Five Things I Would Change

2009-03-06T19:46:00.001-08:00

I was tagged by scarter to write five things I would change about education. The rules are as follows:

“List FIVE changes you would like to see in the educational system. Your responses should represent your perspective and your passion for learning and students…tag the following people…from a variety of perspectives. If you have been tagged, tag as many people as you choose, but try for a variety.”

1. All learning must be project based – All lessons, assignments, projects, etc. should be focused on real-world problems and challenges (opportunities). Students will learn the fundamental content knowledge they need because they will need this knowledge in order to solve the problems with which they are presented. Teachers are either afraid of this or are unwilling to change because it requires much effort. Project-based teaching is not for the faint of heart…

2. Merit Pay for Teachers – As in other professions in our capitalist system, the best and hardest working should be paid more. Giving teachers incentive pay will result in smarter teaching and better results for our kids. A system that pays excellent teachers and mediocre teachers the same is disheartening.

3. IEPs for Everyone! – An individualized learning program for every student is not only necessary but is possible through the use of technology! Students should have input into their own learning and each student’s plan should be based on his/her interests and abilities. The advent of quality online learning has broadened the offerings we can provide to our students. Now we need to empower students to lead the charge in their education (Kansas Career Pipeline and Kentucky’s Individual Learning Plans are decent starts)!

4. Seamless Transitions – Currently, most transitions from high school to any kind of post-secondary education or training are problematic for students. Most institutions are primarily interested in protecting turf and playing politics, and as a result students suffer by wasting time, effort, and money. K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions must change, working closely together to make sure that students receive efficient, quality educations. The days of elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges, tech schools, etc. existing as separate entities are over!

5. Technology makes it happen – All educators must embrace technology. The changes already mentioned hinge upon this. Educators who are unable or unwilling to integrate technology will eventually work themselves out of the system. I do not believe that all teachers need to reach the same level of expertise in the use of technology, but all must “step up their game” to meet the needs of students (most of whom already have excellent skills).

I now tag the following plurkers:

DennisA

MrsSmoke

abeam