BlogPost 8

A lesson I would teach would be on the concept that standardized tests do not display a students intelligence. Yes, it is still important to try and do your best on these tests but they should not be used to measure how smart a student is or isn't. Some children aren't good test takers and should not be penalized because of it. I would explain to them that these tests do not define them. This is not to say that they shouldn't try their best to get a good score but if they don't receive one, it will not be shown against them. Instead of punishing students for receiving bad test scores, we should be figuring out what they aren't understanding and what needs to be taught better. Students should be given a chance to understand information instead of taking a test, receiving a bad grade, and that's it. This is teaching students that test scores define their intelligence and this often leads to them feeling bad about themselves and their accomplishments.
In Bill Ayers reading, he describes the metaphor building bridges. What this means is that the teacher builds off of knowledge and information the students already know, allowing them to learn deeper ways of knowing and understanding. The bridge pattern is understanding how to get from point A to point B. It allows the children to form questions and work together to find a perfect balance. In my lesson I would teach above, I would use the building bridges method to show my students that it is important to get good grades on tests but it does not define them. They could form questions on why standardized testing wouldn't be the most beneficial way of defining a students intelligence. I would explain that there are many factors that come into play when understanding how smart a student is but schools solely rely on testing that is not always the most accurate. Some students get very nervous when taking this types of tests and do bad because of that. Another way I would teach this lesson is to show them that often times when taking a test, students focus only on memorizing the information instead of really understanding the lesson. They may get a 100% on the test but does that know whether or not they understood what they were taught? 
Things I would need to take into consideration when teaching a lesson like this is that my students might not understand why I'm telling them the opposite of what they have been taught all throughout their school years. It is difficult for young students to understand a concept like this because this is what they have been use to. Students are conforming to ways they are not even aware of. Freire explains this is his reading when he states, "The more completely they accept the passive role imposed on them, the more they tend simply to adapt to the world as it is and to the fragmented view of reality deposited on them." I would explain this by telling the students to not feel unaccomplished when they receive a low score on a standardized test. Teachers don't stress this enough to their students and I think it is a topic that needs to be taught and thoroughly explained. Ohanian described it in his reading perfectly, "Different children require different methods, different materials." DiGiulo also expressed a very important point in his reading that I think relates to this topic of standardized testing. Teachers are being assigned tasks that take away from the issues they should really be covering in their classes. This is not to say that standardized testing is completely wrong but students knowledge shouldn't be based off of it. The teacher should be working with her students to understand what they know and still need help on. They shouldn't be giving out these tests that sometimes do not even relate to what is being taught in class.