According to Diane Curtis’ article, “Start With the Pyramid: Real-World Issues Motivate Students,” (Edutopia.org), there is no doubt that teachers’ instructional methods and student learning strategies in the classroom need to be re-vamped to fit the needs of the recent advances in technology and how society functions and performs as a whole. According to Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), “Everybody is motivated by a challenge and solving problems, and we don’t make use of that in schools enough.” However, one of the major trends that addresses such an issue and is improving schools’ curriculum today is project-based learning. Alberts says of the method: “Project-based learning gives everybody a chance to sort of mimic what scientists do, and that’s exciting. And it’s fun if it’s done well.” Sylvia Chard, professor of elementary education at the University of Alberta, further contends, “One of the major advantages of project work is that it makes school more like real life.” Though if that’s still not enough to catch your attention, then consider this consensus from a number of statistic-based research reports: “Project-based learning correlates positively with improved test scores, reduced absenteeism, and fewer disciplinary problems.”
As a teacher, all of these findings are certainly enough for one to take a closer look at what project-based learning is all about, and really consider it in one’s future curriculum. With that being said, in order for such a curriculum to be put into action, there are three factors that must be considered to effectively put such an instructional strategy into place: one must create Units based on and driven by a set of Essential Questions, implement and create interdisciplinary opportunities and Higher Order Thinking (HOT) questions, activities, and skills within the Unit’s daily lesson plans, and require that students present their findings in front of their peers, parents, and/or community members.
The first criteria involving a set of Unit Essential Questions is crucial for students’ “initial discussion of a project topic” in order for them to begin thinking about what they already know, what they would like to learn, what is the purpose of the project, and what kind of impact the project will ultimately have on local and global community members. More specifically, one of the main purposes of project-based learning is to get “students to try to answer a question…that is greater than the immediate task at hand.” The act of getting students to start thinking beyond themselves and participate as responsible members of a very large and every-changing global community not only promotes great qualities of leadership, confidence, and teamwork in students, but adds real value to any curriculum. Furthermore, using these Essential Questions as their guide, students will be able to stay focused throughout their projects, and constantly be reminded of their project’s overall purpose, plan, and inherent value.
The second criteria of implementing interdisciplinary opportunities and HOT-based questions and skills into a given curriculum is for students to realize that the subjects they learn about can be extended to “real-life” experiences and projects, and that the use of multiple disciplines to solve a problem is preferable so as to not restrict anyone from developing an in-depth investigation of a topic, or applying what they do know of other subjects, into the current project. Most importantly, HOT tasks ask students to extend their thinking beyond convergent ways and prevent them from just repeating what they have been told by a teacher. Rather, students “need to be able to ask questions of a person [they’re] learning from…[they] need to be able to link what the person is telling [them] with what [they] already know.” Demanding students to exercise critical thinking skills throughout a task involves more work, but will ultimately be more rewarding than an assignment that asks them to simply memorize a list of terms and take a test.
Finally, the third criteria of having students present their projects in front of their peers, school and community members, and parents goes beyond just making a student feel proud about his or her work. Since students have invested so much time into the project, have learned to make interdisciplinary connections, and used their team members and other experts to gather information, “they [become] more confident talking to groups of people” because they have had practice improving their social skills and can speak confidently and enthusiastically about their project. In addition, oral communication is definitely a skill that a lot of parents are concerned that their children are lacking. Due to the nature of their social life – in which many students spend a lot of time either in front of computer or video games or texting on their phones – there is a lot that is going “unsaid” because children are involved in activities that do not require them to literally voice their opinion. Therefore, since “engaging students by starting with the concrete and solving hands-on, real-world problems is a great motivator” in itself, students will become used to being actively involved with other people, engaging in activities beyond the computer screen, and want to share their findings because of the great amount of time and effort that went into the project.
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With the idea of project-based learning in mind and the kind of confidence, responsibility, and deep level of thinking and comprehension skills it yields for students who participate in such endeavors, another important aspect of an effective school system is its structure. According to another article by Diane Curtis titled, “Raise Your Students’ Emotional-Intelligence Quotient” (Edutopia.org), “evidence is growing that students do better not only socially but also academically when they feel safe and regarded as important members of a learning community.” Therefore, it is ultimately a matter of not only having a curriculum that is engaging and exciting for students, but creating a foundation of trust, safety, and respect among students, faculty, staff, and community members. Three methods to create such an environment of belonging is to implement the following: a character education program, a triple-tiered program of student-teacher-parent involvement, and a bi-weekly informative session on the school rules, values, and an accompanying “real-world” activity to solidify students’ understanding.
More specifically, the character education program would be a monthly seminar that students would have to attend as part of their Social Studies/Civics/History class to learn about how to respect one’s self, how to learn and give affirmations and support to peers, and to develop a sense of belonging and purpose as a responsible student. If a school shows students how to develop and show a sense of strong character, it automatically “builds a sense of community and lets students know they’re important, which leads to trust and a sense of safety that promotes classroom success.”
However, because what a student is capable of doing at school should not be isolated from their responsibilities and actions outside of school, it is just as important to implement a program that gets students’ parents and teachers involved in helping them improve these qualities, and of course treat the student with just as much respect in return. According to Vikki Deuel, principal of Walnut Middle School in Nebraska, “It all boils down to living the Golden Rule and being respectful and being treated the way you want to be treated and doing the right thing.” For a student to learn how to live by the “Golden Rule” and own strong character traits in their everyday lives, then they need to be surrounded by people who honor these kinds of attributes, who support the student when his or her character is tested, and also be caring and responsible enough to award the student for exercising good judgment of character.
Finally, to solidify teachers’, students’, and parents’ understanding of how good character and values work in “real-world” situations, students will participate in bi-weekly informative sessions that focus on a particular value or character trait, and be assigned to a task that lets them exercise this skill or attribute in their local communities. Whether it be a project set in an nursing home, cleaning up trash in the community, reading to younger children in schools, or putting together an after-school club, students should be invited and encouraged to “act out” and practice how to live a morally sound and responsible lifestyle so that they cannot only develop their personality and identity into a caring and intelligent human being, but to get the opportunity to see the kind of impact such nurturing does have on the community. Again, to treat someone with respect and receive the same kind of treatment in return, really creates an ever-lasting impact in a student’s mind and heart. Kindness can be contagious!
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In addition to improvements in the structure of a school and its curriculum, Grace Rubenstein’s article “Confronting the Crisis in Teacher Training” (Edutopia.org) discusses the impact of pedagogy: the “one thing [that] makes a big difference in children’s learning.” In fact, it is specifically the way in which teachers are trained to teach that largely affects their students’ academic and social experiences in the classroom. However, according to Thomas Carroll, president of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF), there is significant evidence of a gap between “the way [teachers are prepared] and the way teachers actually teach in the classroom.” For instance, Pablo Aguilera of Stanford University is quoted in Rubenstein’s article: “You can make people go to school for five years and tell them to read any number of books, but they won’t really learn anything until they’re in an actual classroom.” Boston Teacher Residency Mentor Barbara Simon further claims, “Some people have the philosophy that teachers should go right into the fire, and I disagree with that.” Such statements certainly supports Thomas Carroll’s concern, and actually expose the specific inconsistencies between what a teacher does in his or her preparation program, and what one is actually capable of doing (on his or her own) under a contract position. Again, acknowledging the fact that a teacher’s training is absolutely crucial to students’ learning and their social development in the classroom, the following measures should be implemented into teaching preparation programs and beyond to increase one’s chance of succeeding in the profession: a one-year, paid internship experience, unlimited access to workshops and collaborative support teams during one’s time as a full-time, contracted employee, and a highly-qualified mentor during one’s internship and first year under contract.
First, the purpose of offering a one-year, paid internship experience is so that teacher interns can really gain a sense of the “local curriculum, the community, and the daily demands of education.” Half-year internship experiences really offer only a snapshot of what is required of a teacher because by the time intern feels adjusted to a classroom’s daily duties such as taking attendance, adjusting to the grading system and its software, getting to know the students, conversing with parents, and collaborating in teaching teams, the year is already half-way gone and there’s little time to focus on taking strategic risks or challenging one’s self to make a real change in the classroom’s dynamics. Especially if it is a teacher’s first time synthesizing the content, standards, and objectives of a curriculum, performing such multi-dimensional tasks certainly yields extra time to ensure enough care and attention is paid to each one.
Rather, think about this: if Elementary and Special Education teachers are required to participate in full-year internships, why not Secondary Education teachers? Especially in consideration of Jean Piaget’s theory that adolescents develop a sense of identity during their adolescent years, it is important for teachers to be exposed to the many kinds of difficult issues that their students are facing, and to know how to handle them in a variety of situations. More specifically is the type of language that should be used in communicating with older students. Words hold a lot of power, and they can either positively or negatively affect your teacher-student relationship. Communication with anyone takes practice.
In regards to the “paid” aspect of the full-year internship experience, there are some teacher preparation programs like that of Boston Public Schools that offer financial packages – such as stipends and forgivable tuition loans – that entice teachers to become a part of their program. Not only is it gratifying to receive money for one’s hard work, but it creates this “promise” between a future teacher and a school that allows an intern to feel as though his or her efforts are appreciated and valuable to the school, while the school can be assured that the teacher intern is producing his or her best and most practical work because he or she is being paid to do so. On the other hand, it can also work in the form of a “deal” between a school and a teacher – just like the military does with its ROTC candidates. If candidates want their chosen military organization to pay for the college, then they must honor that payment by committing to a given amount of years in military service. If this took place in the teaching world, both parties would feel respected and would work dutifully to honor the commitment.
Yet despite the perks of full-year, paid internship experience, what’s important to note is that the ultimate reason for such a demand is that many schools of education and teacher preparation programs continue to “provide insufficient time and support for future teachers to learn to work in real classrooms,” and as a result, “half of all new educators abandon the profession within five years.” A little extra time and agreement of appreciation for teachers would certainly go a long way in making new teachers realize that not only are their efforts valuable, but teaching is a profession that commands an equal amount of self-investment and careful attention in return. While some may argue that interns do not warrant financial for their learning experience, perhaps they should view the proposal from a personal point of view. A lot of monetary sacrifices have to be made during one’s time fulfilling their internship and participating in a teacher preparation program, but more money is lost when teachers decide to quit the profession out of frustration and lack of support.
With that being said, teachers should also be invited to and have unlimited access to workshops and collaborative support teams during their time as a full-time, contracted employee. According to Rubenstein, two “neglected but emerging education-school adaptations are training in how to use technology for learning, and induction support for beginning teachers after graduation.” These two aspects could not be truer as technology is constantly evolving and working its way into classrooms, and first-year teachers need assistance and a solid support system to rely on during challenging times. Another aspect to think about is that while the federal government’s demands (via the No Child Left Behind Act) that “’highly qualified’ teachers possess expertise in their subject matter and certification from their state [,] this requirement assumes that certification ensures skill. In reality, states generally focus more on the number and type of candidates’ training experiences that the quality.”
Therefore, in order to ensure that teachers are getting the most out of in-school workshops, meetings, and collaborative team efforts, there needs to be an out-spoken demand that teachers participate in these sessions, are targeted by their co-workers for constant observation and feedback, and are given immediate instruction on how to use and implement any type of technology that their school offers into their classroom. Essentially, what results from this kind of measure is a teacher that trusts in the faculty and staff of the schools, is aware of and is encouraged to attend informative (technology-focused) sessions, and is well-aware of the kind of “back-up” he or she is accessible to in the school system. This not only makes the teacher more knowledgeable, confident and tech savvy, but also welcomed and safe in the school environment.
Finally, as one last way to ensure the most efficient pedagogy, teachers should be assigned to a highly-qualified mentor during their internship and first year under contract. According to Rubenstein’s article, “at the heart of reform in teacher preparation are innovations that provide extensive field experience and link theory more closely with practice.” However, if teacher interns are to undertake such an internship and gain the most practical and useful strategies and methods of curriculum, community, and classroom management as possible, they need a remarkable teacher model to help them succeed and learn the most effective pedagogical skills. Mentors should be teachers who are National Board Certified, are committed to being a role model and supportive team member without needing the incentive of an extra stipend, and should be required to videotape, constantly observe, deliver feedback, and be unquestionably devoted to the betterment of the teacher candidate.
Additionally, because teacher interns need to see what they have learned about in schools actually be put into practice, they need to be assured that they are getting the most accurate and fair shot of seeing such a concept in action. In fact, since the NCLB Act is so concerned about teachers being “highly-qualified,” wouldn’t it make sense for all teacher interns to learn from those who do hold such a status?
In effect, the ultimate way to close such as a gap between teacher preparation programs and their actual teaching experiences is to “demand more field experience with good supervision.” With these three measures of a full-year, paid internship, unlimited access and encouragement to attend workshops and collaborate in a teaching team, and an opportunity to work with a highly-qualified mentor during one’s internship and first year under contract, this gap just may start to close.
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