I woke up this morning wondering, "Who invented the worksheet anyway?" These monotonous tools are used over and over not only in the classroom, but in our homes as well. When exactly did we decide that passively filling in blank lines is better than the art of discovery? No wonder children are bored in school today!
Gone is the ability to ask questions and then seek the answers. Curriculum is spoon fed to students and they are expected just to "download" this information into their minds. After a long lecture, they are then given a long worksheet to fill out. Are we seriously questioning the drop-out rate?
I was at a teacher's meeting the other day. Each teacher went around and shared the flaws of a student, who in their minds, just wasn't staying on task and paying attention. One teacher piped up, "Well, I'm so lucky that Simon likes my class because I don't have any of these troubles." I smiled as the teacher was so humble, but the reality was that she was an exceptional teacher. Her students feel valued in her classroom. They know that she not only wants to hear their thoughts and questions, but is excited about them. She sets up projects and labs to help them discover their world, and all the while she creates a passion for learning. Does she use worksheets occasionally? I'm sure that she does, but she is not the teacher whose principal has put a limit on the amount of paper being copied each week.
What are your thoughts on the worksheet?
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