students . That being said , I believe we educators have our own “ Rs ” to model and teach so we can better prepare our students for increased learning , optimized employment , amplified community involvement , and / or other inspired endeavors .
It is time for the education system to better equip and empower our teachers and students so that we may collaboratively create new experiences to develop a future generation of strong thinkers and doers .
Rigor
Rigor and tenacity are required with the evolution of our educational system . The “ escalation of learning ” at any time , any place , any pace , and with any path is a concept promoting educational equity . Regardless of socioeconomic status , race , gender , disability , English proficiency , and / or geographic location , students should be able to pursue challenging courses of study . Both teachers and students need to demonstrate rigor as we adapt and evolve into these mindset and protocols . Thankfully , we can depend on technological advances to help us escalate our students ’ learning . Innovative hardware and software solutions allow our teachers to better facilitate the targeted sharing of knowledge and information , gain student assessment data , and offer timely feedback . Moreover , these technological advances allow all types of students and their subsequent networks to orchestrate their own learning and development whether it be in the traditional classroom , remotely , or virtually .
Relevance
Relevant content which targets and / or peaks students ’ interests creates an energetic and wide path to personalized learning . Relevant content expedites engagement and enthusiasm in one ’ s learning . This builds success and confidence not only in academic measures but in preparation for a successful and meaningful future . Often , educators have been overwhelmed with providing relevant content as the diversity of students ’ interests , experiences , etc . have increased . Individualizing content relevance has been difficult for the “ sage on the stage .” However , if we are to adopt the “ guide on the side ” model and begin to better utilize technology , our educators can ensure the content and curriculum is relevant to students . Innovative software solutions provide educators an incredible expansion of content and curriculum ; they also provide a platform for effective facilitation . Enabling the gathering , sharing , and analyzing of curriculum content will go a long way in increasing our students ’ learning .
Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness is required to create student choice and opportunity . No longer do the walls of classrooms and schools define what educational opportunities are available . Districts and states must work towards a systematic and collaborative organization that allows improved sharing of resources . For example , we must break down our traditional boundaries and provide collaborative platforms for teachers to learn and share best practices . I believe this approach is the only way to meet the demands of our nation ’ s standards and our communities ’ expected outcomes . Furthermore , it is the best way to meet the learning needs unique to each student . Once again , advances in technology can enable us ! In our great state , there are geographic distances to overcome and for too long we have used this as an excuse not to collaborate and share . I am inspired by the 21st century technological solutions which help us reduce the distance , break out of our traditional paradigms , and model resourcefulness , collaboration , and sharing for our students .
Re-iteration
Failure has , for a very long time , been something educators have tried to avoid . But avoidance has come at a cost . Our students often lack the resiliency to overcome failure and disappointment . Re-iteration , with understanding that failure always brings a chance to strengthen learning , is required to ensure a student ’ s success . Working towards a goal , failing , learning from it , and making improvements for future success aggregate to build an incredible life skill . As educators , we must model this type of mindset and perseverance as well as encourage it with our students . The “ guide on the side ” model , as it goes beyond lecture and testing , can help facilitate analysis and improvement cycles of re-iteration to instill the grit needed for students to persevere in the 21st century .
18 January 2017