W.E. Revolution refers to what I like to call the Worksheet Elimination Revolution. This has been a topic brewing in my mind for a while now. Schools seem to use the "Worksheet" to save time and make every ones job easier. There are many problems with the use of the simple worksheet.
The use of worksheets...
1. Uses an unspeakable amount of paper. Most of the paper goes unused and is discarded in the trash or recycled.
2. Creates teachers that begin to rely on a 1-dimensional teaching method. Introduce... teach... have them fill in the blanks.
3. Creates dependent learners. Students depend on the teacher to direct their learning. Discovery and reflection are put on the back-burner.
4. Creates a sense of monotony and boredom amongst most students. Pass out the paper, put your name and date on it, read the directions, answer the questions, fill in the blanks, pass your papers in.
5. Dilutes creativity. Students begin to lose the creative aspect of learning. They start to feel comfortable filling in the blanks. It's easy!
6. Creates a stack of graded worksheets that is taken home and thrown away. Why should the students care about the worksheet? They didn't create it. They don't own it. They have no stake in it except for the grade.
7. Creates teachers that don't want to grade the worksheets and end up throwing some of them away, meaning that students did the work for absolutely no reason.
8. Creates teachers that share worksheets and just use ones others have created. This results in teachers using worksheets that don't truly match what they are currently teaching or can even be at odds with the learning.
(#'s 7 and 8 were added by Jenny)
I could probably continue to write the ill effects of worksheets until Monday morning.
I am not claiming that I don't use worksheets. I do sometimes, when I feel it's necessary. My point is... it is easy to fall into the worksheet rut.
I am making an effort at the present time to completely eliminate the worksheet from the classroom. I feel that our time can be spent doing more meaningful activities. When I say "our time", I mean my time and the students time. The plan for this effort has been a creeping turtle. I have been thinking/planning this type of reform for a while now. I will follow this post up with a few ideas for engaging activities, but for now, until next blog...
Saturday, January 5, 2008
W.E. Revolution
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5 comments:
This post reminded me of a recent conversation with a colleague. She was struggling with her students' behavior just before the vacation and told them that if they couldn't behave she would just give them worksheets rather than the fun stuff she had planned. They actually got excited. We realized they were excited because they never do worksheets in her room. It would be something new for them. As a threat, it was a failure.
I would add a couple of problems to your list:
- teachers don't want to grade the worksheets and end up throwing some of them away, meaning that students did the work for absolutely no reason
- teachers share worksheets and just use ones others have created. This results in teachers using worksheets that don't truly match what they are currently teaching or can even be at odds with the learning.
Jenny,
Thanks for the comment. Being a science teacher, I continue to fall into a rut with using worksheets. I believe their learning will be more meaningful to them if they actually create it.
I found myself doing many of the things that you describe earlier this school year for the first time in my teaching career. I agreed to try something different from my own teaching style. It sucked! This when I went searching for something different and found Web2.0. Your post is really great! If you don't mind I would love to print and post it in the "teachers coffee pot" area. Make some of my colleagues think--I hope.
Harold,
I don't mind at all. This is why web 2.0 is so powerful. Sharing information and ideas is what it's all about. Until the teachers learn using these tools, we can't expect to teach using them. My W.E. Revolution is doing wonderful. The students love it, and so do I. Thanks for the comment :)
I plan to study about the effectiveness of using worksheets. Do you know any research about worksheets? I really need it for my review of related literature.
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