Week 3 (Part II) Making Changes and Planning for the Future

     Chapter 13: “It Takes Some Getting Used To: Rethinking Curriculum for the 21^st Century,” brought up some great points in regards to school change.  It is obvious that some schools are due to make some changes and are ready for updates to the curriculum.  In the beginning of the chapter it talked about a veteran teacher coming to the realization that, “…the content of the curriculum is not all that important.  He must also engage his students with process of thinking and problem solving.  ‘I really have to rethink everything that I have been doing in light of new technologies and a more diverse student population.’”  I think that this quote brings up some interesting discussion topics:  The first being that the content of the curriculum is not all that important.  I think that the curriculum content holds its importance but the problem solving skills, that are not necessarily mentioned or spelled out in the curriculum, and even more important.  As educators, we need to teach students how to solve problems on their own.  Students need to be able to figure things out.  Students need to struggle.  This is a concept that sometimes I find difficult.  At times through the past school year I found myself stepping in and helping struggling students.  These students may have been able to solve the problem on their own, but they asked for help and I provided them with the help they needed to solve the problem.  The balance with providing students with help and letting them figure things out on their own is something that I am still working on.  The second discussion topic that came to mind when reading the quote was about the new technologies available and a more diverse student population.  I think that teachers should be willing to embrace the new technology available to relate to their students.  Lessons, topics, and school in general are far more interesting and engaging to today’s students if technology is integrated in some way.  Also, through the use of technology, we are preparing students for the future.

            Preparing for the future is a difficult task because we really do not know what the future entails.  As mentioned by Dr. Jacobs, “As educators, we are all really futurists because we are trying to prepare students for the present and, at the same time, for a future that does not yet exist.”  Some of the qualities that are mentioned in the chapter, such as open-mindness, flexibility, patience, and courage, are all necessary attributes teachers must possess to be effective and to keep their sanity.  In dealing with changes to the curriculum to plan for the future, all school members need to be flexible and have an open mind.  Educators should not worry about how they changes to the curriculum will affect them, but rather, how the changes to the curriculum will affect the students.  I think that if we put the students above ourselves, and really think about how the changes to the curriculum will benefit the students, then we will truly be preparing the students for the future. 

            I agree with Dr. Jacobs in that, “The ultimate goal is for students to become self-directed in their learning.  They need to take responsibility for managing, monitoring, and modifying their behavior as they learn.”  I think that the more responsibility that teachers can put on students, without overwhelming them, the better.  It is not too often in life where you will have someone spelling out every single task that you need to accomplish and complete.  Often, it is up to you, and only you, to get things done.  If we, as educators, can give students a sense of responsibility, they will be more invested in the tasks that they are completing.  One great way to give students the responsibility of their own leaning is using the tool of self-evaluation.  I had my students evaluate and score themselves on a number of projects and writing assignments this past school year.  It was amazing to see the way students really thought about the quality of work that they put in and how close they came to completing the desired outcome.  Anther aspect that amazed me with the self-assessment tool was how honest the students were when they were evaluating themselves.  Only they knew how much effort they put in and how hard they worked.  It was refreshing to see the honesty that these 11 and 12 year old students posses.  Dr. Jacobs stated, “We need to shift that responsibility to students—to help them develop the capacity for self-analysis, self-referencing, and self-modifications.”  I find it extremely important not only for students to evaluate themselves on a particular task, but to also look at how they can make improvements for future assignments.