Thinking about Educating for the Future-Part 2

Throughout the semester we have focused the difficulties of preparing 21st century students in a early 20th century classroom. The fact of the matter is that big changes need to be made. Yet, as pointed out by founder of The Leadership and Learning Center Dr. Douglass Reeves, most policy makers are 20th century bred students who only see the benefits of their 20th century learning. After all, isn’t that how they got to where they are?

I am in the trenches daily, and I can tell you that what we are doing now is not working. Maybe a complete overhaul is not the answer; maybe it is. Yet I do know that writing a bunch of numbers on the board that represent some state standard or plastering my classroom with student work or sitting my students in some sort of magical arrangement is not the answer to improve learning. Rather it is a change in what we perceive students to be learning. A change in what learning looks like.

We can start doing this by first realizing that how we assess students is not realistic. We must change our ideas on how to asses to test what the student knows and what they can do. It is not fair to expect that between the predesignated days a junior in high school who is a single mother with barely any help from her family will perform as well as a junior in high school who’s parents are involved in her daily activities. Policy makers and the higher ups need to see that one size does not fit all. Yes we need to find a way to see overall what the student’s have learned but our current tactic does not reflect that. I do not claim to know the answer for this but I would be willing to try and find out. 

Changes need to be made in testing but they also go hand in hand with the skills learned to prepare them for a major assessment. Parts of schooling need to change as well. I do not agree with the notion that how we do things should be completely scratched; rather that we need to weed out the obsolete. Our classrooms should be overflowing with student creativity and teachers who are willing to take chances. As a teacher, I do give formal tests because that is what is expected of me.  However, I have found that as the years have progressed I am giving less tests and more hands on projects. I see that not only are the students enjoying themselves more, but I am too! Enjoyment is not the only factor, learning is still taking place and that is what counts the most. 

If finding the answer to our current educational dilemma was as easy as writing this blog post, I do not think that we would be where we are. Many people have wrestled with this idea and thrown out possible solutions. What most of those ideas have in common is a urgent calling for a new school age where children will learn to be creative, educators will be willing to try out new ideas and assessments will cater to individuality. 

Blog post #6

Overall, I found that the most of the recommendations were very good choices. The blog by Andrew Marcinek, is one of the recommendations that I found most interesting. I found that the writer really hits on a big issue which is the fear that many teachers have when it comes to technology.  I have found that even those who are young, 30's-40's, are resistant to using technolgy in their classroom. And if the technology does not work perfectly all the time...Oh My God!!! I agree that it can be very frustrating but at the same time the technology is there so we need to use it.  I am not the most technological savvy person, but I try to learn. That is what is most important; trying.

I am graduating from the Principalship and Supervisor program in about a year and a half. If all goes well (cross your fingers) I will have a job the following September. I realize that this issue of technology fear is going to be a major issue to tackle. How will I inspire others who are digging in their heels that they must learn these skills to successfully prepare our students for a 21st century world?? If I had the answer to that I would be a millionaire. However, being aware is the first positive step towards this means. I believe that funds for professional development should be used towards this goal. Training and awareness is key.

Links for class #6

Here is the site I chose:

http://blog.scottjelias.net/

The site is from a newly hired high school principal. He is basically just talking about how the school year is progressing and how he is progressing.

Blooming questions

The activity we worked on today in class was on developing bloom's taxonmy questions and I found it to be quite interesting. The activity forced us to delve into the 21st century skills that are not only essential for our students but for us to be able to fluidly achieve. We worked together as a group to create questions and then were forced to adapt to another set of ideas and transform them into a higer level order. The simple process of talking and sharing ideas in a manner that was open and friendly is exactly what is in store for the future. Although there were moments of disagreement we were able to find a middle ground in which we were all satisified.

Personally, I like activities such as this when the right combination is brought together. Of coarse this is not always ideal but thankfully in this instance we were all compatible. I am not a person who finds it difficult to express my ideas or take constructive criticism (okay most of the time). One thing that I love about working in a group of like minded peers is how while you may walk in with one opinion, you may leave with another. If this occurs than I know we are on the right track.

I really liked the format in which the group activity was done. Actually, I may even steal the idea to use in my classroom! Some other lessons I got out of this are the importance of wording and how the incorporation of Bloom's verbs can completely change a statement. The way something is written often times may change someone's opinon on an issue. This is something that is obvious if you think about it but often times is not thought of. I am a firm believer in getting to the point. Lofty words or explanations do not necessarily add to effectiveness (most of the time). Simple is better (most of the time).

Using Bloom's list of words can many times change the intent of a statement. Yet sometimes I feel there is too much of an emphasis on using these terms. What ends up happening is that I end up taking all this time fishing for words that sound good rather than just saying what important points I want to address. I understand the point of using Bloom's taxonomy but I am just saying that in certain instances it seems like its purpose is to make my lesson plan look pretty. Just saying....

Since I do not want to end on a negative note, I will say that I got a lot out of the assignment and that it was highly effective in getting the point across of the importance of collaborative work as a 21st century skill.

Thinking about educating for the future- Part 1

There is a lot of talk about the 21st century skills that our students will need in order to survive the "new" world. I say new because our world now changes so fast that there is no way to pinpoint where it is going. Based on what others have said and my personal experience in the classroom, the following is what I think students will need in order to be prepared to compete globally:
1. Ability to look beyond what is in front of your face- I know this is a long drawn out phrase but since I cannot find a word or two that sums it up...this is it.  I find such difficulty at times to make my students THINK. To not look at their notes or the textbook when I ask a question. In a world where so much is just available at the click of a button it can be easy to not think.
Our students must learn how to think. To delve deeper and deeper. To go somewhere completly different than you first began. This is what the 21st century is all about if you want to be part of society and not just an onlooker.

2. Collaboration- This is something we already stress in most schools today. Even in careers such as education where in the past it was okay to close your door and lock your students in a little bubble; it is no more. Now, even we are forced to team with others to achieve a goal. This is going to be an absolute necessary skill to have in almost any career.

3. Adaptation- Some are lucky to have this ability innately. For most, however, this is a skill that needs to be developed. It starts in the classroom. This skill crosses so many boundaries whether it is in the workplace or in everyday life. All students must be able to adapt and move on in order to progress in this ever changing world. A person who is resistant to this will find a workplace that may become resistant to them.

Article 1: The Long Tail

1. This article gave me a new perspective on something I thought I already knew a significant amount about. I constantly joke with my husband about the strange movie choices he makes when picking Netflix movies. Most of the time however, I enjoy the movie and think that I would never have chosen most of his rentals. Reading this article made me think about the fact that I more than likely would not be exposed to such a wide genre of movies if not for the wide choices offered by Netflix.This particular portion of the article interested me because I see it true in my household.
The last section, rule 3, was another portion that held my interest. It is interesting how a simple addition such as a recommendation can make such a difference. It makes a difference not only to the company monetarily but also to the consumer. Personally I do not have an Itunes or Rhapsody account but I do have an Amazon account. Sometimes I do look at what is recommended to me and consider buying what is listed. I could see myself buying a song for another .99 if it sounds interesting. I think it is a great marketing tool and also a way to expand musical interests.

2. The only question I have is not necessarily one that can be answered. I wonder about the future of readers, music listeners, and movie watchers. Will we lose the book? Will movie theaters eventually become insignificant? It is a future that I look forward to seeing but at the same time gives me a sense of melancholy. Will a next generation miss out on the whole experience of going to the movies, buying popcorn and snuggling up with a loved one?

3.There is nothing I would change about the article. I'm not an expert in this field so I cannot really make any changes =)