Dear Walden Colleagues,
Thank you for all the thoughtful discussion and support over the last 16 weeks. I hope everyone has a restful break. I look forward to connecting with you all again in the New Year!
Sincerely,
Betsy Carlin
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Reflective Quotes
Our five senses are like openings through which we receive all the perceptions that are then transformed into concepts and idea.
Arnaud Desjardins
There is in every child at every stage a new miracle unfolding, which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all.
Erik Erikson
By observing different cultures, we see that there are many ways to go about caring for and educating children. There's no one right way.
Janet Gonzalez-Mena
Arnaud Desjardins
There is in every child at every stage a new miracle unfolding, which constitutes a new hope and a new responsibility for all.
Erik Erikson
By observing different cultures, we see that there are many ways to go about caring for and educating children. There's no one right way.
Janet Gonzalez-Mena
Friday, December 7, 2012
Finland Abolished Standardized Tests
I have a friend who just went back to teaching in our local elementary school after a 10 year hiatus. I spoke to her the end of her first month back and asked her how it was going. She said it was fine, she was working with a great group of teachers and the children were wonderful, but it was not fun anymore. She said that everything that has made teaching fun was gone because the school was now "teaching to the test." She said there was no room for creativity or diversion from the set curriculum.
Although I believe there is a place for standardized testing, I think our country puts way to much emphasis on it as an indicator of our education system. I also believe that the tests do not take into account varying learning styles, abilities, home languages, how much sleep a child had the night before, if the child had breakfast, etc. etc. etc. Assessment should be done so a teacher can learn where an individual child is and how best they can help the student move to the next level. Assessments should come in many shapes and sizes considering all learning styles. Assessment should be done only to gather information, not rank schools, teachers, or students.
Finland is a small Scandinavian country and happens to have one of the most successful school systems in the world and you know what?... They only have on standardized test which is during the students senior year in high school. Instead teachers, one of the most respected and competitive professions in Finland, are trusted and allowed a"certain freedom to teach with creativity. Students, too, have autonomy to learn in different ways"(Sahlberg, 2010) They use a more humanistic approach in teaching and do not rely on statistics to measure the success of their schools.
Hancock, L. (2011 September) Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? Smithsonian. Retrieved www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Why -Are-Finlands-School-Sucessful
Sahlberg, P. (2010, April 27) What Accounts for Finland's High Student Achievement Rate? Asia Society. Retrieved from www.asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/what-accounts-for-finlands-high-student-achievement-rate
Although I believe there is a place for standardized testing, I think our country puts way to much emphasis on it as an indicator of our education system. I also believe that the tests do not take into account varying learning styles, abilities, home languages, how much sleep a child had the night before, if the child had breakfast, etc. etc. etc. Assessment should be done so a teacher can learn where an individual child is and how best they can help the student move to the next level. Assessments should come in many shapes and sizes considering all learning styles. Assessment should be done only to gather information, not rank schools, teachers, or students.
Finland is a small Scandinavian country and happens to have one of the most successful school systems in the world and you know what?... They only have on standardized test which is during the students senior year in high school. Instead teachers, one of the most respected and competitive professions in Finland, are trusted and allowed a"certain freedom to teach with creativity. Students, too, have autonomy to learn in different ways"(Sahlberg, 2010) They use a more humanistic approach in teaching and do not rely on statistics to measure the success of their schools.
Hancock, L. (2011 September) Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? Smithsonian. Retrieved www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/Why -Are-Finlands-School-Sucessful
Sahlberg, P. (2010, April 27) What Accounts for Finland's High Student Achievement Rate? Asia Society. Retrieved from www.asiasociety.org/education/learning-world/what-accounts-for-finlands-high-student-achievement-rate
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