Knowledge, skills and attitudes...

Knowledge, skills and attitudes... I think that attitude is possibly the most important component that a student needs to be successful. Without a positive attitude, in a 21st Century environment, or any other environment, for that matter, there will be no success. I think of students with average skills and above average attitudes, and I see students who are more successful than a student with a below average attitude. Attitudes are shaped by environment; Home environment, school / learning environment, socio-economic environment, to name but a few. A teachers' focus should be formulating and focusing the positive attitude, as well as facilitating knowledge and skill acquisition. An attitude that envelopes the positive learning / school environment will assist a student with success of knowledge and skill acquisition. "Ya gotta wanna." You have to want to learn. You must want to get better, to succeed. You want to be competitive in your learning, your collaboration, your experimentation and experiences. These are all attributes of attitude.

Why won't the children work harder?

Over and over again, I have been bothered that I can't get my students to love learning as much as I do. Why won't these children work harder to learn? What must I bring into my classroom to encourage them, to create such an environment, that they would tire me as I taught, taught, taught; coached, coached, coached; supported, sup-, well, you get the picture. Instead, I am tired because I can't get them to self-motivate. In turn, my motivation tires, as I fall into a slow downward spiral, trying to grasp onto a tool to help us all!

As I watched Dateline last night, I was taken by the story of a high school class in Pomona, California. The teacher, Mr. Michael Steinman, recognized that there were students in his class worried about their personal family financial situation. Mr. Steinman asked them to share their concerns, and actually videotaped the sessions named, "Is Anybody Listening?", and posted it on You Tube. President Obama heard of the video, obviously viewed it, and mentioned by name one of the students (Yvonne) in a speech this week. President Obama then visited the school. I think it's fair to say that those students in Mr. Steinman's class are quite motivated right now. Mr. Steinman said, "For me as a teacher, the whole process was about giving the kids a voice and allowing them to use freedom of speech to express the heartache they and their families were feeling because of the economy. I made them a promise if they did it [the video], I’d make sure the president found out about it."

A few themes ran through my thoughts:

• isn't it cool that Mr. Steinman recognized that a basic necessity was lacking ($, housing, food) in his students' lives and it would be tough to motivate them to learn when they were thinking about the rent being late, or that there is no butter in the refrigerator?
• isn't it cool that technology exists that allows students to talk and the President has access to listen?
  
• how motivated are the Pomona students now?
• have they been heard?
• will it help?
  

After reading Dan's Blog, dated March 9, 2009 about motivation, I was drawn to his comparisons between our students and Pakistani students. He had read "Three Cups of Tea", by Greg Mortenson. I happen to be 2/3 of the way through that particular book and have also been struck by the motivation of these poor children, scraping letters and numbers in the dirt with sticks... without a building, a teacher, a book. Why are they so motivated?

Why won't our children work harder? I really wish I knew. Why is education such a 'trivial' component to some families? Has it been so easy to attain that is no longer considered valuable, like it is in Pakistan? Does it take a You Tube post to make it real for others? What will it take?

Teach for the Test??? Sure, why not?

Teach for the Test??? Sure, why not?

You know, I really do think that there are certain areas or conditions when it may be acceptable to "teach for the test". It is assumed here that we are considering standardized tests such as the NJASK, but I think that teachers routinely teach for all of the tests.

• What is a study guide if not a vehicle to teach for the test? Sure, we all say the study guide helps to assist students narrow down the wide range of content and direct their studying; but isn't it really teaching for the test?
• As for the NJASK, I think that teachers teach for the test all year long. Much of their curriculum maps and weekly plans reflect what has been on the test in the past. Teachers re-arrange their teaching to 'fit in' the content they think will be asked on the test.
• Beyond content, teaching the vocabulary of the test is essential.
• Finally, considering the delivery of the test... the expectations of answers through the preferred rubrics and the way in which questions are asked (in bullets, for example) need to be taught to students... in other words teaching for the test.
  

No Child Left Behind

In theory, "No Child Left Behind", or NCLB is a positive move toward equally educating all children. The government has decided what components are necessary in order to provide the education that every child deserves. I think I get the concept, but worry about the test scores and documentation that each district must reach in order to receive funding.

Although I'm not actually in a classroom, there are a certain factors contributing to our district's management of NCLB for which I am involved. In my opinion, the most frustrating area is in special education. APA is restricted to the most disabled student (1% of special education population) who is never in the general education setting. So therefore, most special education students who attend their home district school are therefore required to take the NJASK or HSPA.

Years ago (prior to this NCLB Act in 2002) students were not required to take certain state assessments based on their IEPs were written after certain consideration was given to their program. Although I believe that this system was misused, and many students were allowed to be excused without an alternate assessment, the expectation of a certain percentage of students to perform at a certain level is hard to grasp... especially when their classes are not only formatted around NJCCCS, but also individualized goals and objectives meant to remediate specific weaknesses (not necessarily @ grade level).