Two Minds

I am still of two minds as to what we need to do with curriculum and what we should do with curriculum. It isn't our choice alone which is good because it doesn't influence us alone. But we can influence strongly, or subtly, what happens in our schools and in our classes.

Change definitely needs to occur. For the most part, even though society has changed tremendously since the 1900's, schools have not. We are, for the most part, still in the factory model of turning out students who have the knowledge to meet the standards. While some thinking is required to meet the standards, not enough thinking is required to meet the challenges our students will face when they go to look for employment. 

What do students really need to be successful in today's world? They need to be able to be flexible for one thing! Technology and how it is used are changing so rapidly that students need to be able to think, and adapt just as rapidly. And yet, we can't just focus on the technology. Many of our students spend too much time caught up in the web and not enough in the real world. We need to help them come up with a happy medium.

So, how we teach needs to change as much as what we teach. I really enjoyed reading the first and last chapters of HHJ Curriculum 21 together. I enjoyed the fact that it agreed with what I have come to believe. (Probably that was the point of the class!) We need the rigor redefined of which Tony Wagner spoke. We need the curriculum of process as process is what leads our students to thinking. And I really do want to find a poster of The 16 Habits of Mind.

 

I do believe they are all important, but some I liked better than others. I love metacognition! I still remember when I first heard the word and learned what it was. It was a child psych class at Chico State and the whole concept fascinated me. I was learning to really think and connect at the time and that word and its importance has always stuck with me. We need for our students to know what they know. In mathematics, particularly, I need to teach my students to strive for accuracy and precision. Just doing it isn't really enough. Applying past knowledge to novel situations is so vital. We learned it for a reason other than the test! Use what you learn. Taking responsible risks! To me that is daring to apply the knowledge to new situations and not being afraid to be wrong. Learn from mistakes. 

Think interdependently. I remember a Building Bridges between Schools and Businesses course I took and the businesses wanted team players then, 15 years ago, and I am sure they still do. Learn from your peers. That's what we have be doing in part in this class. And most important, in many ways, find humor. Have fun doing what you do. If I don't enjoy teaching, my students won't enjoy learning. 

Finally, our students need time to reflect. That rather ties in with everything I think. If we don't encourage, or require, reflection, how will they ever meta-cognate. (Is that a real word?) We can help them to this best I think, not so much by teaching, but by leading them to the knowledge and ways of thinking. Sounds like fun to me!