David Warlick believes that the current priorities by which educators evaluate and teach students is incorrect. He sees a need for changing the order in which teachers prioritize the goals for their classrooms.
Currently, the question 'How well are students learning?' is first focus for educators, whereas Warlick believes it should be 'What should students learn?'
I feel that Warlick makes a good point here. The focus should not be on how well students are learning, because if the material is not appropriate to the students' needs, then the evaluation may not be based on credible information. Instead, like Warlick says, the focus should be on the needs of the students first.
The current second priority remains aligned with Warlick's, which is 'How should students learn?'
The third and final priorities are, once again, in disagreement. The current third priority is 'What should students learn?' and Warlick's is 'How well are students learning?'
Again, I follow Warlick's belief. Students should not be evaluated until the teacher has first discovered the material suitable for them, as well as seen in which ways the students will most benefit. Then, and only then, should students be assessed. Doing anything other than this pattern will result in an inaccurate representation of the students because they have not been given the opportunity to show all of their true abilities.
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2 comments:
Staci, I agree that Warlick's question is the critical one. Currently in most ELA classrooms I spend time in -- and that's quite a few -- the "what" is woefully inadequate for preparing adolescents for the literacy demands of a complex global society.
I've become obsessed with the "what" question! And believe me, do I have answers!!
The "how" is also critical--adolescents need to be learning in multi-modal environments, unlike most of what I see in schools as they are currently constructed.
I'm glad you're reading Warlick!!
I hope you'll put up an Eng. Club blog!
I completely agree with Warlick (and you). This list of the wrong priorities definitely contributes to the problems we have in our schools today. Everyone is so used to doing what they always do that they forget that times are changing and teaching methods should change as well to adapt! Only after we adapt our teaching methods to the world our students live in should we even think about asking ourselves how well students are learning.
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