Hi Kaui, Can you expand on this comment you make below: "The picture is much bigger than that, and teachers play a huge part in it." Thanks, Elisa Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
-----Original Message----- From: kaui norton <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 19:36:07 To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group<[email protected]> Reply-To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Common Core - response to feeling the standards are always helpful Mahalo Melinda. I appreciate all the comments I have read regarding standards. I never realized it was such a hot topic. I suppose, in education, we will always have differences of opinion which, isn't necessarily a bad thing. Isn't thinking for oneself, being an independent learner and using critical thinking skills important concepts we try to teach our students? For me, however, the standards are not the enemy. How we teach them is. I don't quite understand why so many believe we cannot teach and our students cannot learn what they need to if we teach standard based lessons? I have never felt my hands were tied. I still teach the same, but in a more focused manner. I don't believe being more focused is a bad thing. I think teachers need to really take a look at how they are teaching if they are so frustrated with what they are teaching. I believe, every philosophy of teaching has it's problems. There is no ONE right way. As an educator I try to figure out ways to meet the learning types of each of my students. Having a more specific notion of what to teach doesn't confine me, but instead, helps me to work what I am teaching around it. I still use all the same strategies. I still have whole group, small group, individual groups. I still use art, music, and P.E. to help cement the concepts they are learning. Again, I am very appreciative of all the comments, but I would, still, have to disagree with the idea that standards based learning is the problem with our educational system. The picture is much bigger than that, and teachers play a huge part in it. Kau'i =-) --- On Mon, 5/23/11, Melinda Jurus <[email protected]> wrote: From: Melinda Jurus <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Common Core - response to feeling the standards are always helpful To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" <[email protected]> Date: Monday, May 23, 2011, 12:33 PM Hi all, I'm enjoying reading all of the viewpoints on the Common Core Standards. Here is a question that I've always had in regard to the standards. Either my district, my state or my country is choosing the standards that our students will be learning that year. So no matter what, someone is making a decision on the course of learning for my grade level next year. What is the difference if it's done by my district vs. the federal level? When I compare the state/district standards to the Common Core they're not really that different, other than the Common Core have less individual indicators. Currently, I use my state standards. Soon I'll use the federal standards. Either way, I'm teaching them what a citizen needs to do well in life and in this country. With any standards I teach, I'm guiding them to question, think and read. We don't learn the material for the test. We learn the material because it's interesting, but also because more of their life will make sense if they understand these key concepts. I'm just wondering what I'm missing when I hear people upset that we'll all have the same standards, even though each one of our students already follows *somebody's* idea of what's important. Why not have it be common to everyone? I don't feel like I'm not educating my students if I'm feeding them the Common Core Standards. It's just a slightly different set of standards. I'm really curious about this, and hope it didn't come across as defensive. Thanks in advance for your insight, Mindy On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 6:07 PM, Maureen Morrissey < [email protected]> wrote: > Sally, > great response, I hope Kaui and others read it and it makes them think: why > did I go into teaching in the first place? To spoonfeed pap to my students > or to make a difference in their lives? To help them pass a test or to help > them develop into lifelong learners, thinkers, readers. I'm afraid we > cannot > have it both ways. It's sad to me that the question authority days are > over > and many in the profession are deferring to the powers that be. We are the > educated educators; we are the professionals who should be lifelong > learners > and reflective practicioners. We need to take back the educating of our > students, even if we have to start grassroots again like in the '80s. > Maureen >_______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
