Stop, Think, Take Action.

Written by Writer Dad on March 12, 2009 - View Comments
Categories: Education

Today’s post was written by Cindy (Daisy), a twenty year veteran teacher who has taught on four continents and many of our continental states.  She is discussing Angela Maiers and her new book, Classroom Habitudes, a text articulating the endless possibilities laying in wait for our 21st century learners; pondering the fundamentals of a progressive education: How do we get our children to ask relevant questions rather than simply memorize the same sets of answers (laminated lesson plans anyone)?

Angela understands the world we’re living in, and the world we are fearlessly marching toward. Children today are living in a world where cutting edge technology is as normal for them as peanut butter and jelly. It is in the air we breathe and must be the breath of their thought.

On Monday I posted a video detailing the differences between a tired yesterday and an eager tomorrow. On Tuesday I wanted to look at the dual immersion program our daughter attends, where the majority of her day is spent soaking up the syllables of a second language; a rarity in public education that should be as common as the parking lot. On  Wednesday I shared the smudged ink of my own fingerprint.

This is a subject I could expound upon for eons, but for now I’d like to start with a single week. I’ve sprinkled a nutshell with a few of the more obvious problems. Today I’m handing the keyboard to Cindy so she can discuss someone who is offering solutions.

angela maiers habitudesReading Classroom Habitudes was like watching an epic episode of “Lost.”  As with that show, I felt not only gratified by the delivery, but found myself begging the important questions: what if, I wonder who, and is that even possible? Angela’s book has a genuine matter of fact tone that can benefit any learner, from early to confident across any continent.

Angela’s message  screams loud, clear and simple – if we do not rethink how we teach our 21st century learners their daily habits and lifetime attitudes, and imbue them with a technologically savvy mind and proper tool set to accompany the most effective learning process, we are headed for a massive train wreck that will take untold time to recover from.

Our nation’s schools may be filled with dedicated teachers, but those teachers do not share equality across the fifty states. The absence of widely available technology, accessible to anyone and at a reasonable cost, or the needed expertise to deliver cutting edge, engaging content seems to me like malpractice when you know the engines of our world are roaring ahead at the speed of broadband.

It’s like we’re trying to merge onto the freeway in a Model T.

Establishing a work ethic that celebrates imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perseverence and adaptability is what makes learning a verb. It is the missing link and essential ingredient absent in today’s curriculum.  Angela is authentic, articulate and keeps her message direct. Classroom Habitudes is the kind of book you can open to any page and something inspirational will either grab you, captivate you, or make you stop and contemplate.

Stop, think, take action.

Classroom Habitudes serves as a much needed roadmap to an inevitable tomorrow; a vehicle to drive our new world’s curriculum. At the end of the day we must ask ourselves if we are giving equal weight to our questions and answers.

If we aren’t merging Model T’s onto the freeway, then why do we expect our learners to navigate through an archaic world with antique tools that do little to promote critical thought? If you want to carve a life style from learning, you must acquire the habits needed to absorb information at a new pace the world has only recently come to know. Angela’s Classroom Habitudes is a book that could become the daily bible to keep us mindful of our must do’s and may do’s, while never forgetting its most essential audience: 21st Century Learners.

Writer Mom and Dad

  • Share/Bookmark

Related posts:

  1. Kidpreneurs – The Best Children’s Book About Money I’ve Ever Seen! Have you ever heard a song, watched a movie or...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tags: , , , , ,
  • @Laurie- I understand that the TAKS may not be the best assessment tool and there is too much importance placed on the results. That's why I said it is an apples to oranges comparison. Every district is different, children are different and their family circumstances are different. But there needs to some way to assess a child's progress. We can't have the best teachers and resources but no way to gauge whether all that is helping the students. Customizing testing for every individual student is a humongous task and some sort of standardized testing may be necessary.

    When above-average kids ace the test, it's an indication of their ability and they have opportunities like Credit by exam that will move them to a higher grade level where they'll be challenged. I agree with you about testing special needs children on par with the other kids...it doesn't make any sense and just sets children up for failure.

    I live in an exemplary school district but the school that my kids go to is rated "Acceptable" because of the transient nature of the demographics that feed into the school and there have been plenty of transfers due to that. But my children have always had the best instructors and teachers that have worked very hard to ensure that they are constantly learning. With a student population of 20-22 in each class and diverse learning groups and levels in every class, I think, our teachers face a monumental task.

    As I mentioned before using the TAKS to compare and rate schools is useless since the population that generates that data is so diverse. All it results in are ignorant parents equating the scores to the quality of teaching. Like you said, maybe we need some other tests that can measure individual progress and growth in learning and not have these scores linked to schools performance or ranking. Not having the results tied into school performance will allow educators to focus on each child's improvement and take the pressure of the schools. But some sort of assessment is necessary otherwise there will be no accountability.
  • Laurie
    @Nithya- I disagree that the TAKS is a good way to know where the student stands. The TAKS measures how close a student is to the bar the state has set by the magic date. If a student is a higher level student, the TAKS (testing minimum standards) is a waste of their time. What are you measuring if the test is below the level of the student? Nothing. If the student has special needs, the state expects this student to play and win the same game as an average student. You can have a student enter into the fourth grade reading on a 2nd grade level and make a years worth of growth, a thing to be celebrated, but then fails the TAKS and the state tells him he is a failure. I had a student with an IQ of 71 but was preforming on the level 14 points below that and the state expects this child to pass the same teat as an average student. No way. It might be different if the state tested the amount of progress a student makes from year to year but that isn't what this test is about.

    Why are the tests like the TAKS, such high stakes tests? Take a look at who is on the school board. My guess, if your community is like ours, it is real estate developers. Why would they want to be on the school board? Because if the schools are good, people will want to move to your town and they make money. How do people know if you have good schools? The state ratings from the TAKS. So the pressure is put on the principals, who put pressure on the teachers who are suppose to get EVERY kid over the mark no matter what the student's ability or the fact that dad knocked mom around the night before the test.

    We all want to believe it is about the kids. I believe that for the teachers, it is about the kids. Above that, though, it is about the test score because somewhere it is linked with either keeping their job or making money. The kids are just the means for making a buck. I worked in administration and got out of it this being one of the reasons why. The districts use the kids. Do they want the kids to do well? Yes BUT their first priority is the score. I sat in meeting after meeting where this fact was abundantly clear.

    I agree that schools need to be held accountable for student progress. I don't believe the current system is the way to do it. I understand North Carolina tests the progress of the student from year to year. Maybe if there is someone out there who knows more about that system, he/she could chime in.
  • As a person that has gone through schooling in India, and as a teacher/parent here in the U.S, I find that there is so much that is right about the educational system here. When I compare the two, I realize how much of our learning in India was based on rote memorization and just book knowledge. On the other hand, here in the U.S., I've noticed that there are hands-on learning methods, there are different strategies adopted for different kinds of learners, there is extensive use of technology in the classroom, there is focus on presentation and research skills and yes, there is emphasis on passing the TAKS ( the Texas State tests). (I happen to live in a metropolitan area with substantial school funding, the access to technology may not be the same in the rural areas.)

    But the state tests are really, a test of the basic knowledge and skills that students need to know. It's definitely not the only thing that the students are learning in class but is ceratianly a good way of assessing where the students stand. The pressure on the schools and teachers happens when there is a comparison across the board without reference to the demographics and too much emphasis placed on the school's ranking. And of course the pressure on kids with special needs.

    One of the changes I'd like to see is testing that is not based on multiple-choice format but more on short-answer format. Europe and Asia have always followed that system. I think this will be beneficial to the students because they can explain their knowledge of concepts and based on that the teachers can adapt their teaching strategies to better address the holes in learning.
  • And wow---I just went over to Angela's website and found that she is from Iowa. How much cooler can she get? Iowa is the bastion of education!
  • Lori,
    I love that quote! I had never heard that one before, but it perfectly sums it up.
  • Lori
    As we think about change --- in any area -- I like to throw out one of my favorite quotes:
    "Removing the faults in a stage-coach may produce a perfect stage-coach, but it's unlikely to produce the first motor car." ~Edward de Bono
  • Cindy,
    Thank you so much for posting this review. It may very well be the answer to the anguish I have been feeling as a teacher lately. It seems as if the system, as it is currently set up, means only to prepare students for work as drones, much as Trina mentioned. There has to be a way to educate our children to become leaders, statesmen, international businessmen and creators. Because things change so quickly, I think the answer does lie in developing skills in HOW to learn and not in just rote memorization of fact after fact. Gone are the days when a child's hope was to grow up and work at a good job,with good benefits, staying there until they retired. Like Janice, today's children will grow up to have several careers over a lifetime. It sounds like Angela has the key to how to teach so that the child can adapt to any changes that will occur in his lifetime. I'm anxious to read her book.
  • Janice: Teaching is performing arts and good on you for overcoming the technology hurdle. Courage, perseverance and adaptability at its best. Your children have Thesis envy. That's priceless. What a great model you are for your family and to involve your daughter in the process is a million dollar anchor lesson. Brilliant!

    Trina: You will really dig this book. I am using Classroom Habitudes with a group of 4th grade boys that were described as apathetic, unmotivated and not performing at grade level. The transformation in their sense of accomplishment and discipline in the last 10 weeks makes my heart skip a beat. I volunteer 4 hours a week to mentor the group in reading and writing. The best testimonials have been from parents who have noticed a significant change in their child's enthusiasm and approach to new assignments. Read it with your daughter. My daughter is 7 and she is able to extract applicable experiences from the text.

    Lori: Love the karate referee analogy. That is so true, there is no perfect system and the sands of time may not give us the opportunity to see the overhaul fast enough or in time for our children. Good practices are good practices. Your upbringing and present philosophy of rearing and educating your children speaks loudly that we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater, and yet we know as parents if we do not mentor or guide our children in addition to what is offered in the school day we would be negligent. You are right, we must prepare ourselves to win no matter what. Nice.

    BloggerDad: Thanks for sharing your insight on the discussion. Apparently those other countries that you heard about are doing something right. Listening to the learners perhaps? Obviously they have found a system that works. What irks me is if we know what research shows works best for students why do we continue to do things the way that works best for us (the educator). It's like knowing the cure for AIDES and continuing to take the placebo.

    Anglea: Thank you for creating and sharing material that should be the cornerstone of every classroom. This book is a must have for every educator new and seasoned. The pleasure was all ours. We are confident the success others will share from your words of wisdom will start a new revolution on how we approach our students behaviorally.

    Laurie: High stakes testing and all that goes with that ugh. Testing is only one indicator of a student's ability to perform. Unfortunately, the powers that be forget that and the teacher's are pressured to check off a list rather than embrace the joy of curiosity, imagination, self awareness, perseverance, courage and adaptability in the learning process. The students are shortchanged in the experience of the joy of learning and the apathy begins. If we are unable to step back and see the consequences of the present actions in our education system we are creating a self fulfilled prophecy of failure
  • Laurie
    Education has evolved over the years but has so much more to go. Take science for instance. Use to be, science was taught from reading the textbook and answering the questions at the end of the chapter. Then came the teacher demo which at least allowed kids to see something first hand. After that (where most schools are now) kids are given a "recipe" to follow and know there is expected results to be graded at the end of the investigation. This is not real science nor does it play into the natural way kids learn about their world. More and more, schools are moving to an inquiry form of investigation where students explore and develop their own questions then test them. They find that the difference between them and " real scientists is .....well nothing. They are engaged in real world science, investigating things in a way that makes sense and developing a love for learning.

    IMHO the biggest hold back for this type of science education is state testing. Here in Texas, all kids at a specific grade level are expected to be able to jump over the same bar which include very specific information and applying that information. These are very high stakes tests which has school and district ratings on the line. Because of this, teachers and principals are desperate to have ALL the kids pass the test (no matter what special needs the student has because the state has taken away most exemptions). Inquiry takes a ton of time. Most teachers cannot allow the time for this natural from of learning science concepts. It's a real shame that the system set up to hold schools accountable is in fact hindering the potential of what the schools can actually accomplish with their students. Just my opinion.
  • Cindy and Sean-
    What an amazing and thoughtful review. I am so humbled and honored that you see the potential that I see in these "million dollar conversations." Your passion for students and teaching comes through in every word. My money quote:

    Establishing a work ethic that celebrates imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perseverence and adaptability is what makes learning a verb. It is the missing link and essential ingredient absent in today’s curriculum.”

    Success in school and in the world is at our students fingertips. It will not be technology, new curriculum, or billions of dollars in programming that will transform education. It will be the work and voice of dedicated professionals like yourself that make the change happen.

    Students come to us with the Habitudes. They are born curious, adaptable, and imaginative. Every one of them deserves to have a teacher, mentor, or parent that identifies for them these habits and attitudes as a way to unlock their potential and allow them to make a difference in the world.

    Thank you again, for spreading the passion and the message!
  • Thanks for the post and the link.
    I was listening to a talk show yesterday and the discussion was on education and how, save for some forward thinking schools, our country has it wrong. The host said that in some countries, they teach reading last among skills, starting as late as 4th grade. This shocked me and seems counter intuitive. However, according to the dialogue, these students excel at a much more rapid pace on all areas and surpass our students, also.
  • Lori
    "Establishing a work ethic that celebrates imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perseverance, and adaptability is what makes learning a verb." -- My widowed mom made sure of this at home before I even went to school. Camping, my grandparents farm, and chore time were always filled with learning points. I was constantly read to until I learned to read for myself. I still remember the classroom where the ABCs finally turned into words. Learning was always an exciting adventure. My mom went into debt to get the Encyclopedia Brittanica for my brothers and I because our many over-used volumes of the Golden Book of Knowledge were too limited to use anymore.

    I mention this because I do not believe the current educational system can be revamped quickly enough. Parents and students must become the change they wish to see in the educational world (homage to Gandhi there). I had a karate instructor once tell me never to complain about the refereeing in a karate sparring match at a tournament. He said it didn't matter if they were "deaf, dumb, and blind," and that I should prepare myself to win in spite of the referees because sometimes the system isn't perfect. If parents and mentors and family don't step up to empower learning early and often, I don't expect the imperfect system to do it either. I can hope, yes, but I don't see things changing for a long time.
  • Trina
    Like Janice, the point surrounding your 'work ethic' comment hit home with me. It is something we are struggling with as our daughter emerges from Jr High, about to embark on the last years of her schooling.... her imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perserverance, and adaptability are constantly challenged to fit in a box, fit a rubric, and meet a perspective that makes her teachers reward her with good marks..... it is a challenge to be true to ones self, yet perform in the 'system'. However, that doesnt really account for the impact of technology, now or in the future. Look forward to checking out the book for reflection.
  • Beautiful post and nice to meet you, Cindy!

    I began teaching in 1981 in a small school in a Greek village, blackboard and chalk, not even a photocopier. I've had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of technology, not just for my kids' sake, but for my own survival. I offered my last coach mentoring group via teleconference and online through a forum attached to the website I'd had to create for it. Ten years ago, I couldn't even switch on our clunking home computer. My teenage daughter's seen my newest blog and has Thesis envy. I'm thrilled that I can now share any future blogging ventures with her. My last newsletter article was about my concerns regarding her subject options at school. The guidance department's subsequent shocking and antiquated attempts to 'guide' her academically have stunned me. Our kids aren't being inspired enough and their vast potential often lies untapped. I've created four new 'at home' careers since having my family, including coaching and writing online, and I hope the following is what my kids are learning from me and my 'kaizen' efforts:

    "Establishing a work ethic that celebrates imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perseverence and adaptability is what makes learning a verb. It is the missing link and essential ingredient absent in today’s curriculum."

    I think you've beautifully expressed a deeply important point here as well as writing a cracking review. Certainly a book worth checking out. Thank you! ~janice
    PS Sean? Please could you consider getting Ajax comments editor?
blog comments powered by Disqus