It's rare for education reformers, policymakers, and funders to listen to those at the heart of education reform work: The students. In fact Ann Curry, who hosted Education Nation's first student panel*, admitted folks at NBC were a little nervous about putting kids on stage. In their "Voices of a Nation" discussion, young people provided insight into their own experiences with education and what they think needs to be done to ensure that every student receives a world-class education. After the discussion Curry knew these students didn't disappoint. She told viewers, "Students wanted to say something that made a difference to you (adults) and they did. Now adults need to listen."
Below are the sentiments shared by these current and former students during the segment.
- I have to critically think in college, but your tests don't teach me that.
- I can't learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
- Teaching by the book is not teaching. It's just talking.
- Caring about each student is more important than teaching the class.
- Every young person has a dream. Your job is to help bring us closer to our dreams.
- Even if you don't want to be a teacher, you can offer a student an apprenticeship.
- Us youth love all the new technologies that come out. When you acknowledge this and use technology in your teaching it makes learning much more interesting.
- You should be trained not just in teaching but also in counseling.
- Tell me something good that I'm doing so that I can keep growing in that.
- Our teachers have too many students to enable them to connect with us in they way we need them to.
- Bring the electives that we are actually interested in back to school. Things like drama, art, cooking, music.
- Education leaders, teachers, funders, and policy makers need to start listening to student voice in all areas including teacher evaluations.
- You need to use tools in the classroom that we use in the real world like Facebook, email, and other tools we use to connect and communicate.
- You need to love a student before you can teach a student.
- We do tests to make teachers look good and the school look good, but we know they don't help us to learn what's important to us.
The students are ready to talk to us. How are we going to make time to listen and incorporate their voices into the policies and decisions that affect them?
__________________________
*Panelists:
Nnamdi Asomugha, Cornerback - Philadelphia Eagles
Shadrack Boayke - Brentwook, NY
Colton Bradford - Mobile, AL
Ron Daldine - Auburn Hills, MI
Rayla Gaddy - Detroit, MI
Katie Oliveria - Las Vegas, NV
Stephanie Torres - New York, NY
To discover five additional things students want you to know and to find out who is Tweeting about this topic, visit the original post on The Innovative Educator blog here.
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Then again, I'm baffled at some of the responses. In my personal experience, I never needed advanced tech tools (except a book or an overhead or something like that) or Facebook or email to engage me. If the teacher just talked to the class, asked questions, and led us to the answer, I was already hooked. It saddens me that people need technology in order to actually learn something or be engaged; I never needed learning to "be more fun" because learning has always been fun within itself, just by sitting and talking and arguing about the subject.
Yes I believe there is an educational crises that has been going on since we moved out of the industrial age. Our schools are stuck in the past. They are leaving children with degrees in hand but unprepared for the real world in which they are expected to succeed.
Regarding your personal experience, I think that goes to the fact that we all have different learning styles. You were/are fine with a teacher leading you to answer her questions. There are students like me who want to explore our own questions and passions, not the pre-packaged ones of someone else. There are students who want to create and produce for a real audience, not just a teacher (or arbitrary classmates) in return for a letter grade.
While I agree that learning is fun, I want to learn in the way that works best for me. When we allow students to learn with the post-industrial age tools that they will need for success in producing, creating, and connecting, we are meeting their needs in their world. When we ban and block them from access to the resources and tools they will need to secure 21st century careers we are doing a disservice to our children. The students, not the teachers, own the learning. The students, not the teacher, should have control over what they learn and have the freedom to learn in the way that works for their present not their teacher's past.
It's really sad that the media makes teachers look like the bad guys and the students follow the media like mindless birds. How come nobody ever criticizes the policymakers, tax payers, people that vote, etc.? How come students never look inside themselves and see that they may contribute to the problem, too? How come nobody ever considers culture, population, etc. as a primary force? Why is it always the teacher's fault?
My message as a student? Thank you to the educators (which is almost every teacher I ever had, by the way) who have to endure criticism and yet continue to be amazing. You inspire me everyday.