Is Prensky's idea of partnering realistic? Could a teacher
(particularly one faced with high-stakes testing, pressure to achieve
AYP, etc.) realistically set up his/her curriculum and instruction to
use this approach daily? Why or why not? What could you do as a school
leader to foster the partnering approach?

My perspective on Partnering comes from my overall approach to life, which is a holistic approach. I believe that in order to perform at your highest ability in any aspect of life, you must be supported in all areas of cognitive, social and emotional learning. I believe partnering is a great way to integrate all aspects of learning into the classroom. A teacher can still continue to teach the same content, however the students would now work together collaboratively and the teach would now work with and support the students throughout the learning process. This approach allows for a more holistic learning experience where all aspects of students personal learning needs, psychological, physical and social can be taken into account.

As a leader in the integration of health and wellness into education, I believe that partnering is an excellent way to set up all curriculum and instruction. I think one of the major issues with high stakes testing is that the student personal and emotional needs are being ignored. As long as they take the test they move along. Lost in this process, is the students ability to learn the skills needs to be able to perform later in life, in both college and their professional careers. Testing becomes less important as you get older, but collaboration, working in groups, creative problem solving, leaderships, and critical thinking, increasingly depict your success as a leader. Partnering allows teachers the ability to teach the content needed for academic testing, however it also supports the integration of essential knowledge and skills that will have a huge impact on a student’s success throughout their lives.