Relevance and Rigor in the Classroom
What makes an effective 21st-century learning environment? At best, teachers facilitate a classroom or lab setting in which academic content serves as a springboard to the acquisition of deeper knowledge.
Teachers bring their own content knowledge and intentional planning to foster a dynamic and interactive educational community.
Learning ideally occurs when the student internalizes both the concepts and the skill set necessary to transfer that knowledge and experience to other contexts.
For their part, students bring an open mind and a willingness to build on past experiences in both school and life.
A rigorous course, therefore, is one that combines challenging content, an empathetic teacher to deliver it in multiple ways, and a willing student audience.
Presumably students also appreciate the relevance of what they are learning, and the response should be more than simply, "They will want you to know it in college," or, "Because everyone has to learn this.
" Those are abstract notions to a high school student, particularly one in the early grades, and not very effective motivators.
I don't mean to imply that learning for learning's sake should be disregarded.
After all, we want students to value the fact that knowledge is its own reward.
But we all--whether adults or children--learn best when we truly understand why something is important to learn and how we can connect that information to what we already know.
This is necessarily a messy process; learning may not happen in a straight line (in fact, deeper learning usually happens in a more circuitous fashion).
The best courses (and most effective teachers) acknowledge that reality and stay receptive to the actual lived experiences of the students in front of them.
They are nimble in their approach and are ready to meet the students' needs as they continue to provide the content they believe is crucial.
We ought also to be able to adapt to new learning opportunities and modify our teaching approaches when necessary.
Such flexibility is one of the hallmarks of a 21st-century education.
I am as ever gratified and humbled by the extraordinary thoughtfulness that many teachers at private schools put into their work.
That they continue to examine and refine their practice in ways that stay abreast with best practice in education is a testament to their efforts.
At the same time, we have been able to increase the overall depth and rigor of our curricular offerings.
I should note that much of my thinking on these issues has been informed by private schools ongoing work with the Council for Aid to Education, the organization that has designed the College Work and Readiness Assessment (CWRA) now administers to its ninth and twelfth graders.
Student performance, which ranks among the highest in the country, is evidence that the springboard to deeper knowledge, flexibility, relevance and rigor are key factors in that success.
Teachers bring their own content knowledge and intentional planning to foster a dynamic and interactive educational community.
Learning ideally occurs when the student internalizes both the concepts and the skill set necessary to transfer that knowledge and experience to other contexts.
For their part, students bring an open mind and a willingness to build on past experiences in both school and life.
A rigorous course, therefore, is one that combines challenging content, an empathetic teacher to deliver it in multiple ways, and a willing student audience.
Presumably students also appreciate the relevance of what they are learning, and the response should be more than simply, "They will want you to know it in college," or, "Because everyone has to learn this.
" Those are abstract notions to a high school student, particularly one in the early grades, and not very effective motivators.
I don't mean to imply that learning for learning's sake should be disregarded.
After all, we want students to value the fact that knowledge is its own reward.
But we all--whether adults or children--learn best when we truly understand why something is important to learn and how we can connect that information to what we already know.
This is necessarily a messy process; learning may not happen in a straight line (in fact, deeper learning usually happens in a more circuitous fashion).
The best courses (and most effective teachers) acknowledge that reality and stay receptive to the actual lived experiences of the students in front of them.
They are nimble in their approach and are ready to meet the students' needs as they continue to provide the content they believe is crucial.
We ought also to be able to adapt to new learning opportunities and modify our teaching approaches when necessary.
Such flexibility is one of the hallmarks of a 21st-century education.
I am as ever gratified and humbled by the extraordinary thoughtfulness that many teachers at private schools put into their work.
That they continue to examine and refine their practice in ways that stay abreast with best practice in education is a testament to their efforts.
At the same time, we have been able to increase the overall depth and rigor of our curricular offerings.
I should note that much of my thinking on these issues has been informed by private schools ongoing work with the Council for Aid to Education, the organization that has designed the College Work and Readiness Assessment (CWRA) now administers to its ninth and twelfth graders.
Student performance, which ranks among the highest in the country, is evidence that the springboard to deeper knowledge, flexibility, relevance and rigor are key factors in that success.
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