I read over the Common Core Standards first and I was wondering where the need for these standards came from. I know that there has been a long hstory of standardized testing, but the Common Core seemed like a different means to the same end. One positive thing that I've seen with the Common Core Standards is when we were visiting Ferris High School last quarter with Dr. Torgerson's class and the teachers that we observed there all went over the objectives at the beginning of their lessons. I noticed that students liked knowing what they were working towards; it gives them a concrete goal and a higher understanding of the purpose of their class times and assignments. Junior high and high school students thrive on structure and in the article it states that the standards give students "a more consistent set of goals." For students, I think it helps be keeping them in the loop of the direction of their education and their readiness for college.
As a teacher, knowing that I'll be teaching with the Common Core Standards, I don't mind having clear expectations of what I need to teach and a clear way of how my students and I will be assessed. It seems like I'll still have freedom to decide on my classroom curriculum and to allow for my personal perspective as a teacher to shine through. As I am not placed in a classroom yet, I don't have personal experience with how much the standards dictate what you do, but the teachers who I have spoken with about them seem to have a positive perspective of how Common Core has impacted their classroom. One of the teachers at Ferris reflected on finding her voice as a teacher and how being vulnerable with her class built a safe classroom environment. She also stated that the standards enhanced her ability to be open and honest with students because they knew why she was assigning the work that she was assigning and it opened up conversation about why.
No comments:
Post a Comment