As I set out for an early jog this morning, I was thinking
about stamina. Not specifically my own
running stamina (though that could use some work) but what stamina means in
regards to the Common Core State Standards, and how we can help ensure we are
building the academic stamina of all our students.
As a runner, I build stamina by alternating amongst
mid-length easier runs, short, high-intensity interval training, and long runs
that are often completed at a (very) slow pace.
I can see the progress I make as long runs get easier and short runs get
faster. What’s the equivalent for our
students?
How do we ensure that all students are getting the
opportunities to practice different types of academics? To build their academic stamina, students
need a balance of work that they can easily accomplish on their own, short,
high-intensity drills and problems that push their skill set and complex
problems, texts and tasks that take significant time, but tie together all the
skills students are learning. But how
do we do this? Just as I can’t run a
marathon without lots of training, students need strategies and scaffolding to
get to a point where they can approach challenging texts and tasks with
confidence and stamina. We need to help
students build an infrastructure of skills, habits, knowledge and experiences
that enable them to feel confident approaching any text or task knowing they
have the training to be successful.
How do you build the stamina of your students?
