Common Core...It's Not a Bad Word!

In recent years months, there has been a lot of debate about Common Core, especially math.  People have referred to it as "new," confusing, or even evil.  I've heard sentiments such as these come from parents, teachers, policy makers, politicians and social media "experts" to name a few.  On a day to day basis, I find myself engaged in conversations about this "new" math and these "new" standards.

The thing is, Common Core is not new.  It is what's best for students.  If you take the name away and still implement the major components, you'll still see best practices at the heart of teaching and learning.  Common Core is not some terrible, alien curriculum shift that's out there to scare kids and frustrate teachers.  Personally, I don't see it as something that's soley in place to change the way we teach standards or the way we use learning materials.  I see Common Core as a movement with a bigger purpose...to change the way we think. 

As a parent, I want my children to be challenged, engaged in purposeful struggle, encouraged to think critically, immersed in experiences that matter to them, and pushed to think flexibly as well as freely.  I did not give birth to robots, but I sure want my children as well as all of America's children to have the knowledge, skills and abilities to be able to build one (if they wanted to).  If dittos, worksheets and practice books can be bought from a Dollar Store, then shouldn't kids be experiencing something different in their educational settings? Cars, homes, medicine, commerce, technology, and yes...EDUCATION has evolved.  Let's get going.  The rest of the world is not waiting for us.

Please take a quick minute to read this article from USA Today entitled, "Common Core Math is Not Fuzzy."  It's a quick, simple and to the point.  Enjoy!

*Special shout out to Thomas Gumes for sharing this article with me, as well as to Wenonah Wells for sharing the resource of the week (link on the right)!

High Kool-Aid Dosage...Breakfast, S'Mores, and Computers

The STEM teacher at my school is gulping the Kool-Aid.  Instead of relying on the faculty to solve problems at our school, she is allowing the students to grapple with the problems while she monitors and facilitates.  Read the stories below and think about how many practice standards were involved with each experience. 

Here's a recent problem.  Breakfast numbers had been going down since the first week of school.  We needed to get them back up in order to keep the breakfast program.  Mrs. Siembieda asked the 5th graders to figure out how they could save the breakfast program.  They decided to survey students from various grades to see what foods they liked to eat.  They collected, analyzed, represented, and presented the data to our cafeteria manager.  This gave her valuable feedback about changes she could make to the menu that would encourage more students to start eating breakfast at school again.  These kids were excited about solving a problem that mattered to them, and most importantly, making a difference.  So powerful.

Another problem...the younger students wanted to make S'mores.  But, they knew fires were not safe (or allowed at school).  They also knew they could not use the oven in the cafeteria.  But, they wanted S'mores!  So, Mrs. Siembieda told them to solve the problem on their own.  They decided to make solar ovens!  They completed all of the engineering themselves.  Some students even made adjustments to their design so their food could cook faster!  (pictures below)

Since this has happened, similar ideas are spreading.  Kids are identifying and taking appropriate actions to solve school problems (with appropriate adult help).  It's quite powerful to see.  Now, the teachers have come up with an idea for our IT Specialist Mrs. Preston to work with the "tech squad," a group of students who she mentors.  They work on computer lab set up, and mini trainings for students.  This allows the participants to be actively engaged in metacognition, reflection, and critical thought about the technology they use at school.  Ohhhhhh my.  It's starting to get REALLY good.  As I rub my hands together and smile, I wonder, "What if math was like this everyday?"  Hmmm.  To be continued...