Post written by Amber MedinThe long-term benefits of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have been touted by the academic community at large, yet it's often difficult to envision the light at the end of the tunnel when dealing with the demands and challenges of actual classroom implementation. Although these standards make it clear what is expected of students, many teachers are left without a road map explaining how to approach and properly convey this new material in the classroom.
The key, said Robert Marzano in his 2014 ASCD Annual Conference session "The New Pedagogy of the Common Core and the Science Standards," is not to blindly dive into the higher-order thinking questions in an effort to meet the CCSS and NGSS without first setting reasonable goals and a workable framework of instruction that moves purposefully toward student-directed, cognitively complex tasks. "If you were to teach all the content in the national standards documents in the time available ... without adding days to the school year or time to the school day, you'd have to change school from K–12 to K–22," explained Marzano.
Tried-and-true instructional strategies that have been in place since the 1980s thinking skills movement should not be discarded in light of increasingly rigorous standards. Instead, teachers should start by
4-12-14 THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education
The Whole Child Blog — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE WEEK @ The Whole Child Blog Insights on Writing: A Core SkillWriting powerfully is a skill that teachers know every student needs to develop if he or she is to have the best chances in life. Yet, paradoxically, it's one of the skills that students most often resist practicing. The April 2014 issue of Educational Leadership examines the many w