I feel like I’m in a time in my career where things are moving faster than they ever have before…school reform and the vehicles for it have changed rapidly. The Common Core, based upon what we REALLY should be preparing our kids for, is causing me to radically shift how open I am to new ideas in education. Most of my career has revolved around helping other get their most struggling kids to read. So the work has been basically “diagnose the deficit and treat it”. Well, it’s been a LOT more in depth than that, but you catch my drift.
I’m on a quest to understand not only what it’s going to take to get ALL kids to benchmark under the Common Core, but to understand how I need to broaden my general view of what we’re trying to do in education. I am very aware (and I hope that you are, too!) that our current ways of doing things, even with our Benchmark students, is going to need to change. We need to change not just so the kids will pass the test, per se, but so we’re really creating students for a world that they can not only survive in, but thrive in.
It’s a tall order for sure.
A friend of mine sent me the link to this video: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html
I encourage you to watch it – – maybe even show it as a conversation starter about the Common Core at your next staff, grade level or department meeting!
Pay attention to a few points in the video – – – here are some to look for:
At 1:50, Ken Robinson starts to explain how our education systems were conceived – this is GREAT background…and interesting!
And then (OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!) at 3:40 he talked about the “epidemic” of ADHD and how it relates to our antiquated public education system. This is DRAMATIC AND I LOVE IT!
Now…I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with everything he’s saying, but I find it COMPELLING….
Check out 6:00 and think about what he’s saying about being in the most alive, hyped up level of ourselves vs. anasthetic…interesting.
6:30: “We shouldn’t be putting them to sleep, we should be waking them up…” Wow!
So…what do you think? Did anything tweak you? DO SHARE!