Journal #3

CSUSM Summer Institute

“Restructuring for caring and effective education: The possible futures of education”
Richard A. Villa (President, Bayridge Consortium Inc., San Diego

This summer, I participated in the CSUSM Summer Institute for Educators. I attended a lecture hosted by Richard A. Villa who travels around the country to talk to educators about the state of the current educational system and what he believes is going wrong and why. Villa in his lecture posed a few questions: Where is the educational system now? Where is it going? Who’s going with us? How will we get there? It is his belief (and mine as well) that education is currently performance-centered. The result is that the best of the best students will be successful and those who do not do as well will often get left behind. High stakes tests lead to anxiety in children and many students end up becoming frustrated with their own education and eventually dropping out. Those in favor of this model argue that the performance-centered model produces the most successful students and prepares the “best” candidates for the most difficult jobs. It does fail to recognize however that students have different learning styles. Some children may struggle on tests, but excel visually or in the arts. Another model that Villa presented was an “everybody wins” approach. In this model, all students are successful because all are included in the process. Opponents argue that this model promotes decreased standards. Proponents argue that increases success in students that may otherwise not succeed in a traditional classroom by fostering their growth and ensuring their understanding in content. Villa argues that success with both models is possible. A forward-moving classroom will maintain high standards while including all students in the process. All students will be expected to learn and retain information, and Villa argues that this will create a more fun learning environment. Student’s anxiety decreases and they become more involved in the learning process.
Question 1: How would I overcome the challenges of incorporating both models in to one?
I believe that all students want to learn, and at any age or level. For so long, students have been forced to be “good students” and if they are not because they struggle with taking tests or writing essays, school becomes difficult and often results in them dropping out. When this stress is removed and the goal is having an educational experience, not just an A, many students will succeed. I honestly believe that if I have both the success and happiness of my students as a goal, this will come easily. Students want to know that their teacher has a genuine interest in their success (even the students that succeed easily).
Question 2: So, is this really possible… in the real world?
Teachers are facing some hard times in the wake of the No Child Left Behind legislature. If students do not retain the curriculum and pass high stakes tests, teachers can lose their jobs. The focus has turned from curriculum-centered teaching rather than student-centered teaching. Therefore, incorporating both models will be a challenge. However, if a teacher has the student’s best interest in mind (making the curriculum relevant to their life), the students will learn the content more naturally.