"The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for language arts literacy capture language experiences all children need in order to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally in classrooms across the curriculum. The standards are intended to promote students' capacities to construct meaning in any arena, with others as well as on their own. If students learn to read, write, speak, listen, and view critically, strategically, and creatively, and if they learn to use these arts individually and with others, they will have the literacy skills they need to discover personal and shared meaning throughout their lives."
I find the above to be very true. How can one teach English and not touch upon reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critically viewing media literacy? In the past two years, I have revised two curriculums. With that said, I did not run into any problems implementing the CCCS. It is obvious that each and every point in the standards can not be touched upon during one academic year (because as we already know, we don't actually get 180 days to teach). But, in all honesty I find the Language Arts Literacy Core Curriculum Content Standards very effective and I have used most of the strands in both the curriculums I have revised.
My department head insists that we use all of the LAL CCCS, but of course there are some that just don't fit. For example, 3.1.H.2 states "Develop materials for a portfolio that reflects a specific career choice." At no time during the year do I have my students develop a portfolio reflecting a career choice - I just don't have the time to do that since it would take time away from the many lessons and goals I need to accomplish. On the other hand, I shouldn't really have to worry about this strand since I teach sophomores and a career project/research paper is done on the freshman level; hence the strand does get touched upon during the student's high school career (just not in my class). Is that okay? I do not see why not. There are strands like 3.2.C.4 "use transition words to reinforce a logical progression of ideas" that are essential in writing and that is a strand that would be used on all levels during. The point I'm trying to make is that some CCCS will be used often and others won't, but the fact that they are in the NJ current standards means they will be used at some point in the child's academic career.
Knowing that I had to post my reflection about the standards, I decided to open it up to more Language Arts teachers, so I e-mailed five colleagues at Lodi High and asked for their comments about the standards. Of the three that replied (I wanted to post this blog already, so I gave up on waiting for the other two), not one negative thing was said about having to use these standards. The consensus is that we need standards!
But, why do we need standards? Well, for starters, as a new teacher, one might not know where to begin teaching, whereas the standards give that teacher a starting point. On the other hand, some veteran teachers would like to teach the good old way they have always taught, so since the standards are mandated these veteran teachers must keep up with the times.
We certainly need standards, so the final question arises: Where do we need standards - on the national, state, or local level? My feeling is that what we have is appropriate. In Language Arts there are 12 national standards (you may find them at: http://www.ncte.org/about/over/standards/110846.htm). In turn, I would presume the national standards are used towards creating the state standards, but of course NJ separates them into many strands. I think it's best as is and local standards are not necessary.
2 comments:
Should we give teachers the "power" to decide which standards are more important than others to stress?
Yes, the reason the teacher needs the power to decide which standards are more important than others is because she knows (based on evaluations) which standards her students may be falling behind on; hence that teacher needs to bring them up to par in those areas.
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