Comments on: What’s Changed? (2009 Version)

By: Bridget

Bridget — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:09:01 +0000

I agree that teaching is “inevitably a conservative practice.” I think as teachers we tend to fall back on the teaching practices that we grew up with and that we have seen the most. Teaching is a unique profession in the fact that most people have spent a lot of time in classrooms as children and young adults by the time they become educators. Although we went to college and we studied inquiry-based methods of teaching and using technology in the classroom, we don’t actually see it in practice on a daily basis. It is hard to put into practice something that you haven’t really seen in action, so we tend to fall back on the teaching methods that we know best, the ones that we grew up with and were taught with. I definitely thought that when graduated from college that I would have a democratic-style, inquiry-based classroom where students and teachers worked together to design the classroom community and curriculum of study. During my first few weeks, when the management problems hit, I abandoned my idealistic classroom for what I knew best, an authoritarian, traditional-style classroom, just like the strict Catholic school that I sat in for 12 years. As I reflect and grow as an educator I have slowly tried to integrate the ideas that I graduated with, but it is a slow evolution.

I also think that teachers would be open to using more technology in the classroom if it were more available. Many of our classrooms still physically look the same as the ones that we attended as children. Now white boards have replaced chalkboards, but the extent of technology at our school is the overhead projector and a few LCD projectors that the whole school shares. If we want more teachers using technology to prepare our students for the future world that they will be living and working in, we need to ensure that all classrooms have access to different kinds of technology in our classrooms. Making technology readily available is the first hurdle. Teaching teachers how to integrate it and use it to enhance their students’ learning is the second.

By: Katie Harvey

Katie Harvey — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:35:43 +0000

I do believe that in general teaching is an conservative practice. The idea of drastically changing things is scary. We have a system that for a really long time has worked to create a strong public school system of the past. Some mistakes can be costly. When schools decide to teach reading using whole word, rather than phonics. When schools made this radical move, how many students were left as struggling readers? Is education conservative? Yes, and I believe it has the right to be hesitant about dramatic changes. NCLB has radically shaped our school systems and we have made conscious choices to put test scores before creativity, problem solving, and innovation. One huge change has radically shaped the field of education, for better or for worse.
In my school I have been met with nothing but support for my goal of integrating more technology, more problem solving, and more differentiation of learning styles. I am pushed by my principal to work towards improving the way we instruct, but I also think that I am able to have this freedom because I have proven myself on testing. At the end of the day we measure learning by performance on a test, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

By: Carrie P.

Carrie P. — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:50:32 +0000

I have to agree with Jennifer as well when she states the idea that teaching is an inevitably conservative practice isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I agree that our students still need to find value in a novel and joy in creating their own stories. I don’t want my students to skip that important step in their development as learners. I also believe that these skills will help our students to become successful in their future.

With that being said, I am struck by Janna’s comment that as a teacher she needs more training to be able to use technology in the classroom. I immediately think to my classroom with a SMART board mounted to the wall and a laptop and projector all provided for me on my first day. This is the scene in all of the 50 plus classrooms in my school. We have more technology than most skills yet we haven’t been given training to use this equipment to the fullest. It frustrates me that our school has the appearance to the outside of being so technology savvy yet when you step in to over half the classrooms SMART boards are only used to project the morning problem of the day. I wish I knew more ways to use what has been given to me to help my students. So I agree, I need more training and coaching in order to help my students. Sadly, not much has changed since I was in school. Sure I can now project my problem of the day on to a SMART board for my students but how is that much different then just writing it out on a chalkboard? I know that many other teachers feel the same way; I would love to find a better way to incorporate technology into the lessons, but how? I have this technology; I just need an administration to see the value in teaching its staff how to use it!

By: Lisa DelFavero

Lisa DelFavero — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:54:50 +0000

I agree with Jennifer Q.’s opening statement regarding teaching being conservative and personally not actually finding that to be something negative (in full). I think educators should have the freedom to play on how students learn and incorporate new practices that with maximize student achievement. There should be a balance of new and old practices and a willingness to try and expand ideas on a continuing basis, as long as the changes bring achievement and engagement to the learning atmosphere.
As an educator in a “warm but strict” and “back to basics” type of atmosphere (a high achieving charter school strategically positioned in a low achieving city school district), I fully understand the hesitations and hardships of integrating technology and non-conventional or nontraditional means of instruction into daily instruction. Once we fill in the gaps and get our students on grade level, we push for expanding student knowledge and engagement in alternate forms of instruction.
Where I work, there is such a need for strengthening basic skills and improving students’ understanding of concepts in a “board-to-paper” and more traditional type of learning setting. It works for our students, and we have become a high achieving school with an outstanding reputation in the area. We also incorporate engaging instruction and are open to new ideas, we chant, we provide students with access to technology and knowledge that will help them become successful and marketable in an ever changing, urban community.
I think there is a greater need for change as students get older and as our middle school builds. I think the key to maximizing student achievement is molding to students’ ever changing and diverse needs and preparing them for an environment which expects them to be well-rounded, technologically advanced, and intelligent simultaneously.

By: Jennifer Quinn

Jennifer Quinn — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:17:37 +0000

To a certain extent, I do agree that, “teaching is an inevitably conservative practice.” Yet, I don’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. For example, I think it is incredibly important that we are still teaching our students the value of reading and writing on paper. Our students need to understand the permanence and historical value of the written word. Similarly, I think our students must be able to participate in classroom discussions and community discussions before they are able to participating in global discussions. There are certain foundational skills that our students either will or will not learn during their elementary years, based on our instruction.

With that being said, I certainly agree that it is important for us to prepare our students to be successful in the modern world. I wish my 2nd Graders had more opportunities to research topics at a computer lab, or to practice typing on computers at school. I can remember doing both of these when I was in school, and yet my students today don’t have the opportunity. Similarly, I wish it was easier for me to show my students photos on a slideshow, or to screen video clips for them during Science. I believe our schools need to make these resources more available to our students, but an overall lack of funds often gets in the way. Also, there is a time crunch. At the urban schools that so many of us teach in, we’re already trying to play catch-up with our students. Many of our students already spend 9 hours a day with us. If extra time was built in for trips to the computer lab, it would most likely come at the expense of art or PE–which are also so vital to our students’ development.

By: Janna Genzlinger

Janna Genzlinger — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:49:52 +0000

I do not think the practice of teaching is inevitably conservative. I think that educators are extremely dedicated and would do more if they knew how to do more. The question to me is one of training and coaching. For me to successfully meet the technology needs of my students, I need more training and ongoing coaching. It will be up to me to get that training and use it. Teachers are some of the most progressive people that I know. To me, it is the educational systems that are slow to change. Like most lasting educational reform, I believe that the movement of technological innovation in the classroom will prosper with the hard work of creative teachers. As more teachers become aware of the urgency, and develop and share sound practices around the technological needs of students, the wheel will turn.
Where I currently teach, technological innovation is beginning to blossom. Unfortunately, not much is different from when I was an elementary aged student 30 years ago. One reason technologic innovation in education is slow to blossom is New York City public schools is economics. When we consider the question of technology in education, I think we must simultaneously ask WHICH children are receiving rigorous instruction in this area. Given that the resources are not equally accessible, how can we ensure that no child is left behind when we consider the important question of how to use and teach technology in our schools?

By: Ami

Ami — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 17:11:36 +0000

It’s funny how education and technology really do seem to oppose on another; educational technology is almost an oxymoron. This rings true especially when I think of my 1st graders, and lower-elementary instruction in general.
We are so preoccupied with the skills of teaching our young ones to read, we either forget or ignore, or cannot make time, or do not have resources (or most likely some jumbled mess of all the above) of penetrating the other skills deemed necessary for success in College and beyond. And furthermore, who says technology and reading have to remain distinct? I my use of technology, I depend on my skills or reading and writing. Couldn’t we teach kids how to read by exposing them to phonics flashcards from computer screens, and teach writing by introducing them to tweeting/blogging to their readers?

Computer literacy has become almost as important to us as literacy literacy (as in, the skills of reading–phonics, decoding, comprehension…etc.). I say almost, because the traditional literacy skills must be intact to be able to use mainstream technology effectively . However, this is in the way I know computers and the way I use technology (I can’t tweet if I can’t read and write). However, as we know from our experiences over the past 10, 5, even 1 year–this is constantly, rapidly evolving. I’d bet on technology when it comes to which skills precede which by the times my kids are applying for jobs.

Still, I don’t see this happening anytime soon for my school or those near me. The hurdle of capital is just too great right now. Even the question of expertise. Almost all of us are experts on reading and writing words in books, but how many of us can utilize computer programs that do the same?
Much of what I was left it after reading this interesting post were questions; the most salient being how do we make PROGRESSIVE education a reality for low-income schools?

By: Eric Green

Eric Green — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:49:48 +0000

There is an interesting debate in my head right now going back and forth between, “teaching is a conservative practice and that is a good thing,” and, “teaching is a conservative practice and that stops us from improving quickly.” Obviously, I do believe that it is conservative, but I do think that it is good not to be too quick to change. I don’t think that schools should immediately hop on bandwagons of new programs and ideas (such as Saxon Math or Reading Mastery). I think every curricular change does need to be researched and completely thought out from its implementation to its evaluation. Not doing so could be detrimental. Teachers often complain about districts switching up curriculums ever 2 – 3 years, because they haven’t thought through all of the details. There are ideas, however, that can improve teaching and be implemented quickly. Some of the biggest changes that I’ve seen from the days when I was in school to now have had a huge impact on instruction and teaching and do not take much time to implement—using data to drive instruction and using video to improve instruction. Even the most conservative school can use these concepts to improve their teaching.

By: Eric Green

Eric Green — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:49:00 +0000

By: Eric Green

Eric Green — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:48:53 +0000

By: Jane Egan

Jane Egan — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:21:53 +0000

I agree that teaching is inevitably conservative, particularly when I think of the school that I teach at. While successful, our school has a very rigid model and it not too converned with investigations-based learning. Structure lies beneath everything we do in our school. It is very different from the school I attended as a child, but only in superficial senses- uniforms, population, family structures. The curriculum is probably similar, if not a little bit more fun. Having taught for several years now I am noticing that teaching does change often, but only so that the pendulum can eventually swing back to a curriculum that looks the same as before, with a different name. It seems that everyone in education is just looking for a way to “perfect” the system and it therefore it ends up going in circles. That being said, who’s to say that investigation-based learning, technology, and other implementations ARE the way to advance education and become less conservative. Change happens in different ways and it’s effectiveness can be seen differently through different eyes.

By: Alison McSheehy

Alison McSheehy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:11:37 +0000

The question of “how do our students learn” is important because as Warlick points out, “learning, is at the core of teaching today” in today’s “information environment.” With technology’s rapid advancement, it’s either learn how to take advantage of it or else be left behind and therefore at a disadvantage.

It makes sense that many educators are still focused about WHAT students learn, rather than how they do it. Focusing on content rather than things like collaboration, critical thinking, etc. has been going on for centuries in most schools. I think that many of our standardized tests make focusing on content almost a necessity (think about state regents exams and even the SATS). Scholars must memorize math formulas and tons of vocabulary words in order to be successful on these exams. Some could also argue that it’s easier focusing on content. For example, having students learn about biology via a textbook is easier than having them “discover” the material themselves through a variety of hands on/ technology-related resources.

Based on my experiences, I believe that students must be taught content via a variety of ways and some of these should definitely be technology-related to ensure that students are being prepared for today’s world. Students should definitely be taught in school how to utilize today’s technologies to find their own answers to questions and they should be taught how to collaborate, analyze and critically think about the content that they learn. I do not believe that everything needs to be taught via technology, but to not provide students with a basic understanding of things like the internet and all it has to offer (as well as it’s flaws/limitations) would be putting them at a major disservice.

By: Alison McSheehy

Alison McSheehy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:09:49 +0000

I teach Kindergarten at an all-boys charter school in Brooklyn. In response to your question I can tell you about my school. As far as technology goes, our K-2 classrooms are each equipped with 9 computers. Everyday scholars spend 45 minutes on the computer, using a program called Waterford, which provides them with basic computer skills while simultaneously teaching them how to read. Each classroom has a pull down screen so that we can show clips with a projector and many teachers do so to supplement our curriculum. In addition, every Friday, we have a school-wide community meeting where technology is definitely present. Videos, pictures and music are used to enhance the weekly plays that get put on by the children. Despite all this, I wish there was more. I am hoping that we will soon have Smartboards, which would increase the students’ exposure to technology and make it easier for teachers to use technology. As of yet, there is no explicit teaching of technology.

By: Anna

Anna — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:38:33 +0000

Teaching, to some degree, is an ‘inevitably conservative practice.’ I’ve been teaching for four years and haven’t seen many technological changes within that time. I can’t say nothing has changed. The number of computers per classroom has risen and the amount of time spent on the computer has gone up slightly. At this rate, though, schools will never catch up to the rest of the world. Since I attended school, plenty has changed. Computers are updated, new programs have been introduced, and new technology (smart boards, elmos, etc) have entered our schools. However, there still isn’t much explicit teaching about how to use a variety of technology. What students are learning mainly comes from home.

By: ryanw

ryanw — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:50:46 +0000

I wish I could report about a change but unfortunately all I can say is – “Not yet”. However, I think that something that has changed is the opportunity for change. I work for a charter school and am embedded with a culture of “no more”. No more of the old, no more failing students, of not sending kids to college, of using things that don’t work, etc. etc. However, I must agree with this idea of the education system being conservative. But this doesn’t come from the teachers. We get involved to change things. We aren’t in it for the money, few people respect us except for the students and if it was just about being around kids, we’d be in the circus. No, teachers are not part of the problem. Government officials, chancellors, superintendents, and even principals are causing things to remain stagnant. They are uncomfortable with change because they are afraid of things going bad on their watch. So the push for the status quo to remain in our school even when they are failing because failing school in East New York ARE the status quo and no one is going to raise hell about that. So the archaism of school will remain until teacher, parents are students can take hold of the reins. They are ones active in the trenches. To some degree, I have seen it happen and felt that shift of power. It means more work for me but a lot more autonomy. And my principal is getting more autonomy and it turns out that the right ones are not pushing for the status quo. Maybe this will trickle up through the ranks and the status quo will be a system of change.
Last thing. When I was in school we had computers – 2nd generation Apple computers (remember the ones that were all screen and key board?). We used to play number munchers and other so-called learning games. Not much has really changed. Kids are using computers in our K and 1st grade classrooms and I have a pair of brand new ones in our class. They are used for games though or fillers for time between guided reading rotations. How can we use them better? Apparently that hasn’t been figured out yet. There is a thick coat of dust on the key boards of my computers in my classroom.