This week's readings deal with teaching to standards and an article about mandating teaching practices. The National Council of Teachers of English has developed their own set of standards linked here. Review the Alaska content standards for writing for your level.
In Chapter Five, the text states that "State curriculum documents and assessments are now carrying a new message: writing should no longer be "the silent R" of learning...Improving writing is now seen as important for learning subjects other than English." Here are a few ideas to discuss in regard to the reading:
- Do you feel both these statements are true at your site?
- How important are state standards to your daily teaching?
- How "mandated" is what you do?
- Have you ever been forced to teach in a way you did not feel was a good fit for your philosophy or style?
- What are some of your own "standards" or goals as a teacher of writing?
- If you could change or revise some of the state standards, what changes would you make?
Let's save discussion about assessment and qualifying exams for next week.
