The Sabertooth Curriculum highlights several issues with our current education system. The most striking of which is how society holds back innovation and change. Change and innovation are both continually discussed amongst teachers and even requested from business leaders but they can be scary to parents and thus elected school boards and politicians can be reluctant to embrace it for many reasons.
So what are these skills students need for the future? Students need PICKLE (Problem solving, Information using, Community participation, Knowledgeable, Literate, and Ethical decision making) to succeed in the 21st century world. Despite the slowness of change, this is being taken up, at least in word, by many national standards as well as local standards (like FCPS’ Portrait of a Graduate).
What we haven’t reached yet, is fully implementing this plan. My current school is making steps towards implementing FCPS’ aforementioned Portrait of a Graduate but I do believe this is because we are a high performing school. My previous school was a Title I school and I fear that it will take longer for schools like that to have the “flexibility” (I use that in quotes as I don’t believe that’s really the case, merely what would be said by the tribal chiefs… I mean leadership) to pursue these skills in earnest.
In my county, we are implementing a project-based-learning initiative that is also looking to increase 21st century skills in the classroom. We are also finding mixed results, and I think you're right: we need more effective leadership. When implementing such programs and projects, we teachers need just as much guidance and coaching as our students. I'm glad that you're building is making steps and seeing success with FCPS' program.
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DeleteGreat reflection Will. I agree with you we need better leadership. I see glimpses of change here and there but it's definitely a slow progression. My school is also a high performing school and My principal is always pushing us towards this direction but I wonder about the low schools and and if they will have the support we have in our schools.
ReplyDeleteHi, Will! I like the comment you made about parents being scared of change and the school board/politicians can be reluctant to embrace change. I have always found it fascinating that policies in schools are more often times a result of not what's good for the students, but what the parents or school board think is for the good of all. I teach at LCPS, and our school, like Laura's, is in the process of implementing project-based learning. As a teacher, I am learning the processes along with the students. It's difficult to feel like the expert and be in control when I'm not even certain what's going on!
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