Lots to Learning

There is much more to learning than one may think. The University of Chicago's Consortium on Chicago School Research made that point very clear in some research done through surveying 98 CPS high schools.

The report, thorough indeed, found that having a challenging and rigorous class and material was not enough to insure learning and advancement on standardized tests. When a class was both challenging and it was orderly then significant gains were made. To those of us who have taught, this doesn't come as a revelation. However, among many in the public this information is critical to understand from a standpoint of how we get students to learn and the daunting tasks faced by teachers.

By the way, a course rich in content doesn't insure success and orderliness. The skills that a teacher must possess to obtain and maintain order is no easy task. That's just a start if one can pull it off. Teachers then have to stimulate interest, keep students on task, determine who needs help and what type, make learning meaningful and much more. All of these qualities help lead to a classroom and students who 'keep it together.'

Dick