Growing up, my father was notorious for his family vacation “shortcuts.” Calling it a “shortcut” was his way of not having to admit that he had absolutely no idea where he was. After hours driving in uncharted territory, I can hear him saying to me, “Son, you don’t always need to know where you are going, but you better know where you’ve been.” In the smallest most minuscule sense of the word, I have to believe there was a sliver of wisdom in that saying.
It is imperative that before teachers can ever expect a student to know where to go next, they should have a fairly accurate idea of where they have been and how well they did in getting there. As I consider what it means to be a Production Manager of Learning Experiences, I think of my father taking his famous “shortcuts.” Giving him full benefit of the doubt, as the man behind the wheel he was in charge of mapping out the trip, coordinating the family activities, and assessing the well-being of all on board. (This sounds a lot like the teaching experience). However, I have to ask myself if calling my father’s navigation woes “shortcuts” is a fair assessment of his efforts. Perhaps he wasn’t cutting corner’s after all. In his assessment of the well-being of all on board, and assuring that we would reach our desired destination as scheduled, he took would better be described as “creative risks.”
As a student teacher, I quickly discovered that this is what I had to do as well as I navigated toward uncharted waters. No matter how well things had been planned out, when unexpected questions arise or otherwise faithful technology fails to cooperate, I discovered I too must be willing to take creative risks. I had to be able to instantaneously adapt to any given situation hoping it wouldn’t take too long to get to the intended destination. Whether it was during the most flawlessly delivered lesson or painstakingly arduous train wreck of a class period, I found myself constantly assessing not just my own achievement, but most importantly that of my students.
Am I driving aimlessly? Are we still heading in the right direction? Are they bored? Do I need to slow down? Should I speed things up? Should I take this turn or that? Does everyone have what they need? Does anyone need to use the bathroom? I discovered that formative assessment was so very important. Constant checking for understanding and evaluating student success before moving on toward the next or even final destination was a crucial skill I am thankful I developed during my student teaching experience.
The single most difficult course I took at Columbia was Assessment and Evaluation of Learning. Yet, while it was the most difficult, it was perhaps the most valuable. This course taught me that good teachers know when and how to make the best decisions for both individual students and the class at large when they are able to understand and effectively design formative and summative assessments that accurately evaluate student progress. Because of this course, I felt confident in my student teaching that I would be able to navigate the various needs of my students and design assessments that would ensure that everyone was on the right road to success. There were times when I had to turn the lesson back around and start from point A all over again. However, I learned that It is impossible to feel good about forging ahead if you are unable to accurately assess where everyone in your class has been. I learned that here is no such thing as shortcuts in good teaching- but creative risks? Absolutely.
It is imperative that before teachers can ever expect a student to know where to go next, they should have a fairly accurate idea of where they have been and how well they did in getting there. As I consider what it means to be a Production Manager of Learning Experiences, I think of my father taking his famous “shortcuts.” Giving him full benefit of the doubt, as the man behind the wheel he was in charge of mapping out the trip, coordinating the family activities, and assessing the well-being of all on board. (This sounds a lot like the teaching experience). However, I have to ask myself if calling my father’s navigation woes “shortcuts” is a fair assessment of his efforts. Perhaps he wasn’t cutting corner’s after all. In his assessment of the well-being of all on board, and assuring that we would reach our desired destination as scheduled, he took would better be described as “creative risks.”
As a student teacher, I quickly discovered that this is what I had to do as well as I navigated toward uncharted waters. No matter how well things had been planned out, when unexpected questions arise or otherwise faithful technology fails to cooperate, I discovered I too must be willing to take creative risks. I had to be able to instantaneously adapt to any given situation hoping it wouldn’t take too long to get to the intended destination. Whether it was during the most flawlessly delivered lesson or painstakingly arduous train wreck of a class period, I found myself constantly assessing not just my own achievement, but most importantly that of my students.
Am I driving aimlessly? Are we still heading in the right direction? Are they bored? Do I need to slow down? Should I speed things up? Should I take this turn or that? Does everyone have what they need? Does anyone need to use the bathroom? I discovered that formative assessment was so very important. Constant checking for understanding and evaluating student success before moving on toward the next or even final destination was a crucial skill I am thankful I developed during my student teaching experience.
The single most difficult course I took at Columbia was Assessment and Evaluation of Learning. Yet, while it was the most difficult, it was perhaps the most valuable. This course taught me that good teachers know when and how to make the best decisions for both individual students and the class at large when they are able to understand and effectively design formative and summative assessments that accurately evaluate student progress. Because of this course, I felt confident in my student teaching that I would be able to navigate the various needs of my students and design assessments that would ensure that everyone was on the right road to success. There were times when I had to turn the lesson back around and start from point A all over again. However, I learned that It is impossible to feel good about forging ahead if you are unable to accurately assess where everyone in your class has been. I learned that here is no such thing as shortcuts in good teaching- but creative risks? Absolutely.