Change Begins with You

There is no doubt that our schools have a long way to go to better prepare young Americans for life after school. With No Child Left Behind disrupting our progress, we must make the necessary changes to help our schools catch up to the business world. In my opinion schools have become too big for the britches by bussing in hundreds or even thousands of students on a daily basis and creating an environment that supports socializing just as much as learning. Many teachers spend most of their time being the center of attention for every class period, sometimes teaching the exact same thing to five or more classes in a day while students sit at desks, many doing just enough to get a passing grade.

With advancements in technology, there are many ways that our schools can become more efficient. It seems unnecessary for students to come to school every day of the week, let alone for eight hours each day. The internet has opened up the opportunity for learning to be done outside of school. With a blended approach to education, schools can create more flexible schedules for students to come to school for team projects and meetings with teachers, while teachers have much more time for collaboration and professional development. With teachers finally having time to focus on improving their practice and offering better classes, students will begin to benefit from this new school structure.

The changes I have mentioned do not seem like they will come anytime soon. In the meantime, our schools can take steps to get on the right track. A good first step will be to ensure that each of their students is building their 21^st-Century skills everyday in the classroom. I recently visited the website of the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (P21) and was excited to find a lot of promising information for the future of American education. This partnership has developed a framework that provides a detailed approach to helping states and districts better prepare their students for life after school. The member organizations involved in this partnership is very prestigious and well-rounded. Their goal is to place 21^st-Century knowledge and skills at the heart of American education. While this will take time to develop, teachers can do their part by utilizing the resources provided by P21 and helping their students prepare for the real world. With this movement spreading organically through our teachers, our schools may soon be able to fit back into their britches.

For more information on the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, please visit www.p21.org. 

Homework Help

In my eighth grade math class, many students will not ask me for help. They will sit in class and pretend that everything is alright, even if they do not understand a lesson. Perhaps these students do not want to be seen asking for help or simply have a lack of motivation. Regardless of the reason, I must find a way to help these students communicate their problems so that they can get the help they need. Weblogs seem like they would offer an engaging platform for me to provide help for my students and for them to help each other. With my students subscribing to their classmates’ weblogs, they will be able to offer help anytime, anywhere. Students that have unexpected questions about the homework can get help even if they are not in class. By limiting access of these blogs to just the class, students will be responsible for giving and receiving feedback through their weblogs, thus enhancing their depth of learning. I believe that by seeing the problems that all of their classmates are having, reading the responses, and offering responses of their own, my students will build an online community that will motivate them to take responsibility for their learning and build their 21^st century skills. 

A higher degree. A higher purpose.

Being a lifelong learner is essential to the success of any teacher. My individual learning plan has seen a recent growth spurt with my participation in an online graduate program through Walden University. The focus of the program is to integrate technology in the classroom. I have already learned many great things that will significantly improve my teaching practice. I am looking forward to the rest of the program and hope to share many great ideas with you. Thanks for reading!