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How might you use what you learned in this lesson in your school/classroom?
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This one is a bit tricky for me as I teach elementary art. We do have standards of what I will be covering, but not set standards for what constitutes a passing grade. For example, if I teach a unit on color and have students apply what we learn to their projects, I am grading on artistic behaviors as well as execution of the project. 75% of the grade is based on student effort and attitude, because art is a special and many children do not have access to art supplies or parents who can help with art at home. Art is a skill that can be learned if practiced, but 40 min. every six school days in not going to assist in much progress. It’s like going to piano lessons, but never practicing at home. We want our students to love art and see the value in art even if they won’t become great artists. Some of them will, and we will prepare them for that calling.
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I believe there’s a tension we ought to live in between teaching to standards and helping students find their own unique paths to the outcomes we’re hoping to achieve. We can teach students how to think for themselves and it’s quite possible they’ll still fail the course. They will still require guidance that is specific to the desired outcomes of the course. It’s not an easy tension to live in, but one that I think the best educators attempt.
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Standards are important, but can not be the sole focus of my classroom. Teaching how to reason, question and think are just as important as the content of the lesson.
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I understand that there is a mix of traditional and process/mastery forms of education in our curriculum and school. I need to be evaluating what is appropriate for my age/grade of students and for the subject matter being taught. I do want students to master the material and need to make sure they are taking an active role in their own learning as well as making sure I am clearly understanding the standards and material and communicating concepts so they grasp them. It is important as believers in Christ to pass down what we have learned.
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I think having standards as a goal is important. However, that shouldn’t be our main mission. We are to teach students about biblical truth and integration and how they can then use critical thinking skills to master content subjects.