Monday, October 29, 2012
Week 8: Back to School Night
This "Back to School Night" presentation informs parents on what 21st Century skills are, the importance for their children to turn these skills into habits, and how my teaching style will reflect these skills in the classroom. Parents get an idea of the type of work their children will be completing in class and at home. The classroom website is linked at the end of this presentation. In theory, the website will have a a list of assignments and a calendar of due dates so parents can actively be involved in their children's education. This presentation is intended for parents to become aware of what is to be expected from their children to be successful in this class and to become acquainted with how I will be teaching the subject matter.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Week 7: Podcast
This podcast is designed to be extra help on a classroom lecture. Solving an equation for "x" is a very crucial skill to master because this skill will be used in almost every math class as the student advances. To help students master this math skill, the podcast gives a step by step method on how to solve these specific equations. Students are required to solve the problem along with the podcast to practice the steps involved. At the end of the podcast, the general steps are summarized so students are able to refer back to the podcast if they need help solving different equations of this kind. Math lessons can be overwhelming and the homework can be frustrating, so having this type of podcast available to students as a reference outside of the classroom will be beneficial in clarifying questions or roadblocks students may run into.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Week 5: 21st Century Learning
The goal of the education system from grades pre-k through 12 should shift it's focus from "producing university professors", as Sir Ken Robinson states, to creating productive, successful, and multi-talented members of society. How can that goal be accomplished? An answer may be by giving students the "thinking tools" necessary to achieve this, such as critical thinking, analytical process, comprehending new ideas, and collaborating with other people of a variety of different backgrounds to solve problems and make decisions. The focus of education should revolve around the question: "what can the school system teach, so students optimize their time spent in the school system and walk out with skills most beneficial to the workforce and real life? The idea is to stray from memorization and "fact cramming", and starting teaching ways to apply information. It's the method of applying new material that will be the most useful to students throughout their lives. The 21st century skills movement describes ways that schools can mold into this trend.
"The best learning happens "when students learn basic content and processes and at the same time they learn how to think and solve problems". (M.Banta, 2009). Going beyond core subject matter and integrating technology to help students develop crucial life skills are what supporters of 21st century skills are in favor of. However, it is easier said than done. Integrating most of or all of the skills that the 21 century skill movement dictates is nearly impossible for teachers because of the standards that educators need to meet under NCLB. However, the 21st century skills movement provides a great means for brainstorming lesson plans that promote deep learning. Sir Ken Robinson gives three points of intelligence, one being that intelligence is diverse. When teachers use different methods of teaching and different methods of assessments, more students will benefit in the long run.
Critics argue that 21st century skills aren't effective because there are certain constraints and simply that skill centered knowledge without the knowledge base will never work. I do agree that time constraint and having trouble assessing these skills are roadblocks to the 21st century movement, but there are ways to make room for this method of teaching in schools. One possible solution to the problem that there isn't enough time in the year to implement 21st century skills is to have teachers blend teaching content and the application of skills together. For example, teachers can have class time to teach certain skills, for example simple addition is math such as 4 plus 4. However, on assessments can be more problem based to promote critical thinking. For example, when assessing the knowledge of 4 plus 4, teachers can phrase the question in such a way: "If somebody has 4 apples and a friend brings over 4 more how many apples will the two friends use to make an apple pie".
Personally, I have learned the most skills taken with me into the workforce from being active in the music program for 10 years while in the school system. Supporters of the 21st century skills movement state that the experience that students have in the creative subjects such as art, music, and drama are "the most beneficial in the long run" (McLester S., McIntire T.). These subjects spark creativity in students, and also help them develop collaboration and problem solving skills that are necessary for life after school in the workforce. Due to lack of funding, time, and other various issues that school districts may face, these subjects get left behind. A question that ties into the 21st century skills trend is how can teachers incorporate these subjects into core subjects so that student learning gets optimized? I have had teachers throughout my education experience who have made that possible, therefore I am confident that future teachers can do that as well. The most memorable teachers I have had, are the ones who have fostered a classroom environment based on critical thinking, and those are the classes that I have gained the most from. The 21st century skill movement empowers more teachers to do just that, and with enough brainstorming and a little bit of creativity teachers can make room for that in schools.
References:
Sir Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
Banta, M. "The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills" The Boston Globe. February 24, 2009
McLester, S. McIntire, T. "The Workforce Readiness Crisis" Technology & Learning
"The best learning happens "when students learn basic content and processes and at the same time they learn how to think and solve problems". (M.Banta, 2009). Going beyond core subject matter and integrating technology to help students develop crucial life skills are what supporters of 21st century skills are in favor of. However, it is easier said than done. Integrating most of or all of the skills that the 21 century skill movement dictates is nearly impossible for teachers because of the standards that educators need to meet under NCLB. However, the 21st century skills movement provides a great means for brainstorming lesson plans that promote deep learning. Sir Ken Robinson gives three points of intelligence, one being that intelligence is diverse. When teachers use different methods of teaching and different methods of assessments, more students will benefit in the long run.
Critics argue that 21st century skills aren't effective because there are certain constraints and simply that skill centered knowledge without the knowledge base will never work. I do agree that time constraint and having trouble assessing these skills are roadblocks to the 21st century movement, but there are ways to make room for this method of teaching in schools. One possible solution to the problem that there isn't enough time in the year to implement 21st century skills is to have teachers blend teaching content and the application of skills together. For example, teachers can have class time to teach certain skills, for example simple addition is math such as 4 plus 4. However, on assessments can be more problem based to promote critical thinking. For example, when assessing the knowledge of 4 plus 4, teachers can phrase the question in such a way: "If somebody has 4 apples and a friend brings over 4 more how many apples will the two friends use to make an apple pie".
Personally, I have learned the most skills taken with me into the workforce from being active in the music program for 10 years while in the school system. Supporters of the 21st century skills movement state that the experience that students have in the creative subjects such as art, music, and drama are "the most beneficial in the long run" (McLester S., McIntire T.). These subjects spark creativity in students, and also help them develop collaboration and problem solving skills that are necessary for life after school in the workforce. Due to lack of funding, time, and other various issues that school districts may face, these subjects get left behind. A question that ties into the 21st century skills trend is how can teachers incorporate these subjects into core subjects so that student learning gets optimized? I have had teachers throughout my education experience who have made that possible, therefore I am confident that future teachers can do that as well. The most memorable teachers I have had, are the ones who have fostered a classroom environment based on critical thinking, and those are the classes that I have gained the most from. The 21st century skill movement empowers more teachers to do just that, and with enough brainstorming and a little bit of creativity teachers can make room for that in schools.
References:
Sir Ken Robinson- Schools Kill Creativity
Banta, M. "The Value of Teaching 21st Century Skills" The Boston Globe. February 24, 2009
McLester, S. McIntire, T. "The Workforce Readiness Crisis" Technology & Learning
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