When I was first introduced to the standards, I found them to be a bit confusing. There were so many different sites to use for different standards, i.e the Common Core, NCTE, State Standards and other's that I don't know off of the top of my head. I find that I prefer the common Core standards as I feel they are a bit more clear, and you can apply at least one to any lesson. I also found the common core standards website easier to navigate through, whereas in the past I have struggled to navigate through the NCTE/ IRA Standards. Even though I've looked at the standards in several classes I still feel as though I have a lot of questions regarding them. One of the biggest questions I have is do I have to make sure every lesson lines up with a standard, or do I just have to make sure the unit itself lines up with a few? How closely do I have to follow the standards? Do I need to use both the Common Core and NCTE/ IRA Standards?
Rick Wormeli talks about "unwrapping the standards" and making sure students understand what standards you are holding them up to, and what the difference between getting an A or not is. I appreciate how he talks about showing "evidence of the learning" as I find that to be the most important thing in terms of assignments. Throughout High school, in the rare occasions that we were allowed to revise we were never really asked to show evidence of learning, mostly I would just fix the mistakes I made, add a few more quotes and explanations and hope for the best. Wormeli wants his students to be able to show that they have actually learned the material that has been taught in class. In school kids are mostly worried about keeping their grades up, and a lot of times they memorize material for a test but they don't actually learn it. By showing that they have learned something rather than just memorized it for the time being, they are forced to think a bit more critically, which hopefully gives them a better understanding of the material.
I agree, the standards are confusing. That was why Jane and I decided to split you into groups to dissect them and decipher their meaning. If this is possible, then we as future teachers will know how best to teach our standards with the mandates that are Common Core or whatever else. Wormeli, however, is on point with defining mastery. We have to consider our verb usage in creating objectives, and hold students accountable for their own learning. If student can demonstrate their learning it means we have done our jobs as teachers
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