Common Core State Standards

Common Core is one area of the education field that I do not have enough information on to make an informed opinion about. However, I do know that there are many myths about what Common Core is and how it operates within a school, district, and state. There are also factors, when it comes to meeting said standards, that are not controlled by Common Core.

Common Core State Standards are a set of standards that, contrary to some opinions, gives teachers a set of standards but does not tell them what or how to achieve that goal. The hope for these standards is to help create a commonality between state education goals which in turn would make it easier for students and teachers who move from state to state. Common Core is not the nationalization of education as a requirement but rather a type of incentive program in which the federal government offers money and other benefits to the states who adopt these standards.

Common Core, when implemented correctly, helps students coming from different states or counties to pick up relatively close to where they last left off in their educational path. The downfall to Common Core comes when teachers are unsuccessful in helping their students meet and surpass the standard that was set before them. Common Core gives flexibility to the teacher in terms of what they teach or how they do so. This is a relatively good thing in most cases but there is always going to be a teacher that does not have the knowledge or skill to meet the standards. Unfortunately, in these cases it is the student’s education that suffers greatest as a consequence of underprepared teachers. There are always improvements to be made in the education system and Common Core is no exception to this fact regardless of anyone’s opinion on how it is currently operating in the school system.

Graphic novels in the classroom

Graphic novels were not something I was introduced to, and actually read, until last Spring in one of my English classes. As a lover of classic literature, I wasn’t sure how comics fit into a serious English scholars’ library. However, it was no surprise when my prospective of graphic novels changed as so many opinions do throughout one’s college years.

The first graphic novel that was introduced into my arsenal of books was the autobiography Persepolis. In Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi writes about her childhood in Iran and the effects the Islamic revolution played in her life. This book not only helped me learn more about the Islamic revolution but also opened my mind when it came to integrating graphic novels into ones library and into the classroom.

Graphic novels can be used for a wide variety of reasons, all of which I believe are beneficial to secondary students. Students with learning disabilities or those who speak English as a second language might have an easier time reading if they have pictures to associate with the text or could help them understand the scenario better. Also, students who have no trouble reading but just have a distaste for reading in general, especially when it comes to classic literature, graphic novels could help introduce the text in a way that interests them more. Students who enjoy reading and have no problems diving into the world of classic literature can also appreciate graphic novels that are adaptations of classic literature or even just their own creation as a new type of reading.

All in all, I believe that graphic novels are beneficial to a wide variety of students and should be more frequently included in secondary classrooms. Graphic novels help level the playing field for students with all ability levels and introduce a new and exciting way of reading literature.

Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Using discussion as a way of teaching can be an invaluable method because it allows students to contribute their unique thoughts and ideas about a subject. The goal of any good teacher should be to encourage growth and a desire for lifelong learning within their students and by using active class discussion as a way to teach students to learn from their peers and develop independent thinking strategies.

There are many reasons why discussion fails teachers as a method of successfully helping their students learn more. Luckily, the factors that cause discussion failure are fairly simple to resolve. The most important aspects of discussion as a teaching method are that the teacher sets an example for what the conversation should look like, the students come prepared for said discussion, and there are very clear ground rules set so that the discussion remains productive rather than argumentative.

Having clear expectations about learning targets is another important aspect when using discussion as a way to teach. If clear expectations are not set, at least in the teachers record, then the discussion has no end goal and there is no direction in which the teacher can clearly steer the conversation. As a teacher, having a clear expectation and reason for what you want to accomplish and why will help you be able to articulate those learning targets to your students in a way that they will understand.

Discussion as a teaching strategy is only as effective as the teacher makes it. Making sure the students are prepared, helping guide the discussion after you have set clear targets and expectations, and setting ground rules are all very important aspects in making sure your discussion is as productive as possible. Having student input offers a wide range of thoughts and opinions on a subject that just the teacher might not be able to provide which is what makes this an invaluable teaching strategy.