More on Core

A whopping 45 states are now commited to the Common Core State Standards testing.   The whole idea is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn without regard to where they live.   It is hope that parents, teachers and others associated with the field would then be able to help them get where they need to be.

I take issue with a number of the above theories or premises.   First, the idea of what a student is expected to learn is a real whopper in my view.   Teaching and learning goes way beyond the mere fact that Student A should learn content X and that's that.   Say a student knows that the Pearl Harbor attack took place on Dec. 7, 1941.   I want them to know so much more than this.   It would be worth students understanding our preparedness on that day, how people handled the attack, the impact on the island for years to come and so very much more.

I have no qualms with the idea that what is taught must be consistent and clear.   But this idea that 'what is expected to be learned' is real dicey.   Everyone can differ on what MUST be learned.   The beauty of the history of education is that what must be learned has been determined by experts...people in the business of understanding children and education, the people in the classrooms.

Teachers and students have different backgrounds, learning styles, and quite different skill sets and these should be at the 'core' of the process of teaching and learning.

Dick