The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Instruction in Grades 6-12

            I’ve heard many differing opinions about the Common Core State Standards since I started college.  Some teachers are all for it, and others used to like it but have changed their minds.  I believe that there are some definite downsides to the Common Core, but there are also some upsides too.  Many different people had told me for so long that the Common Core is limiting students and teachers because there is such a huge focus on tests and “teaching to the test.”  Students are being told that they are below grade level based off of a single test and teachers are being judged as a success or a failure, depending on how well their students do on those tests.  I’m not going to lie; a majority of what I’ve learned about the Common Core came from people with negative opinions about it.  But reading this chapter has changed my mind about it and has given me a clearer perception of it.

            I liked how the chapter explained how a standards based approach could be considered a bad thing because people assume that standardization is the same thing as holding high standards.  But it is not the same and the Common Core State Standards is not focused on trying to enforce the same learning on all students.  This chapter explains that the Common Core is not meant to create limitations for students and teachers and it is not trying to make teachers implement a one-size-fits-all curriculum, which is the belief of many parents and teachers.  I liked how this chapter explained that teachers should use the Common Core as a way to help them develop their own curriculum that is relevant to their unique students.  I thought it was interesting how in most cases, the reason that a standards-based approach to teaching is a bad thing, is because schools interpret it in a way that has teachers teaching the same content and using the same methods no matter what kind of students and classroom environments they have.  In most cases it is not the fault of the Common Core, it is the schools or districts that have decided to limit teacher development of their own curriculum material.  I liked that this chapter addressed differing opinions about the Common Core and gave examples through stories of how it in some ways benefits teachers and how it sometimes doesn’t.                    

Discussion In A Democratic Society

            This chapter made me think about the many classes I’ve taken that have been discussion based and how those classes helped me understand different viewpoints and made learning more fun and interesting for me.  The classes that I’ve taken that have been mainly lecture based have been some of the most boring classes for me, and I don’t feel that I have taken as much from those classes as I have from the more discussion based ones.  I have been witness to many times where a student brings up an important point that the instructor has missed, and without the opportunity for students to express their thoughts, the class would have missed a valuable piece of information.  I do think that the discussion method is one of the best teaching methods and learning styles.  It is important to discuss things that you may think are set in stone, because one day you could be listening to someone’s differing opinion and suddenly realize that you may have been wrong all along.  I think it’s a great idea to keep in mind that maybe nothing is really set in stone.

            I liked the part in the chapter where it says we practice discussion because it’s so enjoyable and exciting.  I really enjoyed the line that states, “It is the pedagogical and educational equivalent of scaling a mountain or shooting dangerous rapids.”  It is risky because you never know what ideas are going to come up and change your world.  I also liked how the chapter brought up the fact that some students will be too afraid to speak up in front of the whole class during discussions, but they will suddenly become lively and involved in discussions when the class breaks up into smaller groups.  I think this is important to keep in mind as a teacher because it is inevitable that you will have students who are quiet and unwilling to participate if they have to speak with a whole classroom full of eyes on them.  Sometimes a discussion based lesson is best when students are broken up into groups to discuss a topic and then the class gets together as a whole to discuss what the groups have come up with.