CHANGING STANDA RDS College of Education experiences curriculum switch During 2013, the Common Core State Standards Initiative was adopted in schools across 45 states, including Arkansas. These standards were set to be implemented April of 2014 in English language arts and mathematics classes for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Created by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, "the standards [were] designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers," according to the Core Standards website. Produced by the input of teachers, parents and community leaders, the standards clarified the educational expectations for each grade level and better communicated the purpose of teachers in the classroom. According to Ken Stamatis, assistant professor of education, the Common Core diminished the role of the teacher as the sole provider of information and allowed students to apply information they had discovered. "What the Common Core State Standards do is move the teacher to being a facilitator of information," Stamatis said. "Students will not be regurgitating facts anymore. The standards are based on the question, 'Does it impact student learning?"' While some had trouble accepting these new standards, graduate student Tori Randolph said she believed the Common Core would be beneficial for herfuture classroom. "I think that everyone should look at the Common Core State Standards as something that will better our students' education," Randolph said. "If more people viewed the Common Core like that, then they would have a better mindset about it." Stamatis said he agreed with the Common Core because it helped to better prepare students for the 21st century. According to Stamatis, students were not the same as they were in the 1990s. Common Core addressed an era in which more technology was being brought into classrooms and students were thinking differently. "[Common Core State Standards] will train students to be critical thinkers and critical consumers of information," Stamatis said. "The Common Core will better prepare our students for future jobs." Dean of the College of Education Dr. Tony Finley said it was very important for teachers to begin making their classrooms student-centered. Teachers did this by adding more technology to their classrooms. According to Finley, more group work and self-discovery were involved. "The Common Core says that their curriculum is an inch wide and a mile deep," Finley said. "In the past, we have tried to cover many things over the course of the semester, but the Common Core believes in doing the opposite. They believe we should teach less, but cover more in great detail." Finley said that what this meant for Harding's College of Education was better equipping students for teaching in their future classrooms. "What we are trying to do in the College of Education is use the best practices of teaching," Finley said. "We want to give our students the tools they need to make the best decisions they can when they are in the classroom." Bethany Nicholson 458 STUDENTS 2 subjects covered accepted by 45 states 51 departmental faculty & staff
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