One thing I’ve noticed, and is slightly reassuring after reading Sabertooth Curriculum, is that a lot of the articles we have been reading do align with many of the initiatives in FCPS, such as PICKLE = Portrait Of a Graduate and Authentic Activities = Project Based Learning. The pessimistic voice in me does warn that talk is cheap and we still have to see action being fully implemented. This is highlighted by my new principal’s demand that we post our objectives for each lesson on the board, a practice I oppose and feel like goes against the nature of both the ideas of PICKLE and Authentic Activity.
For my own practices, I will have to reconcile these two philosophies (particularly since I’m under evaluation this year :P) but I believe it can be done once I’m finished being grumpy about it. One aspect that was expanded for me was about the context of project based learning. I think a lot of teachers try to give students a task and say things like “pretend you are a ___________” or “imagine you are a ______________” which keeps students in a classroom context. I think the goal should be to have activities that aren’t framed by imagination or pretend but actually put students in the context of the professional culture involved.
One part of our discussion that really resonated with me is that we, as teachers, aren’t going to be able to teach every child to be a doctor, or an architect, or a scientist. What we need to do is give students experience thinking like these professionals so they can be productive and informed citizens when they read about current events and are expected to make high stakes decisions (cough… 2016 election).
Hey Will! I used to have to not only post my objective, but my essential question, agenda, and exit strategy. I felt like I spent more time preparing those that actually working on engaging lessons (I was on a cart, so I had to rewrite it in every classroom)! I, too, think this does go against all we have learned so far in class. I have watched some of the teachers at my school implement Personalized Learning. All they have done is record themselves teaching the lesson so that the students can pause or replay, if needed. I have even seen some lessons where the teacher is recording them self completing the notes. I can't figure out how these teachers think that that is Personalized Learning?! However, I also feel like we teachers were thrown into this new teaching style without much professional development. We're learning PL along with the students.
ReplyDeleteThank you for calling out the "let's pretend" or "let's imagine" aspect of writing/presenting a task to students. Even if the task isn't "real-real," telling the kids it's make-believe sucks the excitement and authenticity right out of the task. Play and imagination are essential tools for students to learn and develop, but only when they can create the roles and rules, not when they are provided them by the teacher.
ReplyDeleteMy principal is asking for the objectives this year too. Sometimes I feel like my hands are tied when it come to the politics of how a school runs. We constantly have to do things that are a step back from what we have been learning in class.
ReplyDeleteI'm completely guilty of using "pretend and imagine" for many of my projects. They good thing is I'm already changing it and finding new ways to make the assignment "real" for them.