Who knows education best?

Recently I have been following a thread on Facebook about a "Common Core" math problem.  Somebody shared this link on their timeline.  Usually I know better than to look at the comments, but they had a train-wreck type of fascination for me.  The original article itself misunderstands the concept of the Common Core, or any kind of educational standard. 

In the article on Diply, the main commentary is, "For starters, it lumps kids together by their age, determining what they should know by the end of each grade, and doesn't take into account the fact that everybody learns differently and excels in different areas. Common Core teaches to a test, and if kids don't pass that test, they are usually held back, and made to feel inferior- which is totally, absolutely absurd."

Academic standards of any kind are simply guidelines for the scope and sequence of skills in any academic area.  The Common Core's web site itself states that the standards' purpose is to, "provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career, and life."  In our increasingly mobile world, having a relatively standardized set of learning goals makes sense. 

The Common Core standards are not intended as instructional methods or curriculum.  They are simply guidelines for what to teach and when.  Good schools and teachers will take these standards and use the instructional methods best suited to their teaching styles and the learning styles of their students.  Most of the critics on this Facebook thread did not seem to understand the purpose of Common Core.  Many of them seemed to think that "Common Core" is a way of teaching rather than academic standards.

Of course, many of the critics discounted the Common Core because the instructional methodology used to achieve the standards differs from their own experience as students.   This led me to thinking about the reason so many people outside the field of education seem to think they know so much more about teaching than teachers.

I believe that the main reason so many people have this attitude is because everyone has been inside a classroom as a student.  This means that they believe they know how teaching "should" work.  The problem is that, to borrow a bad metaphor, teaching is like an iceberg.  What you see in the classroom is only a small part of the picture.  No one sees the research and planning behind the lessons.  No one sees the assessment that happens during and after the lesson has been administered.  No one sees the modifications made in order to ensure that mastery is achieved. 

I like the idea of standards.  I need to know what concepts need to be taught and when they should be taught.  I need to know what skills and knowledge my students will need when they leave my classroom for other educational ventures. 

Let's take a look at one of the standards.  In the Reading strand of the English Language Arts standards, students should be able to "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text."

To translate this to non-pedagogical language: students should be able to read a text, figure out its main idea and how the main idea is developed by looking at the details in the text, and ultimately state the main idea in their own words.   The last time I checked, this is the main goal for reading anything.  You read the words to determine the message the author is presenting.  You use the details the author shares in order to figure out that message.  I believe that this is a skill that is absolutely necessary in all aspects of life.  If I want to understand the directions for using a new appliance, if I want to understand the fine print of a credit agreement, if I want to know the main point of anything I read, I need to be able to do this.  I need to ensure that my students can do this, so they can be successful in a career or college.  This standard is essential knowledge for life.

I suspect that many of the critics in this thread do not even know what the standards are.  If they read them, they will understand exactly what the purpose of the standards are.  They will understand that essentially the standards are skills students should have in order to progress academically.

Inspirations from a Fitness Instructor

I have to admit that I am generally a lazy person.  I do not like to do heavy-duty housework or yard work (although I will do yard work more willingly than housework.)  I don't like to exercise.  The main reason is that I don't like to get sweaty and nasty.  Unfortunately, this laziness does nothing for my health.  My high blood pressure, diabetes, and general health should improve with the addition of exercise and healthier eating habits.  As a teacher, I have a very stressful job, and living a healthier lifestyle contributes to stress reduction.

So, several years ago, my mom and I decided that we needed to add some exercise into our lives.  Given that both of us don't particularly enjoy exercise, and that we don't really like to get all sweaty and nasty, we decided that water fitness classes would be ideal.  It's lower impact, yet a good cardio workout at the same time. 

We found a place that offered classes at a reasonable price, and attended those classes regularly for about three years.  Then we had to locate another place for classes, because that place closed.  We joined a ladies-only health club and discovered Aqua Zumba.  Aqua Zumba modifies "classic" Zumba routines to the water.  When the Aqua Zumba instructor opened her own fitness studio, and then the health club closed, I had to find another option.  So I followed my Aqua Zumba instructor to her studio and now regularly participate in two other Zumba variations: Zumba Gold and Zumba Toning.  Unlike "classic" Zumba, Zumba Gold is designed for people who require lower-impact exercise.  It's ideal for someone who is clumsy like me.  In Zumba Gold, there's less jumping, hopping, and twisting, and the routines aren't quite as fast either.  Zumba Toning uses weight sticks, and again there's no hopping or jumping allowed because of the weights.  Also because of the weights, there isn't as much traveling or twisting.  Like I said, both of these are perfect for someone like me who can easily trip over her own bare feet.

So what's the point here?  I will repeat that before I started water fitness all those years ago, I HATED exercise and simply didn't exercise. Now, I am really motivated to attend classes and I'm disappointed when I am unable to attend for any reason.  I actually look forward to my Zumba Gold or Zumba Toning classes.  Not only have I improved my health by exercising more, I have learned some behaviors I can apply to my own classroom teaching.

First, she always seems to genuinely enjoy what she's doing.  My Zumba instructor always has a smile on her face, even if she's feeling under the weather.  She finds ways to make us smile when we're in the middle of the workout.  She makes working out fun, and I actually WANT to do it.  She's a regular person like the rest of us, and I imagine she has days when she feels down and grumpy.  She never takes this out on our class: she is always friendly and pleasant.  This motivates me in my own classroom to try and find ways to get my students to enjoy our classroom materials.

She notices us as individuals and encourages us individually.  In Zumba Toning, there are two weight sticks available: 1.5 and 2.5 pound sticks.  After I had been using the lighter sticks for a while, she told me individually I should try the heavier sticks for some of the routines.  She's also specifically encouraged me in other ways.  I have noticed her do this with other classmates as well.  She doesn't say something every day, and sometimes her individual encouragement just includes eye contact and a smile.   Those little pieces of encouragement also motivate me to try harder and keep committed to my exercise.  People like to be noticed for their accomplishments.

She has a routine and procedure for certain parts of the workout.  Each Zumba Gold and Toning routine includes warmup and cooldown.  The moves and sequence for each of these parts are always the same.  She changes the music for those parts of the routine, but it's still predictable.  It provides a level of comfort and confidence.

She introduces variety and allows for individual differences.  Each hour of Zumba consists of 6-8 different routines set to different styles of music.  The music for these routines varies from hip-hop, 70s disco music, retro dance music, Bollywood-style...you name it, there's a music style with each routine.  Some of the music is specifically made for Zumba routines, some of it is pop music from all decades.  Of course, the moves with each song match the music style.  Every 8 weeks or so, she replaces half of the songs with new ones.

Sometimes I can't coordinate my hands and feet, and can get frustrated in the workout.  When she notices that class members are struggling with moves, she shows us alternate ways to effectively perform them.  We even have some Zumba Gold class members who can use a chair for their workouts, to decrease the impact of the moves.  She knows it's important for us to keep moving and to enjoy our workout.

If we are doing the moves wrong in such a way that could cause injury or not exercise the parts of the body she's targeting, she will correct us.  She always takes the time to show us, and she's even stopped the workout to give us that proper instruction.

Motivation is really important for classroom instructors as well as for fitness instructors.  Ensuring that students are motivated will increase the likelihood that they will be more successful and take responsibility for their own success.  I have been trying a lot to use the inspiration of my fitness instructor as I encounter my students every day.