Standardized Rush

In the post above Gwendolyn responded that she also felt a need to rush through topics to cover the standards. Our society is still oriented towards teaching students facts and figures. Somehow, someday we will transition to teaching students essential 21st century skills; such as decision-making, collaboration, creativity and invention. These can't be rushed or avoided. I wish we had less 'content' to cover. With 45 minutes in a class period, it is difficult to accomplish what our standards say we must. With the concept mapping tools I learned to use this week, I will begin though.