- My Standards Based Learning Journey
I *almost* took out every file folder I had in my "planning drawer" the other day and tossed out every single one of them, including all of their contents-- without even looking. Why? Well, to be honest, I realize I have not opened that drawer in almost four years and actually used something I had created in the past.
However, I decided to leave the drawer alone for now...because all of that "stuff"-- all of the multiple choice, all the fill in the blank worksheets and all the "One Size Fits All" activities that I was SO proud of at the time, totally and absolutely contradict with the way I feel about teaching and learning now. It now serves as a constant reminder to me as to WHY SBL is best for me, my students, and for the school community.
And that essentially sums up where I am today, 14 years after starting my teaching career at CVU. During the last 5 to 6 years of immersing myself in the pedagogical shift of Standards Based Learning, I feel like I have started a new teaching career that is not only much different, but vastly more effective than it was just seven years ago.
Embracing the shift of Standards Based Learning has motivated me to create higher standards for myself as a teacher, which has exponentially benefited my students in terms of their learning, and more importantly, the way they think about learning.
Onward!
~Fonge