Changing The Educational Process At T. Valley Schools
Posted
Kirk Doehrmann, TVHS Principal-
Critical thinking and problem solving are difficult to measure with standardized tests. They are also two of the most sought-after skills by employers and teachers. Students in today’s schools aren’t as challenged as they could or should be. Pressure on schools and teachers to push more and more content has eliminated much of the creativity needed for students to think for themselves. Students don’t ask “why” near as much as they should. Instead teachers and students have a compromise agreement; teachers push rote memorization that is easier to pick up and students regurgitate the information. At Tippecanoe Valley High School, we are looking to change that. When we asked teachers what a Tippecanoe Valley High School graduate should be able to do when they left our halls, content knowledge was low on the list. Instead, character, citizenship, communication skills, work ethic, collaboration skills and critical thinking topped the list. Examining our traditional high school, we are getting good at the “test.” We want more from our students, and our community should expect more. Our 1:1 project is off to a slow start to say as filter problems have prohibited us from distributing devices to students and slowed the pace our school improvement team had set for the positive movement of our building. Teachers have been the model of resiliency and flexibility for our students. As we put the final touches on the light-speed filter, the excitement in our building in once again starting to grow. Frustration is being replaced by anticipation. The transition won’t be an easy one, but the benefits will far out-weigh struggles we face. Technology is not the simple solution to providing opportunities for students to create and sharpen their critical thinking skills. Teachers could provide work sheets and a very traditional education delivery system for students. We are challenging teachers to go beyond rote lessons that provide one answer. We want teachers asking students guiding questions instead of telling them where to find the answer. Project Based Learning is a model that we have chosen to change the educational process at Tippecanoe Valley High School. This model challenges students to take ownership of their learning. It helps students to be creative as they solve relevant problems in our community or world. This model does not forget all of the great things about the traditional classroom, but allows teachers to restructure their classrooms to challenge their students. As we make this transition, there will be mistakes. We are asking our teachers to take risks. Our teachers are asking students to take risks. Mistakes will happen. Students will be frustrated, but that is good. If they handle that frustration correctly, that is when we will see the most growth out of them. We are still going to be good at the “test,” but we are going to graduate students with great skills. It’s an exciting time to be a Tippecanoe Valley Viking!
