week 6 relevance

I think the most important thing I have seen with the development of curriculum is relevance. We have seen in many ways how our systems are quickly becoming outdated as the information we are trying to implement is becoming less and less relevant. This can be seen in the structure of our educational system as well as the necessity and incorporation of 21st century skills. Technology is one of the primary aspects that drive our society today so the relevance is huge to progression of our students and the educational system as a whole. This is becoming more and more linked to the way we teach as well which is/ should be changing the way we “teach” to create a more relevant learning experience. Understanding the learner and the best way to create a relevant connection to them has proven to be the best way to effectively inform them of new information, whether directly or indirectly.

Most of the articles in this weeks reading related to making relevance for 21st century learners. The Facing History School appears to use the impact of humanities most adverse times to create relevance to today’s issues. By relating to our history we can then incorporate our own understanding to compare it to today’s social situations. Therefore, making history relevant to students of the 21st century. The article on Adolescence, Achievement, and Change in the Age of Obama spoke indirectly on the change of school relevance to our students. It mentions the view of importance of education for success and how having Obama as a president makes more possibilities achievable for minorities. Being able to create that connection whether psychological or literal has made a huge impact on the thought process of what is attainable particularly within minorities. This connects the relevance of having a good education to being able to achieve “anything”(i.e. becoming president).

The other article, which talked directly about relevance, was the one on Shaping Tech. for the Classroom. This was interesting as it used the state of Maine, as an example of the direction schools should be going. I think the outline was very helpful in clearing up what I think has been hard to distinguish. The incorporation of technology is not necessarily changing our teaching to be more relevant. Using technology to teach the “old thins in new ways” is certainly a stepping-stone to creating that connection to learners who are “digital natives”. Taking that next step of relating information in “new way” will certainly create more relevance. But, as the article pointed out, there is resistance to change, which is the heart of our educational system. There is also confusion as educators are behind in learning how to use these new tools as well. Change though is inevitable, and, the sooner the better as this digital age moves so fast we are already falling behind.

The idea of change to create relevance is certainly not new as seen in a couple of the other articles. Our system as it stands is flawed in the preparation of students for life after school in the 21st century. It is interesting to see how other models and ideas would change the structure to make it more suitable for today’s learners. I think Bostein’s view that we underestimate the student’s abilities, and this is connected to the student’s value of education is quite interesting. This is something, which can be seen in many schools as teachers often take the authoritative role and talk down to students. Conveying relevant information in a way that is not demeaning and in a way that speaks to students on the same level is important. The age of dictatorship in a classroom has passed and students need to be more and more in control of their own learning. This creates relevance and meaning to them, which in turn creates motivated learners. This is also mentioned in the article about 21st Century Scholars. Giving students responsibility is a highly motivational tool.

Off the relevance topic slightly, an interesting aspect to secondary education is the gap between high school and college. College is a totally different approach to education and the transition can be quite difficult. I think there should be more of an adaptation to college structure at the secondary level. Whether this means adding another year (LePage) or changing the structure completely there is definitely a need to adjust the process. Too many students get “lost in the crack” because there is not enough of a support system for them. I think a lot of high schools are offering college level classes now but I think more importantly they need to change the structure to create more responsibility similarly to the way college systems work. That is where relevance comes back into the situation.