February 13, 2012
 The following blog post was written by Eye On Education's Senior Editor, Lauren Davis. To read more newsworthy blog posts from Eye On Education, subscribe to our Insights eNewsletters.
At the NCTE convention in November, everyone was buzzing about the Common Core State Standards. Teachers wanted to know how the new standards will alter what they teacher and how they teach it.
To gather answers to those questions, I attended a variety of NCTE sessions, and I spoke to educators across the country. Here are some of the things I learned. To meet the CCSS, teachers should...
1. Lead high-level, authentic discussions. Teachers should craft good questions, and students should learn to cite textual evidence in their responses. For great ways to teach speaking and listening skills, see Teaching Critical Thinking by Terry Roberts and Laura Billings.
...to read the other four things every teacher should be doing to meet the CCSS, as well as more details and examples, download Eye On Education's free whitepaper: 5 Things Every Teacher Should be Doing to Meet the Common Core State Standards.
Check out Eye On Education's other free whitepapers!
January 17, 2012 3:18 PM
I think there is 1 more thing they should be doing... Curriculum Mapping! You would not take off on a vacation without mapping a path to your destination and you should also be creating a map to your education destination! The CCSS sparked the school district I work for to pull the dusty curriculum guides off the shelf and start using our state (Indiana) crosswalks to replace state standards with CCSS when/where appropriate. I am the Technology Director for the district, so our Curriculum Director asked if I could design a program to help facilitate keeping the curriculum “alive” as we transition (and beyond) rather than typing them in Word Documents and keeping them a shared drive on the network until the next meeting. I created the program and it was met with such teacher enthusiasm that I am now re-writing it to work for any school district. Since it is based on the CCSS, almost all public schools will be able to use it to do Curriculum Mapping. It has really helped our district facilitate the transition to the CCSS because teachers can collaboratively edit units within a grade level or subject area, share resources, share assessments, make notes, drop units on a calendar to help with pacing, and in doing so the curriculum is becoming “magically” aligned horizontally. Once curriculum is complete, teachers/administrators are able to check for vertical alignment and look for gaps and/or overlaps in the standards that are taught. Again, we’ve made great strides in implementation by having this simple tool. I’m really anxious to make it available to more schools as quickly as possible. I plan for the program to be ready in early February.
January 18, 2012 6:27 AM
Good point! Your tool sounds terrific. I'm sure it will be a big help to teachers across the country. Thanks for telling us about it. Lauren Davis, Senior Editor Eye On Education
February 09, 2012 2:34 PM
A wealth of great information... I am happy that I acknowledge these key points in my lessons and strive to prepare students for the real world. Common Core is a step in the right direction for students and teachers as well as parents. I agree that every teacher should do these 5 things to bring kids into a real learning environment where they research, solve problems, use their creativity and expand their horizons to reach the deeper level thinking needed not only for college and the workforce but for their everyday lives. I definitely want to continue to follow your blogs
February 10, 2012 5:57 AM
Hi Neddra, Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the post! I like the fact that you prepare your students for the real world. Your students are lucky to have you! Lauren Davis, Senior Editor, Eye On Education
February 12, 2012 12:00 PM
Here is a scathing critique of the educational establishment. Unfortunately it is spot on. Our schools in Minnesota, especially Minneapolis, have indoctrinated their students, telling them they are a detriment to the planet they live on. This has been going on for 30 years. This Utopian thinking is embedded in our schools, in sharp contrast to the ancient Roman embedding of Gravitas. http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/pseudo-critical-thinking-in-the-educational-establishment/504 I see no way to turn teachers' views toward what you recommend. Until American teachers can stop thinking it is their duty to tell everyone else what to think because the Intellectual Left has that responsibility, I see no hope for our youth to be introduced to these: Intellectual Standards That Apply to Thinking in Every Subject Thinking that is: <> Thinking that is: Clear vs Unclear Precise vs Imprecise Specific vs Vague Accurate vs Inaccurate Relevant vs Irrelevant Plausible vs Implausible Consistent vs Inconsistent Logical vs Illogical Deep vs Superficial Broad vs Narrow Complete vs Incomplete Significant vs Trivial Adequate (for purpose) vs Inadequate Fair vs Biased or One-Sided
February 13, 2012 4:48 AM
Hi Kathryn, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We always enjoy hearing a variety of perspectives on these big issues in education. Lauren Davis, Senior Editor Eye On Education What does everyone else think about Kathryn's comments? Keep the dialogue going!
March 25, 2012 8:01 AM
In order for American students to compete with students in other countries, I believe the CCSS is the right direction to go. Students needs to be better at critical thinking and problem solving and teachers must be the facilitators who will guide and lay the foundation for that to occur.
March 27, 2012 6:55 AM
I would love to see school librarians mentioned in these types of documents. We are here to help teachers as they implement the CCSS! Finding multiple sources of information on the same topic is one of our specialities and we certainly should have a big role in helping students learn the research process.
April 10, 2012 12:56 PM
Here are five things every math teacher should consider as well. http://www.edk-12.com/5_Things_Every_Math_Teacher_Should_Consider
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