In addition to sharing as much as I can about my work with the CCLS inside of schools this year, I’m also taking more time to reveal the workings of the WNY Young Writers’ Studio over here.
Studio is a writing community comprised of teachers and writers of grades 1-12. We also identify mentors within our program who are interested in becoming teachers themselves one day, and we provide them opportunities to learn and apply their growing expertise about best practices.
This year, we’ll be considering how the CCLS can be used as a framework for reflecting on and improving what we do at Studio.
Does that sound crazy? I imagine it might, to those who struggle with the notion of standards and those who assume that using them looks like passionless standardization, teacher-driven instruction that fosters disengagement, or copious amounts of skill and drill test prep. What frightens me most about this perspective is that if this is our vision, it’s what we’ll make reality.
I’m hoping to share some examples of how the CCLS can increase levels of creativity, enrich learner-centered instruction, and even nurture job satisfaction. What we make of this will depend on our mind-set, our willingness to seek understanding before rushing to conclusions, and our willingness to take some risks and innovate.
