I sat in and observed the first couple days at the same school I went to, Park Place Middle school. Many of the teachers I had then are still there now (and most of them look exactly the same!!). I was lucky to observe Mr. Donohue's 7th grade language arts class and laughed at the same jokes he told me when I was in 7th grade. The main difference in Mr. Donohue's classroom that separated him from the rest was the posters that covered his walls. Instead of the usual reading, writing, and inspirational posters decorating the walls, he had written each Common Core State Standard and provided an example of each one that was applicable to his class.
At first I thought it was tacky. What an easy way to cover the walls with words. But now, as I continue to study the CCSS, I see his genius. By plastering the walls with the CCSS, Mr. Donohue was sharing his expectations for his class and allowing the students to take responsibility for their own learning. By sharing the CCSS with the entire class, the students become more familiar with the expectations, learning objectives and state standards that will follow them the rest of their time at school.
Personally, I am excited about the CCSS. I feel that if we, as educators, can come together with a common goal and common standards for our students that they can grow as students and as people in a constantly evolving world. I feel that improving our literacy standards across curriculum will greatly impact our students. Teaching students to read is not enough, we need to inspire students to want to read. The CCSS will be able to do that by holding the teachers more accountable for specific learning objectives.
http://www.corestandards.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment