Two-Column Notes

Date:
10/26/1
6

Page #

Name:
Kaitlyn Hamlin

Class/Subject:
EDTL 2760

Five Standards of Authentic Instruction

Newman, F. M., & Wehlage, G. G. (1993, April). Five Standards of Authentic Instruction.
Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/apr93/vol50/num07/Five-Standards-of-Authentic-Instruction.aspx
The Text Says
I Say
Notes (key concepts, direct quotes, etc.)
My notes, commentary
The challenge is not simply to adopt
innovative teaching techniques or to find
new locations for learning, but deliberately
to counteract two persistent maladies that
make conventional schooling inauthentic:
1. Often the work students do does not
allow them to use their minds well.
2. The work has no intrinsic meaning or
value to students beyond achieving
success in school.

Higher-order thinking requires students to

manipulate information and ideas in ways
that transform their meaning and
implications such as when students
combine facts and ideas in order to
synthesize, generalize, explain,

In order to prevent teaching students in a way

that is in authentic we must first discover why
students view their schooling as unimportant.
The article that we were to read provided us
with two important reasons to consider when
trying to understand the frustration that
students may have. To innovate and pursue an
education system that is better for student
learning we must be aware that students arent
being challenged with the right type of work
and are provided with lessons that hold little to
no value to them. Perhaps if teachers reach
towards a more authentic educational
experience students will start to understand the
meaning of their education and why it is
relative to them.
Higher-Order thinking was the first of the five
standards of authentic instruction. The reason
the quote to the left is important to me is
because as a future educator I want my
students to be able to walk away with a higher
level of learning. It is not enough just to know

hypothesize, or arrive at some conclusion

or interpretation When students engage
in higher order thinking, an element of
uncertainty is introduced, and instructional
outcomes are not always predictable.

Rather than choosing rigidly and

exclusively between traditional and
authentic forms of instruction, it seems
more reasonable to focus on how to move
instruction toward more authentic
accomplishment for students.

information and then recite it for a test.

Students should be able to know, understand,
interpret, and reflect on what they have
learned. If they are able to perform higher-order
thinking then it means that they have
understood the material enough to analyze it.
More than anything I want my student to be
good thinkers.
I really liked the idea of the five standards for
authentic learning because it give teachers a
way to analyze their classrooms and where
they are headed. What I took from this article
most of all is that teachers must continue to
change and adapt to each classroom and treat
each group of students with an individual
identity. In order to properly examine a
classroom we must be aware that each class is
unique and has to be re-evaluated in order to
find where each class needs to start and finish.

Connection: This weeks reading directly connects with the previous. Last week we talked about open
ended questions and how essential questions can guide discussions and let students form their own ideas
and opinions regarding the content. Like I said before, it is not enough to simply teach students for the
tests. To be an effective teacher we must be able to analyze our own instruction in order to better prepare
ourselves for our students. We need have questions that guide discussions, lessons that involved higher
order thinking, and an environment for critical thinking. With these elements we can walk away from the
day knowing that we are preparing our students to be better citizens. If students have an environment that
promotes critical thinking, depth in knowledge, connectedness to the world, conversation, and support
then there will be no reason for any student to walk away from that class without having learned
something valuable.