My last blog
discussed the effects of environment and culture on student motivation for
learning. I am sharing the results from my high school focus group meetings
with students. I asked them to share
with me their insights into the climate at their school, as well as classroom
instruction and the courses available to them.
I appreciated their candor and thoughtful responses.
I asked them
to share their thoughts on being a high school student. Students mentioned a time in elementary
school when they were excited about their learning and eager to share with
their parents when asked “So how was your day?” Those same students now dreaded
that question. What changed over just a few years for students to feel so
negative? They mentioned they thought they would receive more responsibility in
decision-making and student choice as they progressed from starting middle
school and finishing high school. The
comments included “The restrictions that are put in place squash any
creativity.” and “School spirit is dead.”
They stated that they believed high school should be a time to prepare
them for life. They said that with the current restrictions that it is
difficult to see the connection to life.
“We need more career counseling and information to make good choices
about college, the military, and work.”
They were
disappointed that too many of their teachers lectured or talked for the
majority of the class period. They wanted time to work with each other and
collaborate. “Why put our desks
together, if you are not going to let us talk?” Their questions on topics outside
of the SOL curriculum were often unanswered or left for another time. The
test-driven content tied to SOL tests was not a motivation to them. “We hear
every day that this is going to be on your SOL test.” What they really want to know is, “How does
this prepare us for life?” The students realized that this is not the fault of
the teachers, but a result of what has been prioritized over the past
decade. Teachers have been told that SOL
scores are the most important measure of student success, so that is what they
tend to focus on. They are aware of the
tremendous stress placed on their teachers when they feel that one test (SOL)
is going to be used to measure their effectiveness.
The students also commented on their own
levels of stress which they attribute to learning in a restrictive environment. They felt strongly that too much emphasis was
placed on grades and they weren’t allowed to experience trial and error, or
“failing forward”. “It’s not about
learning anymore, it’s about passing.” “We’re human, we are going to make
mistakes and sometimes get a bad grade. That one bad grade can keep me from
getting a B.” “The stress from one bad
grade takes the fun out of school. What
about the skills, effort, and time that we put in? Doesn’t that count?”
So how could
their high school experience be better?
The students offered several suggestions, including training teachers
and students in the uses of technology. General appearance of the school was
also important to them and they said the learning environment could be improved
by purchasing new furniture, frequently painting and keeping the school clean. They
want to see student work on display throughout the school. They see this in other schools and which only
emphasizes the absence of it in their building.
They also wanted to know why school started so early and commented that
a later start time like 9 am would work better for high school students.
While the
students had significant concerns, they did share positives about their high
school experience. Their concerns and
the changes they suggested were very insightful and align nicely with the direction
the state and IWCS are headed with performance – based learning opportunities. After
my experience with the student focus groups, I immediately saw the benefits of
listening to what they had to say. They
students provided valuable suggestions and comments but I don’t think we’ve
given them the avenue for communicating these ideas with school and division
leaders. As we move towards a culture
with an emphasis on student’s producing beautiful work, with an emphasis on the
4 C’s, I am hopeful that many of the concerns I heard a few weeks ago will just
be distant memories.
