Tyson’s Corner

I had never realized the extent to which curriculum and pedagogy mattered to those outside the realm of education! Oh, I have always known that education decisions are politically motivated, but I had thought of those influences as financial more than curricular. The conflict between traditionalists and progressives permeates the discussion.  Although I can see both sides of this argument, I am relieved to see a trend away from drill and rote memorization that was so prevalent when I was in school and a move toward more complex thinking skills in all subject areas. Our county is encouraging us to teach students to think more clearly as we present material in cross-curricular lessons, then have our students apply skills in their independent work or in cooperative groups.  All of this indicates that we are a progressive school system, or are trying to be, but a part of me remains a traditionalist.  There are some facts that my students must memorize (multiplication facts, parts of speech, continents/oceans, for example), and I am always open to new ideas, but I also know what has worked for me in the past.   I won’t embrace a new teaching strategy just because it is new, but because I can see its value. I agree that our profession is not the hotbed of controversy that the press often portrays, but there are a lot of us, and we each have an opinion about the best way to teach any subject.  Most of us just want to be allowed the freedom to teach without having to adopt the newest “quick fix” that blows our way.  To quote Sheridan Blau, “Disagreements in these arenas can and do lead to dialogue and thereby to the advancement of learning” (p. 158).  Well said.