Comments on: Reconciling Teaching and Learning

By: Tippi Thompson

Tippi Thompson — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 20:07:26 +0000

I agree, we have to teach what the State expects the students to know. But, it would take a level of commitment that is probably physically impossible to diversify our instruction that way it probably should. It’s like living in a fantasy world where you envision what you would really like to do and see but time just doesn’t permit this to happen. I think once you planned more engaging activities for every lesson for the year (assuming your principal doesn’t move you to another grade)each year following would become easier and easier to build on. But, just getting started on this daunting task is more than most can bear.

By: Roxanne Johnson

Roxanne Johnson — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:03:19 +0000

When all is said and done, teachers have an impossible job. I like the idea of standards in so far as I think it is a good idea for my Algebra I students to learn the same skills as another teacher’s. And, truly, the state has not yet mandated HOW we teach said skills. So, tecnically, we should be able to do as we like in our classrooms. The trouble comes when we realize that there is simply not enough time to properly teach all the standards they have given us. And certainly no time for fun.

By: phaedrus » Blog Archive » Scope and Curriculum

phaedrus » Blog Archive » Scope and Curriculum — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:38:15 +0000

[...] See “Reconciling Teaching and Learning”. [...]

By: Frances Branham

Frances Branham — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 01:57:21 +0000

This past semester I completed my student-teaching and I was introduced to the “list” that must be taught to first and second graders to prepare them for the end of the year testing. I quickly noticed the norm, “You don’t have fun in school anymore! You lecture, complete worksheets, and take a test.” Often times, I had so many great ideas and information tools on the Internet, but was informed that I didn’t have the time to incorporate them into the class due to the “rush–rush” demand to check off everything on the list (I still incorporated as many as possible, but it became really difficult at times). The students jumped from one subject to the next so quickly that they often times didn’t have a chance to convert a skill to long-term memory unless they had willing parents that would help to reinforce the skill at home (for students that didn’t have this advantage, retaining the skills became a problem). Because of this fact, two weeks before the end of the year test I was provided packets of review for students to “drill” before the actual test. I was so frustrated seeing the bordom expressed by these students–gee, by the time the test arrived they were already bored out! Hopefully in the near future, I hope to come up with a way to grab student interest while teaching the “list” of required skills and a way to use distance education as a way to reinforce and build upon what is taught in my classroom. I am probably not one to offer any comment since I don’t have a classroom of my own–it is my goal though!