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Tue. April 25, 2006

Ideas in education

I'm certainly not qualified in this area aside from the fact that I am a product of our edumacation system. My idea, simply, is to have teachers progress with their students. Now the details.

Sarah and I were talking about today's Tacoma schools levy that we both supported but then veered further into the issue of education in the U.S., the WASL, teacher pay, etcetera, etcetera. My mind then focused on one problem that I think aids in a lack of identification of a child with his or her friends and teachers. Now, let's be honest, when talking about elementary school those kids are pretty much at daycare being parented (and hopefully educated) by the teachers. It's a fact and it's nothing to be ashamed of. My idea stems from that fact and how, each year, their "daytime parents" are completely changed just when the kids start to really get to know and possibly respect them at the end of each school year. Why not embrace this idea and try something radical? Let's try assigning a teacher to a group of students at the kindergarten level and have that same teacher progress with that group of students until the end of elementary school at 5th or 6th grade.

An idea like this would do a couple things. First, it would allow the student to become more bonded to a particular teacher so they can better respect the lessons given out and possibly even what discipline is handed down. Instead of having identities attached to "grade" the kids can give themselves group/class names that could give them a sense of ownership to their education. On the other side, the teachers can't be lazy by blindly punishing a student knowing, even if only in the back of their mind, that after this year I don't have to deal with them. Plus, over the span of, say, a 30 year career, a teacher might only have six or so different groups of students rather than 30.

I know this is a sizable idea that isn't likely to be tackled anytime soon but the cons seem to pale in comparison. No teacher can teach so many different grades. With the right lesson plan structure in place a teacher who specialized in "elementary education" in college should have no problem adjusting. Kids leaving elementary school will have a great shock being torn from such a tight-knit group. I think it's already a difficult enough transition that could be overcome just as easily. If teachers have a bad class, they're stuck with them. This goes back to the discipline and how a teacher works with the students after actually really getting to know them over a couple years.

On and on. I won't dive into the [lack of] value place on education in this country, how the WASL is a heap of poo, or any of these other topics. I want to know what you think? Would this require more, less or the same amount of resources? Has this been tried that anyone knows of? What do you think? I know some of you are teachers so I expect your report in my comments section by morning! ;) Thanks for your feedback!

Comments (14) | To Top

4/26/2006 @ 8:33am

I think it's a fantastic idea. Give these teachers a chance to really get to know these kids so that they are more likely to be able to make a difference in their lives. And you're right, with a college education of at least undergraduate if not graduate level, one would think they could teach K-6 without too much trouble.

by Jeff

4/26/2006 @ 9:33am

Okay, here I go: (BTW, I am sitting here watching my kids take their sixth and final day of WASL testing. Ironic, don't you think?)

As a middle school choir teacher, I tend to have the same group of kids for at least two years. I love getting to know them on an individual basis. Something like your idea has been attempted in my school, but in a watered-down version. For instance, my 8th grade homeroom students have been my students since they were in the 6th grade. This is called "looping" and my school asked a handful of teachers to try it out. I think it's a great tool in getting to know your students on a personal level, but they are only my homeroom students and I'm really not TEACHING them much content. Here is one problem with your idea. Yes, anyone who is indorsed to teach K-8 should be able to teach any one fo those grades. However, in my opinion, in order to become a truly empowering and effective educator, you need to have some consistency and experience in your content level/area. This allows for self-reflection and assessment which leads to a more refined teacher. Teachers COULD do it, but I don't think they would be as effictive in that capacity. I also think it would end up costing more in training for the teachers, which the state and tax payers always hate. If we could find a way to help kids have at least one teacher that stays consistent from grade to grade, that would be benneficial. We would jsut have to find a way to balance out all of the pros and cons. And if I spelled some of my words wrong, I am sorry. I might be a teacher, but I am an AWFUL speller!

by Britta

4/26/2006 @ 10:27am

That's a good perspective, Britta. I agree that a teacher refining their skills and lesson plans. I think elementary school is the place to do something like this because the teachers aren't subject-based but more grade-based unlike middle and high school. Plus, I really think younger kids will have a better sense the society cares instilled in them with solid and consistent roll models/mentors.

Interesting stuff... So if not a teacher remaining consistent, then who and what would their official job title be?

by KevinFreitas

4/26/2006 @ 11:50am

Maybe there could be some sort of "student advocates" that would keep a consistent group of kids throught out time in grade school. It could be set up like a "homeroom" class. They could check in there at the beginning of the day for 30 minutes, let's say, and then go on to their other teacher for the rest of the day. These advocates could make sure kids were staying caught up on work, help with attendance problems, be a liason between the school and parents, etc. And the advocates would actually be classroom reachers themselves, but they might teach a different class then they mentor. Just a thought...

4/27/2006 @ 11:39am

I have worked with several teachers who do looping (usually 2 or 3 years), and really like it. Unfortunately it is not sustainable, nor do most of them want it to be. It is a simple matter of having all the skills you need to teach children over a 5 year span.

Britta, I'm going to use you as an example because of what you mentioned earlier. Britta could teach kids a lot of subjects; they might love her for music, math and history. Unfortunately, when they got to spelling, she may not be the best. Their English skills might suffer, and if they have her year-after-year, they might never be in a situation where they can improve them.

You mentioned a lesson plan getting around this problem, but a lesson plan can only do so much. It is like sheet music; it is a guideline for action, not a guarantee of the end result. People may be really good at playing the violin part, but couldn't hack the piano. Without a really good piano instructor, not a violinist who is trying hard, the student will never get the fingering to make a Shostakovich sound the way it should. Each teacher has a different set of skills they bring to the classroom, so when children switch teachers, they get exposed to skills their prior teacher may not have had (and so would never have learned). Switching teachers might be traumatic, but it might also be the best way to ensure kids are well-rounded.

I can certainly understand where you are coming from though Kevin; you are quite intelligent, and probably more capable than most of teaching a broad number of subjects. Note that you are not teaching (in a classroom) though (not to get into an argument about “Those that can’t do, teach” because I think that’s a crock). The labor market works like any other, and those who might be most able to implement your plan (like yourself (and, if memory serves, like Britta (even with the newfound spelling issue))) are very desirable to almost all other employers as well; our education system is not filled only with our best and brightest, but rather a cross-section of society.

by Marshall

4/27/2006 @ 2:29pm

That was a great comment Marshall. It was insightful and honest.

While I'm here...Kevin, because of my negative feelings toward my spelling issues, I was wondering of there was any way to have a little spell check button I could poke at before I actually post something. Does something like that exist?

4/27/2006 @ 3:02pm

Britta: Things like that do exist but the best ones are for Firefox which I presume you don't use there at work. If you do, look up "spellbound firefox". There is a plugin you can grab for IE that allows spellchecking in text fields but I don't know what it's called just now. I'll look into it for you.

4/27/2006 @ 3:03pm

Marshall: Definitely, thanks for the thoughtful comments. Allow me to digest and I'll return with some of my own later tonight. Cheers!

4/27/2006 @ 3:07pm

Britta: try this out:

http://www.iespell.com/

4/30/2006 @ 11:37am

The Swedish system is (no; they keep changing it all the time, the Swedish system WAS) that a teacher follows a class (generally 20-27 kids) from grade 1 through 3, and another for 4 through 6. Aside from that there are assisting teachers to enable individual instruction, but these generally work with all students in that year, not just one group, and specific teachers in PE (taught from grade 1) music (from grade 3) and crafts (from grade 4.) Now, Swedish kids begin school at age 7, and the one-year pre-school is usually attached to the daycare facility they previously attended. I think this system works well, but I am still having problems seeing things from the teachers' perspective. In this system, grade 1-3 teachers need to be more diversified, but in less areas, and 4-6 teachers need to teach some other classes (English, for example, and social studies.) The problem is that it's still a little rough on the students to go from three teachers to one for every subject when they begin grade 7, esp. as they often change school and class at that point. I don't know, it seemed to work here.

Oh, and spellbound hasn't been cooperating with my firefox for the last ten builds or so...

by Anna

5/2/2006 @ 10:55am

I've seen lots of comments about the teachers, but not so much about the kids. Teachers "putting up with a kid" for a year has been brought up but what about the kid just trying to get through the year with a teacher? Haven't you had a teacher you couldn't stand? Someone so boring, or uninterested their subject or students that just getting through their class everyday was a chore? Everyone learns, teaches, understands and communicates differently. Having a different teacher every year, or for each class, allows the students exposure to a variety of styles and , in a sense, protects them from teachers they can't stand or who can't stand them. We've probably all had that one teacher who stands out, who made a difference to us. While in a perfect world we could find these teachers immediately and be with this teacher for years, under the suggested system you might never get to meet them at all. I do like the idea of someone dedicated to a group of students for several years. While it would be difficult for teachers to know every subject well enough, perhaps "student/teacher assistants" could move with the group. They don't need as comprehensive of an understanding of every topic, would be able to "introduce" each student to the teacher - the style in which they learn best, special needs, etc. - so that a teacher doesn't lose 3 months of the school year before realizing that a student has issues with spelling. Also, even if a student didn't fit well with the S/TA they would have the regular teacher with whom they might develop a relationship.

by Angela

5/2/2006 @ 1:08pm

Yeah, I thought about students getting stuck with bad teachers for way too long with my idea. I think the assistant (or some, hipper, more complimentary title) would really help bridge the gaps that occur in today's grade by grade, teacher by teacher system.

So, who wants to start a petition for funding and implimentation to get put on a ballot here in WA?

5/3/2006 @ 8:44am

I nominate...Kevin!

5/3/2006 @ 9:26am

I will, but only if I get to skim money off the top of the campaign resources...

I have done a bit more pondering though, and would like to offer another point: this system might better prepare students for the workplace. Having one teacher (boss) for several years, fellow students (coworkers) who change slightly over time but mostly stay the same, having to deal with the positives and negatives of the people in both of these groups on a daily basis, and learning how to get your job (learning) done with them or in spite of them.

At present, our educational system does not really focus on this, for better or worse. There are occasional pushes for teaching business practices in school (often following reports that some other country is outperforming us) but they usually degenerate into "we'll be working in teams again", "this project will be done in PowerPoint", or "let's spend some time today sharing the computer in groups of three and learning how to use Excel in our stock market simulation game" (note to any students reading this: find the "Solver" plugin). Actually having the format of school, rather than the curriculum, play out more like business might be a fascinating experiment.