The more time I spend surfing the net and reading edubloggers’ blogs, the more I realize that there isn’t a whole lot of new conversation taking place…correct me if I’m wrong here…  And I’m not suggesting that these discussions should stop either—they are driving change, but clearly the momentum needs to shift away from discussion about why our educational institution needs to be transformed or from what web 2.0 can do for today’s learners to how teachers can make adjustments and modifications to their pedagogy to move the evolution of 21st century educational reform along—It is time to create a workable framework for educational transformation (based on something deeper than the idea of student engagement). There are hoards of teachers ready to make needed changes to their practice, and their fragmented approaches are the beginnings of systemic change, but let’s begin to create a working scaffold that can be used and adapted by all classroom teachers—a framework that demands attention by administrators and policy makers as well…   

Already there are 21st century learning frameworks being designed, but why aren’t they being exploited by teachers—are they based too much in theory and philosophy?  Are they only being circulated in too lofty of circles?  We need to put a real plan in the hands of those in the trenches… 

Truly, teachers are doing the best that they can at any given point in time—so to expect monumental change certainly requires more than a jump-on-the-bandwagon call to action.  Many teachers today are given out-dated or irrelevant curricula that they are required to use—scripted and standardized… Teachers today are required to test students more than ever before--they're told that this will help to ensure results on state tests that measure dated standards—leaving less and less time for instruction…  In many cases, teachers today spend as much time working outside of the classroom, assessing and planning, as they do during the school day—many teachers today would say that there is little time left over in their day to innovate…  Teachers I know don’t have easy access to technology on a daily basis…  Under the guise of equity, teachers today are being required to focus more heavily on the bottom third than the remainder—the remainder that needs educational challenge just the same…  Teachers today want change, but often feel their hands are tied by lack of resources and district mandates. So where do these teachers begin—that is the challenge ahead of us… We must begin to design an adaptable plan so that teachers will be more likely to shift alongside our global transformation…

 


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