A New Culture of Learning

As a teacher who has dealt with standardized testing since my first year of teaching, I can see how many think schools can seem more like factories instead of places where students learn skills that are beneficial to them. Douglas Thomas' mentioning of standardized testing having nothing to do with knowledge but more so surveillance truly hit home with me. I've sat in many data meetings over the years only to hear some of my students who I built great relationships with referred to as they had no identity other than their test scores. I reality as much as I would love to have less emphasis on testing and more on learning, it is a very hard battle to fight on your own.

I believe the best way to support students is to create an inviting and purposeful learning environment for them. Teachers should encourage their students to use their creativity and imagination to solve problems. Even more so, teachers should show their students that they are passionate about what they are teaching as well. One of the things I would discuss with a math coach on our campus is that it is okay to take a break from the rigorous math word problems and pull out the counters, unfix cubes, or color tiles and let them play while also showing examples on how to solve problems. This provides opportunities for students to build and create something and offer them a chance to explain the process of their thinking.