A mantra that Ozar repeats at least five times in this short chapter concerns formulating outcomes that “are central to the discipline and useful and needed beyond school.” (Ozar, 68) At the same time, she argues (as we have discussed in class), that specific content isn’t as essential as learning the competencies and characteristics like those found in tables 5.1 – 5.4. What struck me first about the Ozar mantra is how this idea has been widely accepted and seen as traditional. Most, if not all, teachers I work with acknowledge the need to have outcomes central to the discipline and that engage the real world and/or world of the students. Some of the more “traditionalists” would argue, however, that the focus on content, mastering material over a period of time, explaining and synthesizing it on exams, and staying committed to this rigor over the course of a semester or year develops the very characteristics described as necessary for the future. They might argue that the competencies and characteristics cannot be taught in a vacuum, to which we all would agree. It is at that point, I assume, the way to invite them into an Ozarian vision (we’re off to see the wizard…), is to ask how we might assess if the students really are learning the competencies and characteristics described or are they simply assuming the students are. Once we engage them in a question of valid assessment for agreed upon outcomes, we’re beginning from common ground.
The other item that struck me in this reading is one talked about in Shimabukuro’s work as well. In talking about the “real answer” to the question about which outcomes, Ozar states, “those that promote the most learning and provide the most future success within the context of which learning we value most.” (Ozar, 61) The emphasis is mine (the author emphasized the phrase “within the context”). I find the idea of the “most valued learning” to be exciting, challenging, and at the core of the issue. In focusing our curriculum to a manageable amount, one that takes us off the hamster wheel of covering the content (or textbook), we must define learning that is of most value. Certainly there is some value in all learning, and there must be some learning that is of greater value than other. What we are called to decide, as a community, is the learning that is of most value. This debate could generate a great deal of passionate discussion. Ultimately, I think the answer to this question for us as Catholic schools lies at the crossroads of faith and culture.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
According to Ozar, Chapter 5, the best outcomes are those that develop the most learning; the most valuable learning is that which prepares students for being successful in the real world, being able to do something with what they have learned. I appreciated Dewey's idea to learning in that it "implies growth and leads to more learning." We continually attempt to instill in our students the idea of lifelong learners. Lifelong learning means to the desire to want to learn more based on material we have already learned. Most of my teaching has been at the elementary level. I taught 6th grade for a very long time. When I think of the beginning of a lifelong learner, I think of one student in particular who completely and totally became engaged in the study of the ancient world, specifically ancient Egypt. This student went on, after our classroom study of ancient Egypt, to learn more. We had taken a field trip to the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose and from there, this student took off. He wanted to read every book on the subject; gave reports to the class, had planned a trip to eventually one day tour ancient world. For him, Dewey's idea of learning took hold and this child grew in this area and wanted to learn as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt that learning has to be relevant, therefore,related to the reality of student's culture. The process of choosing outcomes at a school level by building rigorously on the discipline specific plane and the value plane may bring us closer to a shared upon concept of "most valued learning". Moreover, we have to believe that we can become a community creating a rich concept of learning. The Cristian educational philosophy permeated with Gospel is a amazing source, and hopefully it may give us strength to become a successful learning school.Furthermore, we need simultaneously visionary and competent leadership as well.
ReplyDelete