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Post:
In our district I see a move away from the assembly line idea of schools,
but the pressure to maintain this model is intense from many levels. The
teachers I talk to are familiar with Howard Gardner's work and, especially
at the elementary school level, teach their students recognizing the different
styles and gifts they bring to the classroom. However to succeed in post
secondary institutions schools must maintain the assembly line model of
grading and using standardized test scores. Teachers who need support
staff for students must use these test scores to get funding from government
programs and lavel the students in a variety of categories. The teachers
and parents are frustrated with this Catch 22 situtation. The section
of the book that rang true for mewas that there is a delay built in, possibly
as long as fifty years, to make fundamental changes in the system that
will move it from where it is to where it needs to be to work more effectively.
— Ted Cadwaller
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Post:
After reading about paradigms associated with the Factory Model of schools,
(in Schools That Learn) I found that several assumptions based
on these paradigms currently exist in my school. First, teachers
assume that the best time to test or to collect projects is within the
last few days of a grading period. We do this because we want closure
before a grading period ends, but forget that each student may have seven
other teachers, each assigning a major task at the same time. In our current
system, we have no opportunity to know what others are assigning, nor
do we take the time to ask. Doing so would not only be considerate on
our part, but would allow students to make each of those tasks a more
meaningful learning experience.
Second, we assume that we are the primary source of content and
knowledge for students, forgetting that a majority of our students (high
school) have afterschool jobs, athletic teams and club which they
are involved with. Students today have many life experiences outside of
school which are learning opportunities, in addition to traditional
classroom lessons. If we considered those activities as a partnership
with classroom instruction, we could better help students become learners
who are willing to take advantage of these experiences. Rather, we assume
that the content taught in school is of a higher priority.
Finally, school systems assume that the factory model of employee evaluation
is still effective. Much like a foreman supervises employees, administrators
supervise teachers. However, the difference is that the foreman can evaluate
on a daily basis workers productivity, having a more active role in the
product being produced. In our building, our Principal supervises
the three Assistant Principals, who in turn supervise the faculty. Yet,
the only time there is direct evaluation is during "scheduled" evaluation
times. For me, as a sixth-year teacher, I will be supervised for one class
period during the week of Feb 19, 2001. This tells me (I can assume),
that in one 48 minute class period an assistant principal can determine
if I am an effective teacher, if I am a facilitator of learning, and that
I view my students as partners in our educational journey. We all
know they can't, but based on our current system there are few other alternatives.
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Post:
One assumption in our school district is that parents have high expectations
of their children regarding their academic performance because many of
the parents have achieved educational and/or professional successes and
expect at least the same level of success for their children. This higher
level of expectation begins at the preschool level and continues through
their formal education. These expectations generate a higher level of
parent involvement in students learning which include more frequent visits
to the schools, increased communication with teachers, and more assistance
at home from parents. In meeting these high expectations teachers continue
to update and evaluate their own educational goals to meet these expectations
by taking graduate level courses and other professional development opportunities.
In addition, the school district consistently evaluates the curriculum
to maintain high academic standards and to meet parent expectations.
— Clover Flowers
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Unfortunately, it seems that many of the teachers at my school feel
that their one and only job is to teach the children.While this is an
important part of their job, many of them seem to feel that knowing the
children on a personal level is not their responsibility. As a new teacher,
this bother me somewhat. While I know that I am their role model and their
teacher, I also want my students to know that I care about them personally.
I have learned some really neat things in talking with my students.ÊI
even take the time to sit with them at lunch so that I have time to really
talk with them.Ê While I do not do this every day, my students really
enjoy when I take the time to sit and talk with them. By doing this, it
allows me to see my students (and other students) in a different light.
I become someone that they can relate to, and someone they can trust.
They know that I care about them as people. By getting to know my students
on a personal level, it allows me not only to be able to relate to them
better, but also to understand how they learn, and what types of interests
they have both in and out of school.
— Kim Ferguson
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Post:
As I read the article, I was struck by the description of the assembly-line
under stress. My school district has greatly increased the amount
of testing. Not only do we have the state tests, but we have developed
semester exams to assure that all students in (whatever) course
(regardless of the teacher) learn the same content. My department
was directed to pilot several of our course exams at the end of the current
semester. The general feeling in our department is that in another
year or two our test scores are going to fall because we are being forced
to complete more tests rather than have the time to work with students.
I also readily identified with the comments that businesses do not
have the additional pressure of dealing with parents. Every year, each
teacher makes recommendations for each student presently taking a course
in our department. We base our decisions on current class performance
and student ability. Invariably, some parents override our recommendations
and place their children into classes that are either above the child's
ability and/or the child does not complete assignments, falls behind,
and frustrates the teacher, student, and parents.
I found your article very thought provoking.
— Ryan Nelson
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I feel that major corporations have to take a major ongoing partnership
in educating our children. The partnership doesn't necessarily have to
be day to day classroom activities, but more so in the area of tutoring,
mentoring and career development. At my school we have been looking for
this type of support for many years.ÊWe recently started receiving this
type of support from a major corporation.I am directly involved in the
program that is being facilitated by this major corporation, and I have
noticed how interested the students are in the business, what it does,
who works where, and what they do and why. Early exposure to different
companies and organizations gives students insight of what future opportunities
they may have and what they can strive to achieve. This exposure also
helps our students know and understand what makes a viable economy, which
affects their daily living. The employees of this corporation are developing
one on one relationships with our students, plus enhancing their learning
skills. I see the progression in the students learning abilities and attitudes.
Ê
—Blondell E. Currie
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Post:
I feel that my school unfortunately is primarily teacher-centered.
Our clasrooms are basically "what the teachers know" and "what
the students will learn" from us. Although there IS diversified teaching
in my school, I don't feel it is enough to open up the learning. I believe
that our basic directive is to teach the curriculum which does NOT lend
our system fully to change.
I do see some wonderful real world projects and student-centered learning
in a few subject areas, however. In a marketing class, the students are
running the school store, ordering, taking inventory, posting statistics
of sales. A science class has been building a human driven vehicle integrating
students from a math class, and physics class to use team work in problem-solving,
critical thinking, and collaborating.
However, I don't see my school following the assumption that learning
only takes place in the school and not the world. So many classes, such
as the marketing, take their business skills to the local, regional, and
national competition. economics classes visit the World Trade in Chicago
after a hands-on unit of learning about stocks on the Internet. So many
other subject areas continue learning outside of the classroom and AFTER
school hours from foreign language festivals, cultural offerings, etc.
I do believe we have a way to go to have a working student-centered system
in place and ... we, the teachers, need development and support on attaining
programs that can achieve that goal.
— Joan Blaschke
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One of the assumptions that is taking place in our schools is the
"one size fits all" approach to lessons. Many of the lessons
are not designed around the individual child but are designed to promote
competition. Many of the students focus so much on grades and not on the
knowledge that they are gaining. We ar e"assuming" that because
they made the grade that they must comprehend the lesson. My school like
many others is making baby steps at least at the primary level to change.
Some teachers (myself included) have realized that lessons need to be
developed to promote children as collaborators and teachers as facilitators.
We all have something to learn from one another.
— Mayimuna M. Mason
Post:
Assumptions operating in my school:
- standardized testing is not allowing for creativity from teachers
- they only have time to "teach to the test" and nothing else
- stardardized tests are OK for the "average" child because
they are average. What about everyone who is not average?
- Teachers can't teach to such a diverse class if they are going to
be held solely responsible for failures
- curriculum is slowly moving from segmented parts to an integrated
curriculum
- we are slowly allowing students more flexibility when coming up with
the final answer
- teachers alone can not hold total responsibility for all students
- home and parents MUST be included
- the community needs to work with the schools and parents to produce
a population that is ready to meet the needs of the world around them.
— Mary Jackson
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Post:
I feel that one of the biggest assumptions in my school district that
affects my teaching is that of standardized tests. I am a seventh grade
math teacher and all I hear about is how the eighth grade students are
doing in regard to the eighth grade WI State testing. I am expecting to
teach different areas of math in order to help bring up these test scores.
It is forgotten that students are individuals and that one test cannot
accurately show what a student knows. Another assumption that is a HOT
issue in my school is that of student placement in math. It seems to me
that their are way to many students who are pushed into higher level math
classes at a faster and faster rate with little concern of the gaps that
students are getting in their education. There are students who are taking
advanced classes such as fifth graders in Algebra who do not know some
very basic skills such as the operations with fractions. Students are
given an aptitude test that determines their possibility of doing well
in an advanced math class. Very often students are placed off of results
of this one test. Once again, it comes down to one standardized test being
used to determine what a student knows or is capable of.
—Amy Paladino
Post:
The current and prevailing assumption in my school is related to control.
As with the majority of industrial age schools, the teacher is the individual
responsible for coordinating and assessing all student learning for the
diverse classroom population. Parents, and most certainly students, are
viewed as passive recipients of education, removed from any responsibility
of real participation or planning. The control and therefore the burden
of student achievement lies on the shoulders of the classroom teacher.
Often the burden manifests itself in the classroom as a perceived lack
of compassion for the students and a teacher's love for the ever-growing
list of rules and standardized assessments.
— Paula Jones
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