Comments on: “Time Warp” thinking in Education http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2010/01/14/time-warp-thinking-in-education/ Just another WordPress weblog Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:13:10 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lynn Fulton-Archer http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2010/01/14/time-warp-thinking-in-education/comment-page-1/#comment-4921 Lynn Fulton-Archer Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:22:10 +0000 http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/?p=69#comment-4921 Here, here, Tom! Unfortunately I am living in one of those districts... and how appropriate that John was the one to comment before me! At the beginning of the year I tried to help out a friend's son with finishing his second year of German. He moved to my town from another state and had taken one year of German... and loved it! He was super motivated to continue but our district doesn't offer German at the high school level, nor through our state virtual school. No problem, I thought. I thought "outside the box" and suggested KET as an option. I offered to facilitate the course and the father offered to pay all the fees. The guidance counselor at the school said it all sounded fine but the whole thing got shut down by district administrators! What was the rationale? "Ms. Fulton is not a teacher at the high school" (never mind that my certificate is K-12 and I'm a lead teacher in the district) "The course doesn't meet our standards" (last time I checked, the KY language standards were based on the national standards, just like in SC)... I know that there are teachers who are thinking outside the box and understand that learning occurs everywhere. In my district, at least, the problem lies with the higher ups. I'm continue to "fight the good fight".. but it can be exhausting! Here, here, Tom! Unfortunately I am living in one of those districts… and how appropriate that John was the one to comment before me! At the beginning of the year I tried to help out a friend’s son with finishing his second year of German. He moved to my town from another state and had taken one year of German… and loved it! He was super motivated to continue but our district doesn’t offer German at the high school level, nor through our state virtual school.

No problem, I thought. I thought “outside the box” and suggested KET as an option. I offered to facilitate the course and the father offered to pay all the fees. The guidance counselor at the school said it all sounded fine but the whole thing got shut down by district administrators! What was the rationale? “Ms. Fulton is not a teacher at the high school” (never mind that my certificate is K-12 and I’m a lead teacher in the district) “The course doesn’t meet our standards” (last time I checked, the KY language standards were based on the national standards, just like in SC)…

I know that there are teachers who are thinking outside the box and understand that learning occurs everywhere. In my district, at least, the problem lies with the higher ups. I’m continue to “fight the good fight”.. but it can be exhausting!

]]> By: John Krueger http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/2010/01/14/time-warp-thinking-in-education/comment-page-1/#comment-4916 John Krueger Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:10:27 +0000 http://twelchconsulting.com/blog/?p=69#comment-4916 Excellent call to action, Tom! I'm with you that the students and parents need to make demands for change to happen. Therefore I think that we as teachers not only have to document learning which is a GIANT first step (or leap) in the right direction --but we also have to get the word out: 1) to other teachers (so that they see that they can make their work more relevant and enriching to students) and 2) to potential learners so that they are aware of the exciting opportunities out there for them to navigate and monitor their own progress. As far as teachers go, everybody is working so hard...and a lot of time and energy seems to get swallowed up just dealing with the system as it is, that sometimes we don't take the steps that we need to to change things for the better. As an example: this year I began with good intentions of integrating the LinguaFolio into a new DL course here at KET. Well, the framework is there-- and I'm proud of that-- but other pressing duties related to the course creation have taken me away from monitoring things like I need to in order to get things where they should be. I have heard from fellow educators that I shouldn't be discouraged, that 'baby steps' in the beginning are so important (rather than no steps at all) and I know that they are right.... Still--though many of us know what direction we need to go in (and your writing here has really helped remind me of it! Thanks! )--it is taking some time. Excellent call to action, Tom! I’m with you that the students and parents need to make demands for change to happen. Therefore I think that we as teachers not only have to document learning which is a GIANT first step (or leap) in the right direction –but we also have to get the word out: 1) to other teachers (so that they see that they can make their work more relevant and enriching to students) and 2) to potential learners so that they are aware of the exciting opportunities out there for them to navigate and monitor their own progress.

As far as teachers go, everybody is working so hard…and a lot of time and energy seems to get swallowed up just dealing with the system as it is, that sometimes we don’t take the steps that we need to to change things for the better.

As an example: this year I began with good intentions of integrating the LinguaFolio into a new DL course here at KET. Well, the framework is there– and I’m proud of that– but other pressing duties related to the course creation have taken me away from monitoring things like I need to in order to get things where they should be.

I have heard from fellow educators that I shouldn’t be discouraged, that ‘baby steps’ in the beginning are so important (rather than no steps at all) and I know that they are right…. Still–though many of us know what direction we need to go in (and your writing here has really helped remind me of it! Thanks! )–it is taking some time.

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