Foot: Firestone Experience

  Working with my student at Firestone High school was a challenge at times. Because I hadn't taken the OGT test in so long, I wasn't really acquainted with the sort of questions they would be asking on it. My student is a good student, who was just afraid of taking the test. I could tell that by just sitting there watching her take the practice test that she was finding it difficult to get through. Test taking in particular seems to be hard for the teenagers that I know. When I was in high school, and even now, standardized tests have always been a problem. I was a honors student, I got good grades, and I was involved in a lot during my time in high school, but when it came to taking standardized tests, I just wasn't good at them. I feel like, before there were standardized tests, schools actually taught especially urban and suburban schools. I think that standardized tests have so drastically brought down our level of learning, that it is hard for students to keep up once they are in the real world. 

Do I think that students are going to need to know the classic literature of the world to be able to function in their respective careers? No, but it will help with life skills, and literacy that will help with their respective jobs. Too many times I find that teachers have now started to teach the test only, and I feel like the students don't retain the information. They only remember it for the purpose of the test, and then it leaves their mind. I know that is the case with me. So, the problem that is posed concerning my Firestone student is how to ensure that she will retain the information long after the test has been taken? I think a good tool that is multi-modal to use to help the students retain the information would be music. I remember as a child, schoolhouse rock. We watched the conjunction video, and if you are not familiar with the name, the video used songs to help remember the function of different parts of the sentence. To this day, I know what a conjunction is by singing that song. It we teach things that will be on test by using music, it may help the students retain the information better.

I find that using multi-modal techniques actually could help my student with the test. In today's age, texting, instant messaging, skype, facebook, and other social networking sites, teenagers are exposed to more information than even I was privy too when I was their age. I think that the problem with the test is that students do not see how it relates to them. When they are reading a story and have to answer questions, I don't think that students comprehend why it is important that they know this. I think through wikis, and open forums about the standardized tests we will be able to get testing materials out to them easier and have their questions answered by each other. I also find using social media like music, books, television shows, and even magazines, showing students that they read this much in their leisure time will make it easier to get through the reading part of the test. As for the writing, I found that it was easier for my student to answer the prompts when it dealt with her life personally. Though I know that the prompts they will be given will not all be directed to their own personal experiences, I think that using magazines and other literature can help show them how to answer the prompts that aren't just about their personal lives. I frequently told my student that they are looking more for quality and not quantity. To put their minds at ease about this test. 

I think using all types of literature in the classroom is a must. In talking with my student, I found she did better when we were talking in terms they understand. Even now, before I have become a teacher I find that when I am trying to explain something that is difficult I make up scenarios that help my friends understand what I'm talking about. I would use this in my classroom. I love films and television shows, and I find that when teachers are explaining a book, it is easier if they explain it in terms of real time. For instance, when I was talking to my student about a particular story passage and she was asked a question about a vocabulary word, I remembered that the word was used in an episode of Jimmy Neutron, a show on Nickelodeon. When I quoted it, she instantly understood the word, and got the correct answer. I think using this in my classroom would be easy enough. If I just relate the question to something they are familiar with, or the story itself, then it seems to be easier for the students to comprehend. 

I think it is sad that in today's society standardized tests have become the norm. It has taken over all other aspects of school. A well-rounded student may not be a good test taker. To judge them on a test they took one time is not right. And really, how can you say what standards are right for each student to have accomplished? Nothing is standard. There are variations between everything. Each student is unique and learns at different times during different circumstances. Though I agree that students should be learning the same thing, we must take into account that as individuals we teach and learn differently. The gap is really between private and public schools. Private institutions teach rigorous course work, far tougher than public schools. I know this from experience. I went to a private school before transferring to a public school. My private school taught harder material, and I think that public schools need to evaluate what they are teaching, and the kids will pass the test. Less about teaching to the test and more about teaching them so they are prepared to take the test. Pushing the standards lower does not help our children.