Year two of CFF in FHS begins with more excitement, more volunteers, more support from the Board, new tools, new applications, and a desire to move foreward to the brink of that cliff called 21st century thinking and learning. This year, though, I know that the cliff has stairs, benches on which we can sit and enjoy the view, and a long line of fellow teachers, librarians, principals, superintendants, parents, students, and others on the same path who are passionate about moving forward with Governor Rendell's high school reform program.
One issue I consider often is adding new ideas, philosophies, practices, tools, and thinking to our teachers' classrooms. There is a concern, I think, that teachers are expected to do everything they have done before and add to their activities, planning, and preparation. What takes the most time, though, is reflecting on the activities, resources, and approaches that have worked best in the past; that reflection will direct and drive our instruction for our students today.
We should carefully select those strategies that best support our students' understanding of the most important concepts of our curriculum. We should use the best tools and resources that help our students reach our goals in ways that they best learn and apply their new knowledge. We really do need to put aside what works best for us or what we have done for the last twenty years and instead focus on what we must do to help today's students.
I think that past practices of revising curriculum every ten years is over. We may need to revise our curriculum and strategies every semester! These factors will change the structure of teachers' careers, schedules, and preparation more than any blog, wiki, or online test ever will! We really do need to change the way we teach, the way we think about teaching, and the way we prepare to teach. We're not making these changes alone, either. We are making them as a team, as a group of dedicated professionals, as a group of risk-takers. Pretty cool, huh!
We can decide to help make decisions about the reform, or we can sit back and let someone else make the decisions that affect our students, our classrooms, and our jobs. Wow. Imagine the possibilities!
1 comment:
Pam,
I agree with your assessment of changing and shifting curriculum focus. The teacher as the primary source of information in the classroom, breaks down when the resources available through the internet FAR exceed the abilities of one teacher. This does NOT mean the teacher will be replaced. The role of the teacher and focus of the curriculum evolves.
One concept I have been using as a guide, is the role of the teacher as curator. The concept changes the purpose and focus of curriculum as well.
See http://blog.missiontolearn.com/2008/02/more-on-the-digital-curator/
Additionally, I find the work of Jay Mctighe and Carol Ann Tomlinson in UbD to be particularly useful in the digital classroom. Understanding by Design: connecting backwards curriculum design with differntiated instruction changes the focus of instruction and purpose of assessment.
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