Now What?: Learning and Learners in the 21st Century

Listening to Dr. Peggy Patterson's Keynote address this morning, I was reminded of our conversation in class last night when we were asked to discuss how it is decided in our professions which parts of the curriculum are taught and which parts are ignored. I think that the questions that Dr. Patterson proposed about learning: What? (What are we learning?), So What? (What difference does it make?), Now What? (What does it mean to your practice?) are integral questions that elementary school teachers need to ask themselves when deciding which learning outcomes will be a part of their curriculum for the year. For me, these questions are very much connected to what Dr. Patterson stated as the four characteristics of a great teacher, and what people look for and admire in their leaders: honesty, forward looking, competency, and inspiration. These characteristics are not only important for teachers' relationships and interactions with students but also teachers' relationship with themselves when planning their curriculum. I believe that teachers need to be honest with themselves about what students really need to learn, looking forward to where students need to go with their learning and how best they can help students reach those goals, and most importantly planning units and lessons that will inspire and excite students about their learning and the curriculum. As an elementary school teacher, there are a vast number of prescribed learning outcomes for me to choose from when planning my curriculum, and there is no way I could ever teach each and every single one of them; I get to decide what I want to teach and what I will ignore. My decisions have always been based on the questions proposed by Dr. Patterson. I look to my students to see what interests them, rather than teaching for the sake of teaching the prescribed learning outcomes. I think that this makes their learning more personal and also creates a sense of belonging for them in the classroom when their interests are reflected in the curriculum. And more importantly, I believe that it helps students feel more connected to school and motivated to learn.