Understandings 3/11

At times, I feel that teaching is a daunting task. Okay, make that most times! As a pre-service teacher, I feel pressured about knowing the students individually, keeping pace with the standards, and teaching content in an exciting way. Mainly for this reason, I entered the Curry School of Education to become armed with the tools of success.

Among schools and administrations stressing standards in large classrooms, it is a wonder that teachers and students are able to accomplish anything. In the article “Reach them to teach them,” the two opposing attitudes are there is no time beyond curriculum or standards and the impracticality of knowing 150+ students in one year. Time is a fickle creature—oncle lost it is gone. How do we prepare our students to do well on standardized tests? How do we prepare them with the essential skills to succeed in the real world?

In my EDIS 502 course, the professor mentioned in class that big concepts and skills taught that are transferable across disciplines enables students to have a more engagement learning experience as well as score higher on standardized tests. In my mind, this goes beyond the textbook. “Teaching to student strengths does not mean ignoring weaknesses. It simply means teaching in a way that takes advantage of student power to energize learning” (Tomlinson and Jarvis 2006). Learning should be engaging and invigorating. Learning is difficult but students rise to the challenge when properly equipped. Memorizing out of an outdated text is not engaging but it appears to be all we are doing.

Differentiating Instruction is the key. The key to reach all students as well as prepare them, not only adequately, but successfully for standardized tests and the world. The curriculum and standards are necessary for they provide a foundation to build upon. Like every individual is unique, each house of learning we are building is unique. As “Reconcilable Differences” states, “Curriculum tells us what to teach. Differentiation tells us how.”

As a pre-service teacher, I am more at rest when I understand that teaching is more than books and standards. Teaching is providing young individuals with tools of success.