I feel like I am stuck in an episode of the twilight zone doomed to repeat past mistakes. It is as if someone has put my professional life on a loop. I just can’t break out of the cyclical madness of educational programs and trends. Let’s take a walk down memory lane. There are many terms, phrases and programs that keep reappearing in education. Below are a list of some that have appeared in recent times, though likely they are…
Updating the curriculum is grounded in preparing students for today’s job market and the elusive future economy. It is also about providing students an opportunity to explore their passions, develop a love of learning not to mention the skills a learner needs to keep on learning. When developing curriculum we often ask two questions (1) what do we want the student to be able to do (2) how do we know they know it? The ultimate proof of completing a…
Many school curricula have remained pretty much unchanged for decades some could argue centuries. The basic common elements of English, Math, Science and History are constants, it is the other curricular options that seem to come and go over time. When I was in middle school/ high school we had a choice of home economics options; sewing, cooking, money matters, early childhood education. There was also a “shop” track; woodworking, automotive repair, metal working, business accounting, keyboarding, and short hand. …
A colleague of mine shared with me An Open Letter to American From a Public School Teacher, by Michael Mau. It is a really is a good read and gets you thinking. I know many educators who are questioning why they are still in education. The classroom educational experience has undergone many changes in the last couple of decades and teachers feel they are being pulled in conflicting directions increase personalized learning and creativity and increase standardized testing. Not that…
The state recently released “a report to the people of Massachusetts from the Massachusetts department of higher education Oct 2014” It is a pretty lengthy read on why we need more graduates particularly in the STEM fields of nursing and computer science. The background context is colleges are underfunded. There was much discussion on how to get graduation rates up and in less then 6 years. The report was also looking at ways to keep students in state schools and…
Many public school educators have begun transitioning and adjusting to new educator evaluation procedures. These evaluation tools are to included test results for students and a statistically generate Value Added Measure. In my state we have not yet fully moved to this as many districts need to determine what District Determined Measures (DDMs) they will we use to measure teacher performance in each subject area. There are also a variety of statistical models to determine the Value Added by a…
Summer is a time for relaxation and renewal for educators. It is the season where we recharge the batteries, reflect on our success and failure and rethink what we will do next year. During this “down time” many educators participated in curriculum writing and professional development. Tim Holt recently shared his thoughts on professional development are we preparing cooks or chefs? They echo some of my thinking. I dislike the term “training” I am often asked if I will be…