Changing the Status Quo

Have you ever wondered where the ever expanding layers of bureaucracy are taking us in the field of education? This book challenges us to think carefully about this question. The status quo in education consists of policies, practices, and power structures impacting the way we teach, and prevent students from learning in meaningful and significant ways. Assessment techniques drive our teaching practices resulting in a learning process that students strongly dislike. Technology like PowerPoint presentations and clickers force students to pay attention to lectures, but the end result is the same-memorizing information for exams. It is causing students to become less focused on comprehending what they read. It is also physically changing the way students read focusing on small sound bites on what they believe is necessary to remember for tests. Discriminating against students of color continues to be a prevalent problem as well. Data show that white educators consist of a huge majority often lacking cultural awareness in our classrooms. Reading this book will inspire you to become a courageous educator and implement meaningful changes in your classroom on how to asses your students, what kind and how much technology to use, and how to sensitively treat educators and students of color.

Scott D. Wurdinger

Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Courage and the Status Quos Status Quos Assessment Technology Racial Discrimination Chapter 2: Battling the Assessment Monster: Status Quo One Problems With Multiple-Choice Testing Opting-out National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Old and New Assessments Experiential Learning and Performance Letting Students Take Charge of Their Education From Students to Leaders Chapter 3: The Tidal Wave of Technology: Status Quo Two Pros and Cons of Technology General Barriers in Education PowerPoint Presentations MOOCs How Technology is Changing Us Chapter 4: Stories From the Field: Status Quo Number Three Howard Fuller Deborah McGriff Tony Simmons Dawn Chavous Chapter 5: Final Thoughts Perseverance is the Key to Success Get as Much Experience as Possible Listen to Your Gut and Stand Up for What is Right Look for Other Avenues Build Meaningful Relationships Don't Let the System Hold You Down References