|
All material is my personal opinion, and not that of any other organization. Copyright 2001. Permission is granted for individual teacher use. All rights reserved. |
Perspective on No Child Left Behind The No Child Left Behind Act will "stifle and hopefully kill" creative and experimental teaching, and that is a good thing, according to Susan Neuman, the federal bureaucrat in charge of enforcing this new law. "Our children are not laboratory rats." The alternative to creativity is "research-based methods," which were presumably developed in the absence of any actual experimentation with children, since they cannot be treated as lab rats. Ridiculous. These comments would be laughable if they were not accompanied by a host of punitive measures designed to coerce states, districts and classroom teachers into complying As a science teacher, I have great esteem for research. We learn by experimenting, as a society, and as individuals. As a teacher, I have conducted research on my own practice, trying to find out the best way to spark my student's interest in scientific investigations. I found out a funny thing. My students got most excited when they could design their own experiments, to answer their own questions. They were far more interested in the results, and had to think much harder about the scientific explanations for what occurred than if they were following directions from a book. As a teacher, I learned a great deal during this process of trial and error, which continues to affect decisions I make today. But this creativity is anathema to the new federalistas. Research, innovation, creativity -- these have no place in a classroom. Teachers are there to implement supposedly proven curriculum. In fact, the fastest growing segment of curriculum is the scripted lesson. A whole year's curriculum, spelled out word for word, no creativity required. This is not why I became a teacher. As I seek to ignite the spark of discovery in my students, I must kindle it within my own practice as well. Federal mandates for uniformity and a supposedly scientific approach cannot be allowed to stifle innovation in the classroom. Experimentation and creativity are not just for scientists and researchers. They belong to teachers and students as well. With a perspective, this is Anthony Cody. Anthony Cody is a National Board
Certified teacher. He teaches math, science, and technology at
Bret Harte Middle School in Oakland. Aired on KQED FM, 88.5 in San Francisco, on Nov. 22, 2002. Here is the article which inspired this perspective: End creative teaching, official says. For information on how to submit your opinion, visit here: Perspectives |
 |
 |
