Send Me a RAFT

One of the things I have been taught in my “How to be a Teacher” courses is that students no longer can learn the way I did.  Nope.  Can’t happen.  Students today cannot be expected to sit quietly for more than 12 minutes (that’s a maximum, depending on age).  Not only that – they cannot be expected to stay focused on any one thing for more than 12 minutes.  Lecture/take notes/read text/do homework methodology just cannot work.  Not with today’s children.  So say the pundits.  Since the pundits highly influence my paycheck, I am required to agree and act accordingly.

Please believe that I am an avid fan of INTERESTING and RELEVANT instruction.  I suffered through plenty of dryasdust classes, barely escaping with my sanity, never mind retaining any knowledge.  I get it, OK? 

But I’m having a little trouble with this current thinking which makes the acquisition of knowledge predominantly Student Owned.  Teachers as ‘facilitators’ rather than instructors.  I’m not sure I can do this topic justice, in a typical Wolfie rant, so I think I will apply one of the “strategies” we are taught to employ.  It’s called RAFT.  RAFT Papers are simply a way to think about the four main things that all writers have to consider:

Role of the Writer  Who are you as the writer? Are you Abraham Lincoln? A warrior? A homeless person? An auto mechanic? The endangered snail darter?

Audience:  To whom are you writing? Is your audience the American people? A friend? Your teacher? Readers of a newspaper? A local bank?

Format:  What form will the writing take? Is it a letter? A classified ad? A speech? A poem?

Topic:  What’s the subject or the point of this piece? Is it to persuade a goddess to spare your life? To plead for a re-test? To call for stricter regulations on logging?

So, for the balance of this entry my ROLE will be the previously mentioned 12 minute block of time.  My AUDIENCE will be my “customer”, an educator/teacher.  My chosen FORMAT is the business memo, and my TOPIC will be Meeting Your Educational Goals, the symbol of Highly Effective Educators (anybody get the acronym here – HEE  ?????  heh)

FROM:  Terrence Twelveminute

TO:        Ima Wornout, HEE

SUBJECT:  Meeting Your Educational Goals

It has come to my attention that you may be having trouble meeting your specific educational goals.  Often times when educators have trouble meeting their goals it is because the goals can seem nebulous and vague, when they are actually quite precise.  

First, let me remind you that you have a responsibility set forth by no less of an educational mastermind than our President, George W. Bush, to make sure that there is NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND.  Should a child, any child, BE left behind you will be held accountable, responsible and, quite possibly, personally liable.<SPAN style="

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Secondly, let me provide you with some insight about how to best capitalize on the 12 minutes of attention you can expect from each and every one of your students at least once a day.

1.       Students must have choice wherever possible.  For each topic to be covered, you must provide students an array of assignments to choose from.  These various assignments should be designed to accommodate and tantalize each of the multiple learning styles in your classroom. 

2.       Students working cooperatively together in groups is best.   This way the students can investigate the subject matter at hand and focus on their work without the distraction of a teacher actually teaching them.

3.       A variety of non-traditional assessments should be used to measure whether students are learning and retaining the subject matter.  Pencil and paper tests are not an accurate measure of student learning.  Don’t forget, however, that students will still be required to pass benchmark levels on standardized (pencil and paper) tests and your reputation as a professional (and your continued employment) is dependant upon your students’ ability to take and pass these standardized tests.

4.       You will have students in your class that are non English speakers.  Don’t leave them out of your 12 minute blocks.  They often cannot work in cooperative groups with other students because of the language barrier.  They also will not understand your instructions.  They must have same choices as the other students and they must pass the same standardized tests.  Please do not single them out for individual attention as this can prove devastatingly embarrassing to the student.

5.       In the 70 minute block scheduling you currently use, you have a bountiful SIX 12 minute intervals to plan activities for.  What an awesome opportunity for you as an educator.  Make sure that the students have the opportunity to get up and move between each 12 minute span.  They are growing bodies, and growing bodies cannot be expected to sit in one place. 

Ms. Wornout, I trust that the information and guidance I have provided you with in this memo will prove valuable and I expect for you to incorporate all suggestions into your classroom immediately.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact someone other than me.  My function is not to answer your questions or coddle your concerns.  My function is to lay down the law.  Thank you for your time and service.