RE: Questions for the day

I agree that learning to think should be a primary focus of 
teaching.  Portfolios and measurement strategies that allow for 
flexibility and gather data over time rather than once a year (in 
my experience as a teacher) are a more effective means of 
measuring students' strengths/weaknesses/learning needs.  The 
trend toward rigid, highly structured district/state text 
adoptions, such as Open Court, that require teachers to follow 
scripts without deviation have resulted (among teachers I know) 
in teacher dissatisfaction. I think there are benefits to using 
the same texts throughout a district or state, but flexibility in 
how they are used is best.  Motivation is a key ingredient in 
student learning.  Teachers need to be free to take advantage of 
"magic moments" when students are excited an engaged and to adapt 
and use hands-on learning and other novel approaches to engage 
and motivate children.  The rigid, scripted requirements in Open 
Court and similar curriculum stiffles teachers' ability to make 
learning fun and accessible for ALL students in the classroom. 
In addition, a key component of learning lies in the area of 
social skills and requires children to have a wide variety of 
interactions with peers and adults from many economic and 
cultural backgrounds. I teach children with moderate to severe 
disabilities and, although legislation says I must expose them to  
the same curriculum as regular education students, this is not 
realistic.  Teachers are required to teach in a way that does not 
accommodate my students abilities, so they are excluded from the 
general education population.  We need  to consider and provide 
for the needs of all learners in our master plan from the college 
bound to those who require knowledge of functional skills in order to be
participants in our society.