tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7736704849587421628.post4104662903166239880..comments2023-08-10T10:50:59.262-04:00Comments on ROLE Reversal: New Year's Challenge: stop teaching to the testAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18206735172077499589noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7736704849587421628.post-35244635411176860722012-02-11T18:16:10.119-05:002012-02-11T18:16:10.119-05:00Kelly, my advice is that we remain steadfast in ou...Kelly, my advice is that we remain steadfast in our commitment to teach the right way. We need more courageous teachers like you, Al and others who often comment here -- those who are willing to do what's right, regardless of the ocean of bureaucratic reform that continually comes our way. We need to stand up and say, No, to archaic traditional teaching methods. As you are already seeing in your own classes, if we show students how to learn and then get out of their way, they'll grow into lifelong learners, which is really what's most important.<br /><br />The key is solidarity. Spread the word to your colleagues that we owe it to the students to do what we know is best -- not to teach to the test.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18206735172077499589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7736704849587421628.post-66840675664111200672012-02-10T19:32:12.345-05:002012-02-10T19:32:12.345-05:00Love it! That is the stance my district adopts, an...Love it! That is the stance my district adopts, and it works. Unfortunately, I am leaving next year to teach in DC. The move is motivated partly by necessity (my job will be cut because of budgeting and enrollment decline) and partly by a desire to teach in the lion's den of ed reform. I don't agree with the testing/accountability movement, of course, but I am curious to see if I can successfully teach "my way" in a "troubled" urban district. I have a feeling urban students would prefer the ROLE approach to the robot approach. They are human beings after all.<br /><br />What concerns me is the increased "supervision" of teachers and teaching. DCPS assigns teachers "bundles" of the CCSS to teach every six weeks. At the end of each "unit," the district administers a standardized test to measure achievement. Never mind that teachers have no role in creating or scoring the test. That difficult task is left to an outside consultant. Teachers do get to participate in "professional development" that requires them to do item analysis to determine where their students don't measure up. Do I really need a standardized test to determine whether or not my students are learning?<br /><br />Is it possible to subvert that madness without getting fired? I just don't know. At a certain point, we have to change the system. We can't keep adapting to these mandates as they come down the pike. Eventually, we will adapt ourselves out of existence.<br /><br />Do you have any advice, Mark?Kelly Dillonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08124263041583480547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7736704849587421628.post-50719217402659886502012-01-03T00:30:01.750-05:002012-01-03T00:30:01.750-05:00That's how I do it! :)That's how I do it! :)Alfonso (Al) Gonzalezhttp://educatoral.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7736704849587421628.post-46937964143386321812011-12-29T23:11:37.144-05:002011-12-29T23:11:37.144-05:00Thank you!Thank you!tim-10-bernoreply@blogger.com