School Goals Work - Intro III (Stop the technology madness!!)
What don't students need?
School Goals Work - Intro III
Stop the technology madness!!
In an effort to improve student success, most PDs involve some type of technology – laptops, iPads, computer games and apps, and more, to no avail. Why? It is the “low-hanging fruit” that will never help our students learn how to reach high. And so student achievement will continue to fall short of our expectations. In fact, the overuse of technology (particularly during and following Covid-19) has only exacerbated our problems. All teachers know this. Our current professional development is useless since most of these PDs continue to push some type of technology down our throats without realizing, or caring, that “more computer stuff” is not helping students learn more. Schools have put too much faith in technology and not enough in our understanding of what our students need.
Students don’t need a new app – they need to learn the importance of coming to class on time.
Students don’t need new iPads – they need to learn why coming to class fully prepared is so critical to learning, no matter the subject.
Students don’t need new Smartboards – they need to know how to Set Goals, Prioritize and Manage Time! If they can do these, learning becomes natural!
Stop the technology PDs! Everyone knows how to use a computer and find an app online. Funny how given all the millions that has been spent on technology PDs, teachers continue to struggle with having students who still are unable to properly format a simple Word Document! Millions in technology and kids are still handing papers improperly formatted and who are oblivious to spell check!
Across the country millions of dollars are put into new IPads. Schools have an abundance of programs in all content areas that can be uploaded, but school are unable or reluctant to shut off access to the internet, and so kids use their devices to play games, communicate with friends or cause big problems like online bullying (and then change screens when you walk by them!) Unfortunately, we are forced to turn a blind eye to this as we are told that the kids “need” their IPads and internet access. How did we ever teach without technology?
In many schools, if a student is given an IPad and loses it, or it is “stolen”, they are not responsible for replacing it. How many millions lost could have been put into other areas to increase student achievement?
And given all these technology PDs, how many of you continue to struggle with tardiness to class (being in an assigned seat before the bell rings) and unpreparedness (having all materials at their desk ready to rock and roll)? These are basic tenets of the School Goals Work program, because goals in school can work if taught properly.
And before you say, “But we are teaching students to make their own S.M.A.R.T. Goals!” let me say two things:
S.M.A.R.T. Goals do not work!
Stop making S.M.A.R.T. Goals today!
When you see a teacher who has S.M.A.R.T. Goals on their walls, ask any student what they have done to lift their grade or advance their understanding of the classroom content. You will be sorely disappointed. It is not your fault teachers! S.M.A.R.T. Goals - like so much technology - have been hoisted on you as the perfect solution, a panacea, to improve student achievement by people who do not understand the magic, the brilliance, of goal setting and how it works. As with most “shiny new pennies” in education, someone read a headline, got an idea, sold the idea to your chancellor, who then invested millions in the idea and told you to do it never understanding - or caring - if it would work because true goal setting was born in the business world. It is not a “school thing”. It isn’t working in schools because it has never been adapted to the classroom, until now. This is the backbone of School Goals Work and will be covered in detail in upcoming posts!
Today we are pushing to make classrooms and students better by working from the outside in. We are healing the wounds of a diabetic’s legs without first stabilizing their blood sugar. We are teaching babies to walk before they can even crawl. That is not the way to do it and it will never work! We need to build from the inside out. School Goals Work creates a greater sense of urgency and ownership for students. Goal Setting, Prioritization, Time Management & Scripting (don’t forget the scripting!!)
Through my articles and my seminars, I will show you how to transform your current classroom to a truly data-driven classroom without using any technology!
So buckle up! You are in for one heck of a ride!!