I am going to leave the bulk of this Bright Spot to the words of Ben Curtiss, a teacher in Arizona. Ben recently shared:
“I just had my evaluation for the year; we use the TAP rubric. I scored 5’s (highest possible) on questioning and evaluation, which are areas I have traditionally scored proficient on. The evaluator, my AP, said I never ask level 1 or 2 DOK questions, because the nature of our projects and course design is centered around research, analysis, evaluation, and creation of original content. She was blown away by the complexity of the student’s topics and interest, and all of that is because of the structural design of the learner-centered paradigm.
We also have a staff member in our department leaving in two weeks, and classes are being moved around between teachers. However, because we have transitioned to a learner-centered approach, my team isn’t stressed. They don’t have to learn a whole new curriculum, instead they are managing a different group of students, and because of their relationships with students, they are able to collaborate and moderate content with the long-term sub. How cool is that?!”
Although at times it can feel daunting to think about the enormous challenges of shifting entire systems whether it be in the classroom, a school, a district or the whole nation, I know it is possible and I am grateful for teachers like Ben who are taking a risk and being brave to create something new and better for students and his colleagues.
