It is official. I have spent three years banging my head against the idea that curriculum must be changed. That curriculum is outdated and we must need to update it because of the falling scores, lack of student interest and heck lack of enthusiasm to teach the curriculum. I have tossed and turned about how to get technology into curriculum, how do I hit the moving target that is curriculum and why am I thinking about this at night when there are much more exciting things to think about?
Walking around TCEA 2015 I had that creeping feeling that I had been here before. That what I was seeing and experiencing was only incrementally better or different than what I had seen in the last couple years. Searching for answers among the Google fanatics, Apple fanboys, and app happy ladies was more like brushing aside an annoying gnat this year than being overwhelmed with the impact that these products could make on curriculum. I identified trends that will eventually filter into schools five years late and ten years over budget. Some I like, some I dismissed as impractical for the amount of time a teacher would have to take ownership of.
The third day of TCEA as I was preparing to present on iTechNation I realized a fundamental idea about curriculum that I had been overlooking. Curriculum doesn't change. Think about that. The basics of what we wish our children to learn don't change. Billions of dollars are spent in trying to convince us otherwise, but the truth is we are still basically trying to get our students to read, write, and do arithmetic. Billions of dollars spent, arguments among politicians, and parents about what it is teachers do and the basics are no different than one hundred years ago.
So what is it I am fighting for. What am I trying to change? If we ca still teach with a charcoal stick and corn shuck then why am I standing in the Taj Mahal of instructional technology?
Walking around TCEA 2015 I had that creeping feeling that I had been here before. That what I was seeing and experiencing was only incrementally better or different than what I had seen in the last couple years. Searching for answers among the Google fanatics, Apple fanboys, and app happy ladies was more like brushing aside an annoying gnat this year than being overwhelmed with the impact that these products could make on curriculum. I identified trends that will eventually filter into schools five years late and ten years over budget. Some I like, some I dismissed as impractical for the amount of time a teacher would have to take ownership of.
The third day of TCEA as I was preparing to present on iTechNation I realized a fundamental idea about curriculum that I had been overlooking. Curriculum doesn't change. Think about that. The basics of what we wish our children to learn don't change. Billions of dollars are spent in trying to convince us otherwise, but the truth is we are still basically trying to get our students to read, write, and do arithmetic. Billions of dollars spent, arguments among politicians, and parents about what it is teachers do and the basics are no different than one hundred years ago.
So what is it I am fighting for. What am I trying to change? If we ca still teach with a charcoal stick and corn shuck then why am I standing in the Taj Mahal of instructional technology?
The answer is changing the human element to bring back passion!
I am not trying to change the curriculum I am trying to figure out the better mousetrap. If the plain old mousetrap works then what should I be doing? My answer is building passion! Students and teachers are beat down. They drag into school to grind out a days memorization and repetition of rote facts for test purposes. It is pretty darn depressing. Standing on the show floor I realized we need to make a few fundamental changes in how we present the curriculum to engage the students.
Lets bring back the passion with a few ideas.
We have segregated our instruction so much that each teachers is trapped in four walls with the feeling that they are taking on the world. Bring back the community collaboration for teachers and students to instill passion. End the team meetings and encourage the discussion meetings. Work with each other to support ideas and goals for students solving problems, working on ideas, and showing off what they have learned.
This is my personal call to change how I am doing things. I am sure others have had similar thoughts but are staggered by what it will take to make the change. All I can do is try. Hope springs from the thought that as I try a few others might as well.
Lets bring back the passion with a few ideas.
- Include and integrate electives with core curriculum.
- Integrate technology for efficiency and utility not flash
- Institute a positive climate that supports and celebrates failure as well as success
- Bring back the fun for students and teachers to promote success
We have segregated our instruction so much that each teachers is trapped in four walls with the feeling that they are taking on the world. Bring back the community collaboration for teachers and students to instill passion. End the team meetings and encourage the discussion meetings. Work with each other to support ideas and goals for students solving problems, working on ideas, and showing off what they have learned.
This is my personal call to change how I am doing things. I am sure others have had similar thoughts but are staggered by what it will take to make the change. All I can do is try. Hope springs from the thought that as I try a few others might as well.