This morning I was tagged in a tweet from Scott McLeod that linked to his new blog post named “We have to stop pretending.” In the post he listed 5 things in education that we, obviously, have to stop doing or ignoring. Then he tagged 5 people he challenged to write a post with their 5 things. This afternoon, Beth Still posted a great list and tagged me in it. So here is my list:
We have to stop pretending:
- It is cute or funny to “not be techie.” Pleading ignorance at the stake of children’s learning is not funny. Ever. Stop.
- Technology is just an add on to the real learning. Technology needs to stop being an extra or a check list. Curriculum departments need to work with instructional tech departments to really integrate it into everyday learning. Like the pencil.
- Standards, Curriculum, and actual Teaching are synonymous. Common core is not a new way of teaching math. Also, no matter how many times we get new standards, lazy teachers are going to be lazy teachers.
- PD happens during a special day or planning period. PD needs to be personalized and sought after regularly by whatever means you are comfortable with. Principals should be leaders in this and help their teachers find new ways to learn.
- 2 hours (or less) of science a week in elementary schools is enough. The US is ranked ridiculously low in science and math. Yet not much has been done about this even though STEM is a huge buzzword right now. Science and math need to be combined and taught daily.
Ok it was hard to just stop at five. Please know this is not written to be offensive, it is written to make you think. Think about what can we do as an education community to increase student learning and make schools a better place for all kids.
Now the even harder part, who to tag. I think I am going to tag Jenna Shaw, Todd Nesloney, Craig Badura, John Spencer, and Michelle Wilson. What do you think we need to stop pretending? Don’t forget to tag #makeschoolsdifferent
Fabulous list! If I had a penny for each time I heard someone say that “technology is the fluffy frosting on the cake” I could retire to Tahiti tomorrow!
The part about how PD does not happen during a certain block of time and how principals need to model this is spot on! I used to think that principals should help teachers find resources. While it is nice of them to pass things along it is MUCH more beneficial for them to model being a life-long learner and connected educator.
Thanks so much for participating in the challenge, Amanda! Your first and last points particularly resonated with me. The first one reminds me of an old post of mine: http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2009/08/im-not-good-at-math-im-not-very-good-at-computers.html Ugh.
Amanda, I agree with you on most of things above.
Yes, it’s true that technologies MUST be integrated into the process of teaching. However, how should we deal with experienced but conservative teachers? Many times I observed how old people struggle with PCs. Should they be discharged?
And one more issue. You are saying that 2 hours of science isn’t enough. I share this point of view yet still would like to remark that we should consider personal talents and personal turn for sciences or humanities. For a student who doesn’t get along with chemistry, it will be a stressful challenge to write a good essay.
Personally, I attend all classes but when it comes to essays, I prefer to rely on writing services. In my opinion, it’s not about cheating but help.
By the way, if you also need a good one, check this out: eagle-essays.com