Assignment:
In the discussion post last week, Sir Ken Robinson suggested that schools are killing creativity. Seth Goding also challenges us in his TedTalk, Stop Stealing Dreams: Seth Godin at TEDxYouth@BFS, to think about what is the purpose of school. He suggests eight things that will change education and shift our education system, including "there is zero value worth memorizing anything ever again. Anything worth memorizing is worth looking up."
He also shares that "we should measure experience instead of test scores" and "grades are an illusion." What connections do you see to the ideas that Sir Ken suggested about schools killing creativity? Are Common Core State Standards a help or a hindrance in fostering creativity? How would following Seth Godin's advice support or inhibit the idea that our students need to be better prepared to compete against others in the global economy? How would this advice inhibit or improve the ability for students to learn twenty-first century skills? Explain your thinking.
Required Resources
Text
Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.). Turnaround Schools Publications.
Standards Alignment
This chapter addresses why aligning standards is critical to academic success and identifies common mistakes that are/can be made. It stresses the importance of creating road maps to align standards.
Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots (2nd ed.).
Teaching Using the Common Core State Standards
This chapter analyzes the historical context of the standards-based reform movement, and discusses the factors that helped lead toward a common set of standards. Lastly, it analyzes the new Common Core State standards.
Crafting Lessons by Design
This chapter explores the importance of developing effective learning objectives, examines the theoretical model called Bloom's Taxonomy, and introduces three types of planning that teachers need to use in order to cover the range of topics and information over the school year.
Differentiating Teaching and Learning for Your Diverse Learners
This chapter introduces the theory of multiple intelligences and how teachers can use this theory to impact their work in the classroom, along with how students can utilize their learning preferences to be successful. It also examines the idea of differentiated instruction and how teachers can use this concept to strategically focus lessons to meet students' interests, learning styles, and readiness for learning.
Multimedia
Multiple Intelligences for Adult Literacy and Education. (n.d.). Assessment: Find your strengths!
TEDxYouth. (2012, October 16). Stop stealing dreams: Seth Godin at TEDxYouth@BFS
Websites
Common Core State Standards Initiative
Recommended Resources
Article
Hamilton, L. S., Stecher, B. M., & Yuan, K. (2008). Standards-based accountability in the United States: History, research, and future directions RAND Corporation.
Summarizes the research on standardized based accountability and identifies lessons learned in the process.
International Society for Technology in Education. ISTE Standards Teachers.
Klein, J. L. & Rice, C. (2012). U.S. education reform and national security [Independent task force report No. 68]. The Council on Foreign Relations.
This Independent Task Force report examines the critical weaknesses of the American K-12 education system and assesses the actual and potential impact on national security.
Texts
Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching (2nd ed). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Examines the important aspects off high-quality teaching and the complex issues faced in the classroom.
Tomlinson, C., Brimijoin, K., & Narvaez, L. (2008). The differentiated school: Making revolutionary changes in teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Provides strategies on how to implement differentiated instruction for the diversity of students in classrooms.