Dog and Pony Show That Is Education

How did I learn as a child in school? How is it possible that I got an education when none of my teachers ever put the objective on the board? Seriously, it’s incredible that I was able to listen to my teachers, take notes, and score well on tests when the teachers never had the decency to tell me what I was supposed to learn. Without that daily guide–SWBAT…–how was I able to extract enough valuable information from what occurred in the classroom to do my homework? Also, looking back, it is a bit miraculous that my classmates and I were able to sit quietly the moment the bell rang–textbooks and notebooks open and ready on our desks–so that the teacher could simply dive into the next lesson. When I think about it, I am at a complete loss to comprehend how we could transition from one class to another without a Do Now. The Do Now is so vital for student success, it amazes me that my generation could function without it. And those exit tickets, those are so fantastic and so necessary that it boggles my mind that I got mostly ‘A’s in school without ever having to hand in an exit ticket. How did all that information remain embedded in my brain if no one ever reinforced it seconds before the bell rang?

Really, we need to applaud the researchers who tirelessly studied education so that they could devise these amazing gimmicks that have worked so well to increase student success. The idea of telling students what the objective is and writing it on the board in clear bold letters was revolutionary. The fact that students can enter the room, glance at the board and know what they will be able to do after forty minutes certainly helps them focus. The second they realize what the goal of the day is, they immediately hunker down and get busy. They know what they have to learn, and that knowledge motivates them. Did you ever notice how many students copy down the objective or commit it to memory so that they can be sure they attained it when the class ends? On days I forget to write the objective, I certainly notice the difference. There is a distinct apathy among the students. It is obvious that they are floundering because I didn’t give them something concrete to anchor them. When they leave my room, they are lost. Since no one bothered to tell them what they were supposed to be able to do, they were unable to learn anything.

The Do Now though is by far the most magical moment of my day. I project it up on the board or post it in Google Classroom and my students snap to attention. The words DO NOW bark a command that the students immediately follow. Those words ignite their work ethic and they can’t get to it quickly enough. The moment students begin the task their attention is riveted. They quickly set aside whatever it was they were talking about so they can concentrate solely on the lesson. Without the Do Now, I fear my class would descend into chaos. The students would have no idea how to transition from hallway to classroom. The lesson would falter because the students would have nothing to jumpstart them. They listen to me and learn from my lesson because the Do Now sets the tone, reminds them which class they are in, and warms up their brain. And we all know a cold brain can produce no output. A cold brain would be unable to absorb new information. It would wither and die. So thank God for the Do Now. I’m sure test scores would be deplorably low if we didn’t rely so heavily upon it.

Finally, let’s all hail the Exit Ticket. That ending activity that wraps up all the strands of the lesson into a neat bow and allows the students to more efficiently file the knowledge away in their brain. Without the Exit Ticket the students would not realize the lesson had drawn to a conclusion. They would drift into the hallway at the sound of the bell and what little information they started to absorb would scatter like dust in a windstorm. Poof! We need that ticket to accurately assess what the student learned, how well they paid attention, and how effective our lesson was. The Exit Ticket is our lifeline. Without it, students would most likely be confused, lost in the midst of a lesson they can’t escape. Whoever devised this brilliant mechanism certainly understood the educational process. How can anyone deny that school is a far more productive place because of it?

With lessons bookended between the Do Now and the Exit Ticket, there is no way for students to fail. They begin with motivation and end with a clear wrap. In between it’s all cake, nice and easy. Teachers just have to make sure they are hitting multiple standards each day. Every lesson has to connect with specific standards which the state designed in order to ensure student success. As long as teachers are mindful of them, students will learn; they will grow. It’s guaranteed. I can’t believe how much better that is than when I was a kid. I remember reading textbooks and writing papers and feeling like it was all a waste of time. But if I had known there were standards and that I was achieving them on a daily basis, I would have been ecstatic. Knowing me, I would have kept a chart, ticking them off as I mastered them one by one. I wonder how many of my students realize how great they got it. Let’s post those standards in every classroom so students can see just how lucky they are.

Let us also not forget the brilliance of having to demonstrate how proficient teachers and students are with technology. This is accomplished in a myriad of ways. For starters, games have become all the rage. Blooket and Kahoot and Bamboozle are fantastic. Lessons are no longer considered complete unless they utilize some aspect of technology. Yeah, there was a time when the printing press was considered new technology and books were prized, but the Dark Ages are gone, and we are left with far more exhilarating options. If only my teachers turned most of their lessons into games, I would not have hated school. And think how much more that would have done for my academic growth. If only I had learned how to make an acceptable Google slide presentation in ninth grade, I’m sure I would have been far more successful in life.

So yes, let’s praise the minds that have brought about such a wonderful revolution in education. Without these life altering changes, students’ minds would certainly be stagnating. We as a nation are a powerhouse when it comes to educating our children and we owe our strengths to people far more ingenious than I. Without all these bells and whistles, teachers would never be able to effectively teach, and students would be incapable of learning.