I think often in life we can do things to get them done or we can do things to make meaningful changes. Sometimes it’s a difficult fight within ourselves. Right now, in education, this fight is important.
As more and more mandates and regulations “come down,” it is tempting to simply shell-up and take it. Close our classroom doors and try to ignore the chaos around us. Shut our eyes real-tight and pretend it will go away.
The truth of the matter is these things are not going away. Budgets are going to be cut; demand for test scores to be raised is going to continue; and teachers will be judged based on many factors out of our control.
We are standing at a bend in the road and our choices are:
- Do things which meet the criteria, but are meaningless OR
- Continue to take meaningful actions in our classroom, regardless of the time, explanation, and education of others it will take along the way.
Workshop teaching is important. Through teaching students at their point of need, in authentic ways, they will construct meaning for themselves and learn to think. As Keene and Zimmerman wrote in Mosaic of Thought, “Kids who think well test well” (29).
Do I want kids to do well on standardized tests? Of course. Do I want more for them than that? Most definitely. Workshop teaching is the way to have both . . . to have our cake and eat it too. The question is, will we stand up for Workshop when faced with the pressure to prepare students for standardized tests via test-prep programs? Will we trust Workshop is enough for our students?
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I struggle with not only my own apathy after 5 years of teaching, but also my students’ apathy as well. I understand the concept of workshops to teach them the material, but I really don’t feel as if learning the material is the problem; how can we change the mindset of the students who only want to learn the information on the test so they can pass it? How can we change the way this generation of students views education. I become apathetic when I see those who don’t see that they aren’t anything without education. I guess it’s just a sign of the times. I’m in my late 20s and I always felt that getting an education was my job, my purpose in life.
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As a new teacher I live in daily fear of two things; I fear that my students aren’t learning, and I fear that if I take chances I will lose my job. I want my classroom to be energetic and engaging. Teaching to the test really dampers my energy and excitment.
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Your last statement, for me, is very powerful. Will we trust workshop is enough for our students? I say, “YES,” but trying to convince the “powers that be” is another story. Sometimes I feel like a salmon swimming upstream against all the others who just continue to do the same ‘ole thing, day after day, year after year, to the tune of all the mandates that come across our desks. I know in my heart writing workshop is the right thing to do and that it can be so powerful. However, I feel myself at times succumbing to the pressures of daily planning, moving back into the “skill and drill” mode….it’s hard to draw the line in the sand when you are the only one on your side. I have been a strong advocate for writing workshop for over two years now, and my call keeps falling on deaf ears. So, I do what I can….I close my door and teach in the manner I know best and hope at some point someone hears my voice.
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I’m with you on fighting the good fight. I’m even willing to stop being more vocal and start a letter writing campaign to end standardized testing. I’m lead a project-based classroom, and the students respond to and learn more from it. When I made the switch, in-class conversations during group work shifted from “can I borrow your lip-gloss” to “what really caused the American Revolution.”
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It seems that the key to teaching our tech savvy students is to make the expereiences authentic. And, at least with me, this is where I experience anxiety. My classroom should be a place of research, experimentation, and development. Instead, because of the pressures of state and county mandated curriculum, it can become a place of “just do it” so we can move on to the next thing on the list!
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Yeah, Ruth! I’m fighting right beside you. And Troy’s book is terrific. Check it out.
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It’s a very easy read, Ruth and important.
Bonnie
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After leaving education over twelve years ago, I am returning to my passion: the classroom. I took a hiatus from my passion in order to support myself financially with one income. As with any career, it comes with pros and cons. Twelve years ago, and probably even so today, money was a factor that influenced good teachers from swaying towards a better paying profession. Today, as was the case twelve years ago, raucous was being heard from teachers voicing their concerns towards teaching to a standardized test. Incorporate now, teaching towards the standardized tests while incorporating technology into the classroom. Thank you, Troy, for your recommendation of “The Digital Writing Workshop.” This is a read I am interested in picking up. I would like to read a blog regarding the marriage of technology and teaching toward the standardized test. This is where our government mandate is heading,,,if not already there.
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Yes, yes, yes…I am trying to fight the good fight.
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I firmly believe that day in day out workshop is the best preparation for these tests. When I think of all the hours spent devising mini lessons to address specific needs, and the hours spent conferring one on one to ensure that my students think like good readers and writers, I am all the more convinced that my students are well prepared for the NJ ASK6. I think, though, that they still need exposure to the format, the peculiar lingo and syntax used by the test folks, so we spend a bit of time with those dreadful review packets the state send us for the purpose. In our school, for the moment, all that our administration seems to care about is that the scores are good…which they are. So, I can go merrily along with workshop methodology…for the moment!
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It occurs to me that standardized testing is the equivalent of the TPS reports from “Office Space.” A great deal of importance, effort, and money is spent on something that is not a good or true measure of job performance. (i.e. student achievement)
The parallels don’t stop there. I have often wanted to take our copy machine out to field and give it the “treatment” with a baseball bat.
from Katie,
your loyal reader who hasn’t been posting, but still reading, and still fighting the good fight. : )
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There’s a great new book, The DIgital Writing Workshop by Troy HIcks, I am using it with my tech team for our writing project. If you don’t know it it would be great to see what you think about it. Seems like a perfect way to wed writing workshop goals and concepts with the digital world.
Bonnie
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