"After all these years of common schooling, we still have no real way of knowing if students are learning" (Tuck, 2011). Wow! What a heavy and complex statement! Yes, I do agree with this statement. And, I also believe that we really need to begin conversations with educators, parents, students, and community members to begin educational reform so this sentiment does not ring true. However, I contend that there must be some clarification added to this statement to make it a bit more telling.
Under current neoliberalistic policy there are supposed tools (standardized tests) in place to measure a student's learning. Yet, as evidenced by our readings, these tests not only discriminate against large sectors of our student population, but they also do not provide much insight for the long term effects of a student's understandings. Because the results of these high-stakes tests have been bureaucratically made to be the single-most important factor not only in earmarking a student’s success, but also "determining" teacher competence, and designating district funding, we so have produced an educational system where teachers are pressured into “teaching to the test.” And, we create students who focus on remembering facts just long enough to pass a test. Because accountability and “assessment drives education,” (Carini, p. 171), curriculum is thus centered around what is being tested on., leaving absolutely no space for anything that is not on these tests. Lipman points out that, “accountability policies promote[d] a narrow focus on skills to high-stakes tests” (Lipman, p. 53). When we restrict our curriculum to such confinements and only teach what is being tested, our students are being cheated from a well-rounded education. In essence, it is not our students who are failing, but we are failing our students.
Due to the overwhelming emphasis we place on standardized tests, our students have adapted to this type of short-term learning. They retain what they need to in order to pass a test. Once the test is over, students often lose the knowledge. In a sense, students master the art of regurgitating facts without really delving into the subject matter. In her works in various educational settings, Keene points out that there is an undeniable, common theme throughout all schools. "The surroundings may be different and the kids may be less concerned about getting into college, but the symptoms are identical: the kids are disengaged, don't retain and reapply concepts, and don't articulate their thinking"(Keene, p. 28). Because we are forced to overload our students with outrageous amounts of "stuff" to retain in order to pass a test, they rarely get the opportunity to really grasp ideas in a way that they can preserve this knowledge.
In addition to the current system of a lop-sided curriculum, the standardized tests that we use to measure a student’s success are biased. Hilliard points out that, “the results of standardized testing favor children who speak common American English simply because these children are able to respond to questions that are couched in a familiar language based upon familiar experiences,” (Hilliard, p. 98). In other words, if a child does not have access to or experience with this “familiar” language and these “familiar” experiences, their results are not going to be labeled satisfactory. How can we have such a display of diversity in our public educational system, yet fail to include these diverse populations in creating a fair, unbiased curriculum and assessment of said curriculum?
Going back to the original statement by Dr. Tuck,- Yes, we do have tools in place that are supposed to measure a student's learning. And, we are led to believe by bureaucratic neoliberals that they are effective. However, as evidenced above, the numbers-based results that these biased assessment tools often give are far from accurate. Therefore, yes, I agree- current educational systems do not have a real way of fully knowing a student's learning success.
With the aim of "knowing if the students are learning," I maintain that we need to look at our educational policies and practices in relation to assessing our students' knowledge. We need to focus on reaching all children. The only way that this can be done is by recognizing each individual child. And when I say recognize, I do not just mean to observe that student's presence. We really need to draw all students in, understand them, appreciate and respect them; we must know our students. Next to the home environment, school is where a child spends most of their critical and influential time. To fail to know your students, is to fail them.
Carini states that, “each child who comes through the door brings along his or her individuality and so inevitably makes some contribution, welcome or unwelcome to the variety and diversity of the class,” (p. 169). Why aren’t we welcoming their individuality and diversity? When we begin to stray from our current cookie-cutter model of education and really look at students as individuals offering diversity, all students can be reached. Under current policy and practice, we have not provided our children with a system that recognizes all and allows all to participate in. Therefore, how can we expect all to sit, regurgitate, and master assessment tests?
Although at first glimpse it may sound absurd, I suggest we start looking at how we educate our children in their earliest years- look at our preschools. What do they look like? How do they differ from grade and secondary schools? Are all children participating in the class? Because for many children preschool may be their first experience in a new social and learning setting without their parents, preschools are generally designed to contain a special element for all students- painting area, building blocks, book corner, water table, arts and crafts section, play area, circle time, etc. And, what these diverse areas do is appeal to children and their types intelligences that they bring to the classroom. When these intelligences are appealed to, children are drawn out and actively participate in their education.
The idea of different intelligences is something that is basic and taught in most fundamental child psychology courses. Howard Gardner, social psychologist, suggested that “human beings have several different ways of learning and processing information,” and proposed the theory of Multiple Intelligences (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Gardner). The theory contains eight different areas: spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences). Along with the idea that a person has varying abilities, Gardner also asserts that these abilities are not interdependent (www.wikipedia).
So, again, let’s go back to a pre-school/nursery school class and watch what happens in that setting. Some may see what appears to be a free-for-all, while others may observe controlled chaos. As a parent of a three year old that attends a preschool, I have first hand knowledge of this arena. Abigail’s teachers appeal to all different abilities. Recently they read an Eric Carle book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and worked on it for a few weeks. For those unfamiliar with this book, I have added a video of it at the end of the blog. Within this unit, the children created a classroom mural retelling the story, watched live caterpillars hatch into butterflies, made a song and “worm” dance, spoke about the digestive system briefly, and presented it to the parents for Parents Day. Here is a perfect example of multiple intelligences. Some students were able to excel in the artistic mural, while others really could get down to their new song, and others very articulately explained the process of metamorphosis.
There was no formal assessment at the end of this unit. Abigail did not come home from school, stressed out, trying to cram for a test. However, teachers and parents were both very aware of each child’s understanding. We need to realize that just as there are different ways to learn something, there are different ways to assess one’s understandings. The most accurate and informative way of assessment is through teacher observation. A teacher should best know their students, and be able to gauge, on an individual level, what their students abilities are. Students invest years and years in their education. We should be able to invest the time in them that it takes to individually and personally get to know them. When this is done, students become empowered and discover just how important they are in their own education.
On a side note: Abigail’s “Flying-Up” Ceremony was this week. This means that come September, she will be in the next class. Instead of having the children present the parents with their “academic” (123’s, ABC’s, shapes, colors, etc) learnings from the year, the children reenacted another book by Eric Carle. In addition to this, each child was presented with an “Award of Recognition.” These awards were not awards for the “best” of anything. They did not encompass academic learning (best counter, best at colors, etc). Instead, these awards embraced each, individual child, and what they brought to the class. Children were praised for their “amazing” skills and talents. Awards included “Amazing Playmate”- for playing with a different and new classmate everyday, “Amazing Turn Taker,” “Amazing Hugger,” “Amazing Question Asker”- for being so inquisitive.
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