While I agree that high stakes testing is not a valid measure of a child or their learning or the education they are offered, what is the option?  We can’t simply say we don’t wanna without offering some sort of solution to how we can show that students have learned and are learning and will continue to learn.  As a school that ranked top in the state on state mandated testing, it is easy to go with the high stakes testing flow.  But is that also right?  Do we rest on our laurels and know that we can succeed through any changes or do we, as the top, take a stance that this is not how we show we are successful?  What kind of message would that send? 

Though, to be truthful, I think the bottom line needs to not be with testing and regulating education through measureable means, but a true look at what is education and why is it important.  Those are the questions we should be asking and arguing for.  We can’t refuse high stakes testing when we don’t have enough people in our country who believe that teaching and education are more of a priority.  Until we make that change, high stakes testing, regardless of our feelings about it, will remain as a way to find accountability.

I think this is a very interesting study mostly because it is something we deal with at the place where I work.  We have students like this all the time and often they are reinforced by the parents that raise them.  It is a hard thing to face, but the best choice we have in dealing with it is to stick to our guns as teachers.  It means we ask students why they answered as they did, teach them to think critically and converse about their work instead of just assigning it, going over answers and moving on.  The more discussion there is about the learning that occurs, starting in kindergarten, the less this becomes a factor because they know we’re not giving answers, we’re building pathways of learning.

This is a fairly interesting article about the decision to go to Tech or not.  My school remains somewhere inbetween with some tech (smart boards) but a focus on interaction with the physical world (science experiments and social studies projects).  I can’t decide which way I would go.  I don’t think that tech is a fad and that it is just going to go away, but to do everything based on tech?  I think there is still value in learning to add by hand and write a personal letter in cursive.  Maybe I’m just old school.  What about you?

Now I can’t remember if I posted this or not, but the article is worth a read.

I think the most important of these is actually pushing out the information in different ways.  As a very introverted person, it is even more exhausting to be the ‘teacher’ at the front of the room all day long.  It is far better for me to have the students direct the learning and make education happen.  And think how much it can save you.  Even if you planned to do one lesson a week with the students taking the lead, that is an hour wherein you are less a director and more a facilitator or participator in the learning.

world-shaker:

Here are the first four:

1. Ask for information: Instead of trusting Wikipedia, ask the crowd on Facebook. One kindergarten teacher asked parents to research seeds and got great information about the largest seed in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
2. Attend remote lectures: Using Facebook, you can tune into remote lectures and presentations from around the world.
3. Museums and more: Help your students follow along with local and international museums, art galleries, exhibits, and more for enriched learning on Facebook.
4. Firsthand research: Students can connect with family members for genealogy assignments, discuss issues with local celebrities and more through Facebook.

revolutionizeed:

With my school going 1:1, I know that the math department has been talking a lot about how they could use the computers in their classrooms.  Here are some assessment ideas that don’t require the old pencil and paper!

Oh…and here are some more!

I love this.  Love.  Can I hug it?!  Gah.  This is what we can do with assessment.  Don’t talk to me about how to turn something as organic as reading and reading assessment in to a piece of paper that you read and bubble answer questions.  Talk to me about how organic assessments help us gather important data about students.  Then we’ll talk assessment.

(Source: revolutionizeed)

On a personal level, I think that the more time we spend on this the better.  I found that in the classroom, every minute I spent on this kind of activity was worth it in the end.  WHy?  It just made it all smoother and easier and provided a heck of a lot of chance to foster a community.  If community is important to you or your school, be willing to take TIME and make it a priority.  Because then in May, you’re not going crazy, but you have that community to build toward a positive end on.

As we move to having middle school students in our building, I wonder about something like this being a possibility for them.  Get them up and get them moving.  It’s a cool idea and definitely something I’d love to participate in (though more than that, I’d love an hour for lunch….)

I just love this use of a game and the things you can do with it.  I think it also has the chance to do some great community building and learning about how to live and act within the virtual world - something students will need to know how to do as virtual education becomes more and more likely for every student.  And what better way to teach than a game!