Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS)- why bother?

As we spent time in class this week unpacking the North Carolina standards in light of the revised Blooms taxonomy I was left with the question- “why do we care about students’ higher-level thinking skills?” I’m sure my students had the same question.

The last few years, articles, policy documents and experts (e.g., ISTE Standards, 21st Century Skills, and  Metiri Group) have talked about the need to prepare K-12 students to have 21st century skills. In some cases that means preparing our teachers and students to work in environments that don’t currently exist. Whether its virtual worlds, online classrooms, or face-to-face classrooms in which every student has a hand-held computing device, there is no doubt that in the next 2 decades, access to technology and the potential for schools will continue to shift for the better.

In that spirit, if we end up teaching students only content with no process or HOTS, then our students will eventually become the kings of weekday night trivia at the local pub, but expendable in the work force. Whether teachers are situated in a technology-rich environment or a rural school in Mbita, Kenya, teachers must stretch their students by designing complex activities, asking the how and why questions, and developing students’ reasoning skills. Sure, resources- curriculum, technology and other materials- matter, but it’s amazing what can happen even without those resources with a teacher willing to challenge their students and students with an elastic mentality, willing to be stretched.

Why we do what we do….

As I introduced my students to blogs last night, their first post was why they are interested in becoming a teacher. That and a few events in the past few weeks have caused me to reflect on my own experiences as well.

Facebook has led to a lot of connections with former students and soccer players that I have taught and coached in the past ten years. There are students I’ve worked with that have fought incredible obstacles- lack of home support, parent illnesses, divorces, low socio-economic status, disabilities. Hearing stories about their high school graduation, their pursuit of careers in college, and their ambitions to impact people in their life has been emotionally touching, to say the least.

I ended up falling into teaching- a pre-med/pre-phyiscal therapy student at William & Mary who had slacked off in some biology courses, was faced with a few options after my sophomore year- youth ministry or journalism. I went away to Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp, to serve two months, and got the call from my Mom in mid-June that my grades weren’t very good, and my parents were encouraging me to look at other career options. It just so happened that I was in week #2 of being a camp counselor for 5-6 yr old kids at an overnight camp, and while others seemed bothered by wet beds, crying campers and having to eat standing up while serving food to young kids, I had latched onto it.  Working with kids was fun, and more than that, it was rewarding to make an impact on their lives for only a short time.

Fast forward twelve years later, into a career where I currently get to impact students in a few classroom, work with lots of teachers, and impact those aspiring to be classroom teachers. We’re in a climate, where those that I work closely with in schools are facing layoffs, furloughs, budget crunches and tough times. Teacher morale is low in many places, as they are ready for the year to end and get a much needed summer break. But, the seed has been planted, and while the rewards of teaching isn’t necessarily tangible, it’s something that I’ve learned to appreciate. In some cases we never see the impact we have on those we teach and interact with. In some cases we are blessed to. EoG scores,while the gold standard according to the Dept of Ed, are only part of the puzzle. If you ask my former students a decade later what they remember about our time together, the test is nowhere near the top of the list. Rather, I would suspect, the fun projects, the discussions and community we had is more central in their memory.

Teaching is a joy. As a colleague of mine says, “I don’t go to work, I go to school.” Regardless of the trials and issues that we as educators face,  I count it nothing but pure joy to be blessed to be able to help and support those wanting to learn how to effectively teach the youth of tommorrow. Now back to work!

Rave at UNC Charlotte during finals week

During finals week at my university, UNC Charlotte, students initiated a rave over Facebook. Word spread and at midnight there were a few thousand people in the library on campus. Here’s a You Tube video. Security was there and the library staff moved tables and computers out of the way. For a campus known historically as a “commuter school” that image is definitely shifting.