Week 1 responses

The article, “How to bring our schools out of the 20^th century” explains the new basic principles of the global need for 21^st century learners. This relates very much to the first few chapters of 21^st Century Skills, by Trilling and Fadel, which we are reading for Oliver Dreon’s class. These principles (problem solving, teamwork, task-based learning, international literacy) are important concepts that are backed up nicely by data and anecdotes.

However, the article is written as if none of these things take place in our public schools today. Of course, I am not suggesting that our public schools need no improvement, or that they are meeting the needs of the 21^st century economy, but I do think that it is unfair and misleading to imply that none of these ideas can be found in our public schools right now. Some of these new, private schools are very interesting and ideal—hearing about them is very affirming and hopeful—but I wish we could find some example of how teachers are doing these things in public schools. I know they are out there. Not all teachers are still stuck in the 70’s!

In an English curriculum, essential questions and task-based learning are a must. Research and practice shows this. Also the reliance on memorization of facts is far past obsolete. If simple dates, facts, definitions, and rules can be found with the click of a mouse or the swipe of a touch screen, then let’s not focus on these things in our curricula. Units need to be designed around themes—the content will move through these themes. The lessons need to be founded on questions so that the content can help inform our answers. 

Reflection 1-1

1.       Senior year of high-school my favorite teacher Mrs. Ney took us to the park across the street to fly kites. We spent about 40 minutes of a gorgeous spring day running around and doing something that many of us, myself included, had never done before. Later we wrote about our experience in any way we wanted. Running and laughing predominate this memory. I remember being amazed that we were allowed to do this for school.

2.       I remember having a class discussion about Holden Caulfield in Mrs. Ney’s class later that year. When we had finished the book, we were discussing the idea of Holden wanting to be “the catcher in the rye” and I remember her drawing a picture on the board of stick figures falling off of a cliff. Each figure represented some kind of thing that Holden felt “killed” people or made them “phony”. The whole book started to take shape before my eyes and I thought J.D. Salinger was a genius. I knew I wanted to either write fiction or teach fiction after that class.

3.       Mrs. Kaltrieder was my 8^th grade English teacher and she broke rules, told stories, made jokes, swore, and made us think. I loved that about her. She once threw a trashcan at the wall because she was so excited about something someone had said. Mrs. Lomenzo taught me about short stories and poetry. She was so thoughtful and sensitive to things we had to say. Mrs. Ney was a fantastic model teacher. She practiced modeling every day. I remember when we had to partner up to share our stories and I had no partner so she sat down with me and shared a story she had written. Again, I thought this was something special and not-allowed.

4.        Many things I experienced in English class that I wish to avoid are things that I did as a student. I talked to my peers during lessons, texted, made inappropriate jokes, flirted, and once told a teacher I thought poetry was boring. I want to engage students like myself and challenge them to dare to care.

5.       1.print/non-print literature 2. Students 3. Language 4. The act of teaching 5. Schools

6.       Students in high-school are in their most important formative years (in my opinion). High school may well be many students’ last chance to be exposed to people daily who care about them and their futures. I want to positively influence students in any way I can and hopefully “cultivate [in them] a taste for reading, and give them some acquaintance with good literature,” if at all possible. Some hard work here on a teacher’s part can result in a more enjoyable, informed, and enlightened life for these children in the future.