop-pretending.html. Thanks, Scott!

 I welcome your thoughts on my five. 

I would like to challenge @VP_Wilkinson, @HTheismeijer, @pcroteauirt, @LongthorneJess and @A_J_Golding to share theirs. 

 Blog them, tweet them out one at a time...whatever works for you. Most importantly, pass it on!

 #MakeSchoolDifferent

Comments

  1. Scott McLeod17 April 2015 at 15:33

    #4: Yes! Quit waiting for others to help you improve your practice in more than nominal ways! We are afraid of how powerful we might be...

    #3: Always at the conversations about students that never involve students... [sigh]

    Thanks for participating, Amy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amy Szerminska17 April 2015 at 18:47

      Thank you for your comments, Scott.
      I have asked some of my colleagues to try and collect student voice around this question. I have one reply so far...can't wait to get a few more. I really wish I had my own students right now so I could dig deep. :) I like that the prompt encourages people to share things that might be considered more controversial; challenges are a safe way to help start some rich conversation.

      Delete
  2. Jess Longthorne27 April 2015 at 07:25

    Hi Amy!

    Here are my five...in no particular order.

    When it comes to education...

    1) ...we have to stop pretending that teachers need to cover every curriculum expectation. The curriculum should be seen as a "guide". Teachers shouldn't be afraid to deviate from it in order to give students authentic and rich learning experiences.

    2) ...we have to stop pretending that teachers are supposed to be "walking encyclopedias" and know everything. I remember my first few years in the profession like they were yesterday. I dreaded moments when students would have endless questions about various topics. I often found myself in a state of panic and on many occasions would ask myself, "How am I going to get out of this?" and "What if I don't know the answer?" Nowadays, I am the first to admit to students that I don't know everything. We brainstorm and find out the answers together.

    3) ...we have to stop pretending that every student knows how to access and gather information. We all know that we are teaching in an era where technology is prevalent and many students have their own devices. Just because students are engaged in and know how to use technology, doesn't mean they know how to access and gather information. Developing strong information literacy skills are essential in today's world and for the future.

    4) ...we have to stop pretending that every student learns the same way and has the same interests/passions. Two words: Genius Hour. Genius Hour gives students the opportunity to explore a topic or issue of their choice. Students are given a "voice" in how they want to present their "passion". Genius Hour creates exciting opportunities and allows students to tap into their creative "genius". I have observed students using technology related programs to build game apps/websites as well as to create videos using Green Screen software. I also had the opportunity to hear students present orally on personal issues such as depression and bipolar disorder. There are no written quizzes/tests or oral exams with Genius Hour.

    5) ...we have to stop pretending that the school library/teacher librarian is not relevant anymore. I am fortunate to be a teacher-librarian in a school board that fully supports the role. Opinions differ in regards to the importance of school libraries in an age where information is so readily available online 24/7. I believe school libraries and teacher librarians are essential in helping students develop skills in becoming critical thinkers as well as respectful digital citizens. Teacher librarians also help foster a love of literacy among students through a variety of initiatives such as book fairs, literacy nights and author visits.

    Thanks Amy for nominating me for the #MakeSchoolDifferent challenge!

    Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Scott McLeod27 April 2015 at 08:18

      Great list, Jess. I am particularly fond of #1! Thanks for participating.

      Delete
  3. Amy Szerminska27 April 2015 at 14:22

    Thank you for taking the time to do this, Jess! I agree that #3 is very important (digital natives are not necessarily digital experts). #5 is very important these days - not everyone understands the power of the teacher-librarians to support their teachers and students in adapting innovative practices. TL's are a key part of the 'makeschooldifferent' movement.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Unit Gradeless in 12U Chem, Part 2

-
Image
OK, so it has been about a week since the last brain dump ...time for another. Lots of turkey between then and now. :) I hope everyone had a restful weekend. Last time, I left off explaining that my grade 12 students and I were going to come to a consensus about a grade that represents their learning in the first chemistry unit. For this to happen, the students and I each had some homework to do first: Students completed a self-assessment based on the overall learning goals for the unit, assigning themselves a level (1-4) for each item. After that, they had the option of assigning themselves a grade or grade range) that they felt represented their learning so far. Using my data (from product, conversation, and observation) I assigned each student a grade range based on their progress (75-80, 80-85, etc.)  Students submitted their self-assessments to me so that I had time to read their comments. The majority of students in my two classes have submitted their self-assessments f
Read more

First Unit Gradeless in 12U Chem, Part 1

-
Image
I would love to write a very long blog post right now, but just don't have the time, so I'm going to try to share what's been happening in a few 'shorter' posts (they won't actually be short, because I don't have time this week to edit them down to their essences...so I hope you don't mind if it feels more like a train of thought). Student Point of View so Far At the end of last week my grade 12 students had come to the 'end' of their electrochemistry unit having not received a single grade. I used single point rubrics to give feedback on their lab reports and written & verbal feedback for our quick quizzes and the unit test. On Friday my students were asked to complete a very brief survey with a single question. Question: What are your reflections about our gradeless classroom so far? Be honest and open. This survey is anonymous. I currently have about 50 students in this course, and the responses from students varied. Here are som
Read more

Midterm Reflections: #BIT17, PD Day, Midterms, Student Feedback, and Tracking Observations

-
Image
I've got an hour to spare and need to get caught up on this blog (not a little bit, a 'lotta' bit, as my daughter would say)...it is hard to express how busy October and November have been, personally and professionally, but I am determined to remain committed to writing about (and reflecting on) my teaching and learning this year. (In other words, WAY too early in the year to fall off the blogging bandwagon!) This post contains: #BIT17, PD Day, Midterms, Student Feedback, and Tracking Observations/Conversations Scroll down to the part you want to read...it's a very long post! :)  November 9-10 at #BIT17 Conference It was wonderful to return to BIT this year, but so different than the last three years because I was leaving my classroom. Preparing for the conference while planning for my absence had my mind spinning a bit. I was presenting on work that I had done in the last two years as STEAM coordinator on the Program and Innovation team. This work was ver
Read more