Samantha's Standards Reflection
My Feelings About Standards as a Student:
As a student, I personally love standards. For me, I live by the comfort of structure and squirm at the thought of completing anything less than what's expected of me. However, the power of educational standards is the guarantee that you will eventually discuss every necessary topic before graduation. It's the ultimate promise to be prepared for college and future life endeavors. Given that I am not a fan of surprises and surely don't enjoy being ill prepared, it's a very reassuring concept. I not only know what is expected of me in the present and current school year, but future years to come. Within standards, there are so many different types of hidden learning targets that can be intertwined to teach an effective lesson. As a student, I feel like standards provide units that give me the most bang for my buck. Of course they can feel overwhelming and scary at times given the significant number of them, but luckily, my teachers have always made it feel manageable and pretty effortless.
My Feelings About Standards as a Future Teacher:
As of right now, the thought of being thrown out into the teaching world is highly intimidating. I feel like I have so much more to learn and pretty much no idea where to start. When I think of what needs to be taught throughout the year, I couldn't imagine remembering every single topic without some sort of guide. For that reason, I love standards from a future teacher's perspective. I look at them as a crutch to lean on when I get lost or confused. In the end, they are not only there to help you organize your classroom, but also to ensure you provide the best well rounded education for your students. As teachers, we should want nothing but success for our students. I personally believe that standards help us achieve that. Now there is always that desire to branch off and try things your own way. However, standards don't limit how you teach, they just require a certain amount of information to be translated within your classroom. For that reason, I don't see it as a boundary but instead a seed that you can grow into whatever plant you see fit for your classroom.
Unpacking Standards:
Prior to this unit, I had never heard of the process of unpacking standards. When I first read the chapter, I was confused. Even though they attempted to break down the concept into 5 "simple" tips, I found it to be chaotic and overwhelming. I felt like the book made the process seem much more difficult than it was truly meant to be. After completing the assignment, I feel like I have a better idea of the expectations behind the process. Yet, this is assuming we completed it properly. The main takeaway I gathered was the importance of being able to break down a standard into a specific learning target that hits not only every aspect of the requirements but is also manageable within your classroom. One thing that stood out to me was the emphasis on standards being taught entirely in one lesson. Although the steps may seem chronological, they are meant to be intertwined and never skipped over. Overall, I have a way better understanding of standards but wouldn't mind learning more about them as they are so essential to every successful classroom.
Samantha,
ReplyDeleteI think your comfort of structure will help you be an organized teacher. I too thrive on structure, schedules and organization. I agree, standards are a guarantee your preparedness for college or for the real world. I think standards can be overwhelming for the younger students and that is where I think it is up to us to help with that. The teaching world is so scary looking from the behind the glass, I think that once we get down and dirty in the classroom with the support of our mentor teachers and the support of EWU Education Department that will help us feel comfortable in this role we want to be in, at least I am hoping. I, as well have never heard of unpacking a standard, I didn’t even think you could do that, to me standards are like laws, not a lot of wiggle room, boy was I wrong.
Samantha, your positive outlook on standards from all perspectives was refreshing! As a student, I did not have a positive outlook on learning standards and was pretty bitter about them because in my mind they equated testing. But, after reading this article and comparing my views as a student to yours, it made me feel a little more positive of the outlook I could have had on learning standards and the outlook I have moving forward!
ReplyDeleteSamantha,
ReplyDeleteI as well like the standards. They are a guide for us in teaching. Standards create a level playing field for all students. The standards ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn the same information. This is a very important function in our education system. Imagine if you had to move from Washington, to say Arizona, the expectations and content would be the same.
As a parent, I also find the structure of the standards very comforting. I know that my kids are getting the same learning opportunities that every student in the public education system is getting. It is nice to know that if my wife and I ever decided to leave Spokane, that are kids will be at the same academic level as the students in the town/city decided to live in.