How Do We Change Our Way Of Teaching?

After this week and reading all of work I can't help but wonder what we could do change our way of teaching to become more up to date.  All I can think about is how far behind students learning is.  It seems like such a simple idea, but it really is more complicated than it sounds.

How do we go about changing something that has been consisten for so long?  How can we call something consistent that's only been consistent because it's always inconsistent?  Just writing that sentence has confused me!!!  One person's idea of a proper education may be another's laughable attempt.  The reason I say this is because when we looked at schools like King Middle School and Big Picture Learning, then look at schools like where I went to high school....the comparison to me is embarrassing.  I thought my education was decent until I read about these schools.  Now I feel as though I was robbed of so much knowledge.

I may not have been though.  I may have had the best education that was available at the time period I was in high school.  Who am I kidding, though?  I wasn't even aware until my senior year that there are certain classes I should have taken to become accepted to a four year college instead of a two year college.  That step alone in my high school career cost me an extra year in college.  I had to start my education at a community college to complete entrance level courses just to become considered at a four year school!  I did what I had to though, and I guess it all worked out in the end.  I just hope that the students of today are more informed than I was.  I like to think they are getting a better education than I was.

Yes.....our readings this week brought this post out of me LOL.  

My School Experience

I have't had a whole lot of experience with planning a curriculum.  I work as an Ed Tech at the Middle School I'm currently at.  I'm hoping this will change very soon, because I've recently applied for a new position at the same school.  I am however used to working with a curriculum set up by other teachers.

I work with students who have developmental and physical disabilities, so the curriculum often changes or is modified depending on the level they are working at.  No one student is ever doing the same course work, so it's pretty tricky.  The focus where I work is to prepare work that can be completed with as much success as possible.  I realize this may be the same as other students throughout the school, but the students I work with really do depend on their success.  If curriculum that's set up is too hard, then the student may be inclined to stop working because they don't understand that their education is an important part of what they have to do as young adults.

I'm interested to see what happens if I get this position because the curriculum will be drastically different.  I can hold students more accountable for their performance, because I know they are mentally more capable of completing certain tasks and assignments.  I'm extremely grateful for this experience however, because it's quite humbling.  Things that other students and teachers may take for granted don't seem so simple to me now.  It shouldn't matter if one students abilities are different from another's.  It should only be about learning and teaching new things to students that they have previously been unable to complete.  It's all about learning.  That's the best way I can put how I feel about teaching in the school system :)