President Obama is echoing the sentiments of educators calling out for change:
"In a 21st-century world where jobs can be shipped wherever there's an Internet connection, where a child born in Dallas is now competing with a child in New Delhi, where your best job qualification is not what you do, but what you know -- education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it's a prerequisite for success."
"I'm calling on our nation's governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity."
~Obama
With funding in place, a supportive administration, and a Nation lookig for answers, can Public Ed. deliver?
For a full transcript of Obama's speech, click here.
Showing posts with label 21st century. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 21st century. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
To D.I. For!
A fundamental tenet of 21st Century instruction is the shift from teacher-centered transmission of information to student-centered learning. Differentiated Instruction provides an opportunity for students to choose how they learn, and therefore increases their investment in the learning process.
For practical tools and tips on D.I., click here.
For practical tools and tips on D.I., click here.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A Call for Change
“We See computers everywhere but in the productivity statistics”
Robert Solow
WHY?I believe Paul A. David’s 1989 essay, “Computer and Dynamo: The Modern Productivity Paradox in a Not-Too Distant Mirror” revealed the answer. Mr. David illustrated the lag between innovation and application by highlighting the time and effort involved to move from Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb in 1879 to electricity finally supplanting steam as our nation’s primary power source well into the next century.
“One of the major breakthroughs facilitating the changeover was how buildings and assembly lines were redesigned and managed. In essence, the entire manufacturing process had to be reconfigured.”
Reexamine the last two sentences substituting the words schools, curriculum, taught, and educational.
“One of the major breakthroughs facilitating changeover was how schools and curriculum were redesigned and taught. In essence, the entire educational process had to be reconfigured”.
If teachers are the gatekeepers of educational change, then we must reinvent the way we teach the teacher.
Robert Solow
WHY?I believe Paul A. David’s 1989 essay, “Computer and Dynamo: The Modern Productivity Paradox in a Not-Too Distant Mirror” revealed the answer. Mr. David illustrated the lag between innovation and application by highlighting the time and effort involved to move from Thomas Edison’s invention of the light bulb in 1879 to electricity finally supplanting steam as our nation’s primary power source well into the next century.
“One of the major breakthroughs facilitating the changeover was how buildings and assembly lines were redesigned and managed. In essence, the entire manufacturing process had to be reconfigured.”
Reexamine the last two sentences substituting the words schools, curriculum, taught, and educational.
“One of the major breakthroughs facilitating changeover was how schools and curriculum were redesigned and taught. In essence, the entire educational process had to be reconfigured”.
If teachers are the gatekeepers of educational change, then we must reinvent the way we teach the teacher.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Sinking Sand
Like many educators, I've spent summers rediscovering the joys of manual labor, and have come away from the construction site with several gems of wisdom.
"Measure twice, cut once"
This tenet of carpentry is equally applicable to the science lab or writing class.
I've also been told...
"You can build a palace, but if the foundation is off, the whole thing ain't worth the crap you built it on!"
Unfortunately, the vast majority of our multi-billion dollar educational technology framework has been set on a foundation designed 150 years ago for transmitting information!
Our school structure must replace rigidness with flexibility, isolation with collaboration, and schedules with spontenaity.
To read a full length article on this topic from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, click here.
"Measure twice, cut once"
This tenet of carpentry is equally applicable to the science lab or writing class.
I've also been told...
"You can build a palace, but if the foundation is off, the whole thing ain't worth the crap you built it on!"
Unfortunately, the vast majority of our multi-billion dollar educational technology framework has been set on a foundation designed 150 years ago for transmitting information!
Our school structure must replace rigidness with flexibility, isolation with collaboration, and schedules with spontenaity.
To read a full length article on this topic from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, click here.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Just How High?
With the incoming administration of change, I am holding out hope that President Elect Obama will seek novel solutions to improving public education in America instead of continuing to splatter billions of dollars in educational paint on a rusted delivery model.
Specifically, President Obama, and Linda Darling-Hammond, newly appointed head of Obama's education policy making group, should seek out existing models of successful education reform. First stop, High Tech High in San Diego California.
"High Tech High began in 2000 and combats the twin problems of student disengagement and low academic achievement by creating personalized, project-based learning environments where all students are known well and challenged to meet high expectations. HTH schools attempt to show how education can be redesigned to ensure that all students graduate well prepared for college, work, and citizenship."
To visit the HTH homepage, click here.
Specifically, President Obama, and Linda Darling-Hammond, newly appointed head of Obama's education policy making group, should seek out existing models of successful education reform. First stop, High Tech High in San Diego California.
"High Tech High began in 2000 and combats the twin problems of student disengagement and low academic achievement by creating personalized, project-based learning environments where all students are known well and challenged to meet high expectations. HTH schools attempt to show how education can be redesigned to ensure that all students graduate well prepared for college, work, and citizenship."
To visit the HTH homepage, click here.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Following TRAILS to Information Literacy
In a world of limitless information, perhaps the most important skill of all will be information literacy. At least that is the belief of the Institute of Library and Information Literacy Education,(ILILE), who have developed a free resource for educators to assess these skills.
Below is a sample assessment question:
5 (9th grade) What is the best definition of intellectual freedom?
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
a. the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction
b. the prevention of cheating by students
the encouragement of open and public sharing of ideas
c. the limiting of access to ideas and information that some people find objectionable or dangerous
d. the support of the Bill of Rights
To visit the TRAILS page, click here.
Below is a sample assessment question:
5 (9th grade) What is the best definition of intellectual freedom?
CHOOSE ONE ANSWER.
a. the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction
b. the prevention of cheating by students
the encouragement of open and public sharing of ideas
c. the limiting of access to ideas and information that some people find objectionable or dangerous
d. the support of the Bill of Rights
To visit the TRAILS page, click here.
Teaching English in the 21st Century
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) and the National Council of Teachers of English,(NCTE), have provided a framework for incorporating 21st Century Skills into the English curriculum for 4th - 8th - 12th graders.
And like so many other resources, it is available absolutely free.
To view the PDF document, click here.
To visit P21, click here.
And like so many other resources, it is available absolutely free.
To view the PDF document, click here.
To visit P21, click here.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
What fictional television character popularized this phrase?
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
If you answered Joe Friday, your wrong. Perhaps this isn't a crucial piece of knowledge but it is indicitive of today's political landscape where a lie repeated over and over again will soon be accepted as truth.
In the emerging information society, one of the most valued skills will be distinguishing fact from fiction and therefore we should consider the task of teaching these critical thinking skills of paramount importance.
But how?
Check out, FactCheckEd.org. by clicking here.
Complete with scenarios, procedures, and lessons, FactCheckEd.org is an excellent tool for opening today's children and tomorrow's leaders eyes to the wonderfully refreshing world of TRUTH.
"Just The Facts, Ma'am"
If you answered Joe Friday, your wrong. Perhaps this isn't a crucial piece of knowledge but it is indicitive of today's political landscape where a lie repeated over and over again will soon be accepted as truth.
In the emerging information society, one of the most valued skills will be distinguishing fact from fiction and therefore we should consider the task of teaching these critical thinking skills of paramount importance.
But how?
Check out, FactCheckEd.org. by clicking here.
Complete with scenarios, procedures, and lessons, FactCheckEd.org is an excellent tool for opening today's children and tomorrow's leaders eyes to the wonderfully refreshing world of TRUTH.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Explore History
At the Smithsonians' History Explorer.
This standards-based resource for teaching American History features:
Lessons
Activities
Games
Digital Field Trips
All can be searched by grade level and are designed to tap critical thinking skills helping to bring history instruction to the 21st Century Learner.
And like so many other learning resources, it is absolutely free!
To visit the Smithsonian History Explorer site, click here.
This standards-based resource for teaching American History features:
Lessons
Activities
Games
Digital Field Trips
All can be searched by grade level and are designed to tap critical thinking skills helping to bring history instruction to the 21st Century Learner.
And like so many other learning resources, it is absolutely free!
To visit the Smithsonian History Explorer site, click here.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Bad Grade = Big Success
We've all heard the infamous story of Fred Smith who supposedly received a C grade on his undergrad term paper outlining the business model for the now famous, billion dollar, multi-national shipping company FedEx.
Educators should not fret over the accuracy of the Fred Smith story. However, we must show concern that our pedagogical process and subsequent metrics are indicative of success outside the classroom.
The answer to WHAT our students will need to succeed in the 21st Century is easy...
Critical Thinking Skills.
The HOW we assess these skills with any degree of accuracy and reliability is just a bit trickier.
One potential resolution is offered (for Free) by the fine folks in the Harvard Education department who have created the "River City Project".
Program director, Chris Dede, describes River City as a multi-user virtual environment on middle school science. The curriculum is centered on skills of hypothesis formation and experimental design, as well as on content related to national standards and assessments in biology and ecology. Our virtual “world” is a city, set in the late 1800’s, and concentrated around a river that runs from the mountains downstream to a dump and a bog. Scientific tools are available (e.g., a virtual microscope that allows examination of water samples). Students work in teams of three or four to develop and test hypotheses about why residents are ill.
He believes the true power of this type of virtual environment is the ability to gather information on the activities of the student that subsequently can be used to paint a more complete picture of not only WHAT they learned, but HOW they learned.
Making the shift from summative, rote memorization to formative, critical thinking assessments will not come without cost. Even if you take advantage of a free program, there still exists the formidable task of orientating and supporting faculty in the use of a completely foriegn form of assessment.
However, the measure of our measurements can not be limited to cost and ease of use. The true test of a test is how accurately it can predict the future success of our students and therefore a nation.
Educators should not fret over the accuracy of the Fred Smith story. However, we must show concern that our pedagogical process and subsequent metrics are indicative of success outside the classroom.
The answer to WHAT our students will need to succeed in the 21st Century is easy...
Critical Thinking Skills.
The HOW we assess these skills with any degree of accuracy and reliability is just a bit trickier.
One potential resolution is offered (for Free) by the fine folks in the Harvard Education department who have created the "River City Project".
Program director, Chris Dede, describes River City as a multi-user virtual environment on middle school science. The curriculum is centered on skills of hypothesis formation and experimental design, as well as on content related to national standards and assessments in biology and ecology. Our virtual “world” is a city, set in the late 1800’s, and concentrated around a river that runs from the mountains downstream to a dump and a bog. Scientific tools are available (e.g., a virtual microscope that allows examination of water samples). Students work in teams of three or four to develop and test hypotheses about why residents are ill.
He believes the true power of this type of virtual environment is the ability to gather information on the activities of the student that subsequently can be used to paint a more complete picture of not only WHAT they learned, but HOW they learned.
Making the shift from summative, rote memorization to formative, critical thinking assessments will not come without cost. Even if you take advantage of a free program, there still exists the formidable task of orientating and supporting faculty in the use of a completely foriegn form of assessment.
However, the measure of our measurements can not be limited to cost and ease of use. The true test of a test is how accurately it can predict the future success of our students and therefore a nation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
