Reflective Blogging Assignment #2

The change in the "high stakes" test has left most high school educators with some anxiety.  Many still do not now enough of the details of the new Smarter Balance Assessment to make any sense of it.  However, we do need to realize that the look and feel of the test will change in two years time.

The difficulty lies in the types of changes that could occur in the new assessment.  It is really difficult to imagine that the college test (the ACT) could completely go away.  With the amount of money that is involved and the importance of taking a test that is so important to the entrance and admission into colleges and universities, it is difficult to imagine that this part of the state assessment would not be a part of the grand scheme.

In the meantime, it is important to make certain that we are continually adjusting the process of administering our educational assessment and preparation.  The first is making sure that our current students are prepared to be successful on the current test.  Preparing them for the content, skills, and test taking strategies are all part of the current focus and priorities.

Educators will have to continue to prepare our kids for the ACT/MME.  Meanwhile, it is also important for our schools to also prepare our students for new skills that are needed to be productive in our society.  From inquiry based learning to communication to group effectiveness to attitude and applied skills, our schools have the responsibility to make a huge impact on a students life away from academia.  Whatever the new high stakes test looks like, our educators are preparing our kids for their future.  

So, what we are currently doing is flying the plane and fixing it at the same time.  What I mean by that is, we are constantly preparing our students for the current expectations and trying to be forward thinking enough to help them be prepared for the future.  

Our teachers have been balancing these responsibilities forever.  The balance for test preparedness is the same as our conversations regarding technology.  The question lies in the priority and direction of your goals and expectations set in the school improvement plan.  Your school will determine the focus of the priorities and the balance lies in the detailed plans of the teacher in the classroom. Embedded technology, clear content expectations, student skill development, and proper assessment with quality feedback should prepare students for any test that they face.

The success of inquiry based learning is based on a consistent level of expectations from the teacher to the student.  Inquiry based learning is predicated on a style of learning and facilitation of active strategies.  This is very different from the typical "stand and deliver".  So, you are talking about skills that both teacher and student must have to make this a successful endeavor.  Classroom management, facilitation skills, proper questioning, and ability to move the inquiry in a positive direction are key skills for the teacher.

Also, because the teacher is going deeper with the level of thinking and content, everything cannot be important.  Content standards need to be reduced or adjusted to make certain there is time to get the depth of knowledge the teacher seeks and students understand before pressing on.

The students need to have developed the concept of being in this type of learning environment.  For a student new to this type of learning after years of "stand and deliver" would be a huge learning curve for any student.  Patience for both student and teacher would have to be at the highest level to maintain control of the classroom environment.  Problem solving, group effectiveness, personal management, self esteem and motivation, knowing how to learn, are all  very important skills for our students to have in order to have success.

Technology is only a strategy and tool for any type of teaching and learning.  Technology plays a part only when all participants understand the importance of roles and responsibilities.  In taking the example of the 5E model, technology could be a part of the process or a tool used in any of the phases if appropriate to the lesson.

In all of our learning, we know that technology is important if used in an efficient and useful way.  Placing technology in a lesson to add filler or "just because" leads to using this tool for the wrong reasons.