Week 6: Chapter6: Rigor with Intention, Not by Accident
In education, we all too frequently mistake rigor for more. Additional worksheets. More assignments. There are more pages to cover. However, Karin Hess questions that presumption in Rigor by Design, Not by Chance (ASCD, 2023). She argues that true rigor is about quality of thinking rather than quantity, and that only occurs when learning is intentionally planned. Hess's message is straightforward but impactful: rigor doesn't only happen when we set high standards or provide difficult assignments. It must be incorporated from the beginning of the educational process. She exhorts us to design classrooms where students reflect on their own learning paths, reason profoundly, link to past knowledge, and interact intelligently. The fact that Hess's work isn't theoretical nonsense is one of the things I like most about it. She offers concrete frameworks and methods that educators may put to use right now. She helps us create assignments that encourage students to thi...