Student Learning

When it comes to talking about student learning, I feel that three important distinctions need to be made.  How students learn is one issue, what they learn is another issue, and to what extent they learn is a completely different issue.  When we deal with the first of these three, I believe that the responsibility should be distributed evenly among the parents (guardians), teachers, and students.  As important as it is for teachers to introduce the different methods of absorbing information, it is just as equally as important for parents to stress to their kids to pay attention in class.  It is also up to each individual student to decide which method works best and to develop a habit of using that method.  However, when the issue is subject matter(i.e. what they will be learning), the teacher should be held solely responsible because it is the teachers job to develop daily lesson plans that will make the most of his/her students' time.  And yet, when it comes to dealing with the extent of student learning, the responsibility should be placed out of the teacher’s hands.  It is up to the parents and up to the students themselves to decide how thoroughly they want to go over the material.  The teacher can and should at least offer extra assistance but it is still ultimately up to the student to decide if he/she will seek that help.