Comments on: The Problem Of The Long-Term http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/04/the-problem-of-the-long-term/ Challenge The Status Quo Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:57:06 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Cassandra Turner http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/04/the-problem-of-the-long-term/comment-page-1/#comment-217 Cassandra Turner Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:29:21 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/04/the-problem-of-the-long-term/#comment-217 After a test on the French Revolution this week on which 50% of one of my 6th grade classes failed, even when graded on a curve, I vented to my student teaching supervisor. She replied: "No one enters this gig with a philosophy statement of 'I will make excuses for my students, have low expectations, and provided minimal hands-on, meaningful instruction,'...they were challenged. They were made to think and use higher order thinking skills. They were empowered and given the opportunity to be free- and critical-thinkers." Our students are give a calendar with suggested dates for their science projects. Based on what I've seen in class, 50-60% are following their project calendar at home. 10% are done and the rest haven't started. It's due Thursday. Learning to cram may be their lesson this week. Stick to your philosophy. After a test on the French Revolution this week on which 50% of one of my 6th grade classes failed, even when graded on a curve, I vented to my student teaching supervisor. She replied:

“No one enters this gig with a philosophy statement of ‘I will make excuses for my students, have low expectations, and provided minimal hands-on, meaningful instruction,’…they were challenged. They were made to think and use higher order thinking skills. They were empowered and given the opportunity to be free- and critical-thinkers.”

Our students are give a calendar with suggested dates for their science projects. Based on what I’ve seen in class, 50-60% are following their project calendar at home. 10% are done and the rest haven’t started. It’s due Thursday. Learning to cram may be their lesson this week.

Stick to your philosophy.

]]> By: Ben http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/04/the-problem-of-the-long-term/comment-page-1/#comment-215 Ben Sat, 15 Apr 2006 12:04:51 +0000 http://www.toddseal.com/rodin/2006/04/the-problem-of-the-long-term/#comment-215 No Todd, you're not wrong. In fact, you are preaching on the very skills that these students will need when they leave high school. They will encounter deadlines in college and in their careers, and in many cases they will be expected to meet the deadline with very little outside guidance. Without becoming accustomed to long term goals, and finding a way to manage their time efficiently students will increasing find ways to meet just short term goals. They will not develop the foresight they need to see where their current actions will lead them, and will simply see college and their careers as "jobs" because of it. Giving them the tools they need to think longterm and to help them manage their work time will encourage them to see the "bigger picture" for lack of an original metaphor. They need to see that time they spend by themselves actually DOES affect time they spend in the future with teachers, business colleagues, and others. Far too many teenagers don't make a connection between what they do independently and what they need to accomplish with others, which is probably what has led to the problems with MySpace; not enough students thinking forward enough to realize that a future employe, parent, or teacher may come across their homemade version of the "Jackass" movie and decide that they shouldn't be hired, be grounded, or have others make preconceived notions of them based on their worst actions. No Todd, you’re not wrong. In fact, you are preaching on the very skills that these students will need when they leave high school. They will encounter deadlines in college and in their careers, and in many cases they will be expected to meet the deadline with very little outside guidance. Without becoming accustomed to long term goals, and finding a way to manage their time efficiently students will increasing find ways to meet just short term goals. They will not develop the foresight they need to see where their current actions will lead them, and will simply see college and their careers as “jobs” because of it.

Giving them the tools they need to think longterm and to help them manage their work time will encourage them to see the “bigger picture” for lack of an original metaphor. They need to see that time they spend by themselves actually DOES affect time they spend in the future with teachers, business colleagues, and others. Far too many teenagers don’t make a connection between what they do independently and what they need to accomplish with others, which is probably what has led to the problems with MySpace; not enough students thinking forward enough to realize that a future employe, parent, or teacher may come across their homemade version of the “Jackass” movie and decide that they shouldn’t be hired, be grounded, or have others make preconceived notions of them based on their worst actions.

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