The Purpose of School, what subjects should be taught and how students learn:

I believe that schools should teach basic skills such as reading, writing and basic math for mastery in introductory classes and then begin to incorporate the process of learning, allowing students to create knowledge in a way that is meaningful to them (constructivism). As schools use this blended format it will mean using mastery and organic curriculum approaches (Glatthorn, p. 28) with both structure and student-led learning processes. I have come to this belief through experiences as a parent, teacher and administrator. I will always remember a comment made by a student who had returned to the high school where I was teaching to tell me of his new college experiences. I posed the question, "What is the major difference between high school and college?" He replied, "In college they teach how to learn and to think and then allow us to reflect on our ideas in a discussion format." I wondered why we could not do this in other grades and why a student needed to wait until college to engage in the process of learning.

I also believe that the teacher plays a major role in the learning process in any environment and in both the mastery and organic curriculums. In the mastery curriculum the teacher can help students to understand their learning style and what they need to focus attention on. The teacher could provide different ways of learning the most difficult concepts. In the organic- student-led environment the teacher could facilitate, mentor and pose questions as students construct their own knowledge using the basic concepts learned in the mastery curriculum.
My vision of the learning process then, is clearly described by Burrello in Educating All Students Together which states that "the role students take in learning changes in learner centered schools." (p. 39) So does the role of the teacher change in this new blended curriculum. "Teachers can no longer be expected to work in private They need time to collaborate and share what is expected of them and their students." (p. 40)

Regarding what is to be taught in the school, I believe that basic knowledge and values, although determined by society, community and families are more similar than different throughout the country and even the world. Many school vision and mission statements refer to students becoming productive and successful members of society. This usually means the ability to read and write and today the ability to use technology tools and communicate globally. Communities usually decide how the school will operate, what norms and culture is expected. Some communities are more visionary than others. I believe that society needs to help students to become part of the journey to construct their own knowledge using processes that will become part of their life-long repertoire and move them into the arena of life-long learners.
Since these are my beliefs and I have actually seen this process work successfully, I have invited myself into an environment with a principal that has the same beliefs. I have extended my internship into a high school environment that reflects both the mastery and student constructed learning processes. There, I observe and work in a congruent environment. In the online environment, where curriculum is purchased, I skewed it to include my values and beliefs so that my work could demonstrate my beliefs. Even thought that attempt was successful, it was also difficult.

Students need to be an integral part of their own learning process. They need to master necessary skills and to be held accountable for those while also engaging in the process of constructing meaningful knowledge using tools and technologies that create a 21st Century learning organization.