Friday, May 18, 2012
It's imperative that students collaborate in some capacity. Either with classmates, teachers, or members of other grades. Through collaboration, and other forms of discussion, students can gain insights and knowledge they wouldn't have otherwise been able to see.
If students are working together toward a common goal as a group, you can sometimes get a 'leader' who runs the show. I think it's important to focus on the entire group, and the many contributions that each person has to offer (regardless of whether they think they do or not).
By working with other teachers, and having students come up with their own ideas and goals, they will hopefully develop new techniques to use in and out of the classroom. Things like self-guided projects, or open discussions on topics are ways to implement this.
Collaboration
I am not normally someone who enjoys working in groups as far as projects go, but I throughly enjoyed collaborating with my co-workers today. We all have our different strengths and were able to problem-solve together.
I believe that is is important for students to learn how to collaborate because realistically, in the future, it is a skill that they more than likely will have to apply whether it be at university or in the workplace. Being able to problem-solve with people who may have thought processes that are quite different than your own is a skill.
Collaborating is different that group work in that when you collaborate, you aren't simply dividing up work to focus on small projects independently. Rather, you are working as a team to share ideas and problem-solve together. As well, while collaborating, students may offer solutions to one another or perspectives that they wouldn't have otherwise considered.
In order to have students try to collaborate in the classroom, I really liked the idea of providing the students with a question or issue that they have to solve on their own using the knowledge and/or skills that they have acquired.
As mentioned in communication, collaboration is essential to learning and progress. I would argue no achievement in the human species came about by the efforts of an individual. From the pyramids to the atomic bomb, each effort was one of collaboration between groups of differing skill-sets and learning styles. We truly are a species that is a sum of its parts. Individualism nurtures the collaborative effort by allowing conflicting, differing, and similar viewpoints into one goal. All individuals are capable of scrutinizing ideas and concepts while reaching consensus and compromise toward the general goal.
For students, collaboration can bring about unique ideas and projects and, in turn, establish a strong classroom community through a sense of collective achievement. If the group of individuals are invested in the classroom and the learning great things develop and the tools honed and perfected will allow each student to focus on leadership in society upon completion of school.
For students, collaboration can bring about unique ideas and projects and, in turn, establish a strong classroom community through a sense of collective achievement. If the group of individuals are invested in the classroom and the learning great things develop and the tools honed and perfected will allow each student to focus on leadership in society upon completion of school.
Critical Thinking and its importance:
Critical thinking: to be able to look at one's own ideas and place them in the teeth of scrutiny is essential to progression of thought and ideas. Self evaluation and the ability to make new ideas is the end product in a process that goes to the heart of what learning is.
Students don't necessarily have to apply critical thinking in the order of bloom's taxonomy. The higher one goes in this layered system, the higher the thinking and the more critical it will become. Rote memorization has proved to be somewhat useless. Summarization is more important, mainly it focuses upon retention rather than parroting. Making summarization student-directed is also the best way to improve learning. Students will have to 'teach' their ideas. Teaching is the best way to learn something.
Critical thinking: to be able to look at one's own ideas and place them in the teeth of scrutiny is essential to progression of thought and ideas. Self evaluation and the ability to make new ideas is the end product in a process that goes to the heart of what learning is.
Students don't necessarily have to apply critical thinking in the order of bloom's taxonomy. The higher one goes in this layered system, the higher the thinking and the more critical it will become. Rote memorization has proved to be somewhat useless. Summarization is more important, mainly it focuses upon retention rather than parroting. Making summarization student-directed is also the best way to improve learning. Students will have to 'teach' their ideas. Teaching is the best way to learn something.
Use of communication and teaching communication in the classroom:
Communication can mean conveyance of and idea or ideas. It involves taking an idea within and finding an appropriate and meaningful way to express concepts and ideas. Within a thought are variables that the mind connects quickly and can be 'lost in translation' and can lead to frustration.
There are types of communication that range by way of medium. Finding which medium best conveys that communication is essential to learning. In that there are nuances inherent to each specific medium that require understanding and mastery. Subjects that typically confine themselves to a certain form of communication, i.e. Math (equations), LA (writing), can pigeon-hole students into specific interests and subjects, causing them to like or hate certain school subjects.
One cannot, as a teacher, expect to master every form of communication. Communication therein, must take place between staff with different proficiencies in communication. Collaboration is a necessity to communication and will spawn robust methods to ensure learning is achieved.
Communication can mean conveyance of and idea or ideas. It involves taking an idea within and finding an appropriate and meaningful way to express concepts and ideas. Within a thought are variables that the mind connects quickly and can be 'lost in translation' and can lead to frustration.
There are types of communication that range by way of medium. Finding which medium best conveys that communication is essential to learning. In that there are nuances inherent to each specific medium that require understanding and mastery. Subjects that typically confine themselves to a certain form of communication, i.e. Math (equations), LA (writing), can pigeon-hole students into specific interests and subjects, causing them to like or hate certain school subjects.
One cannot, as a teacher, expect to master every form of communication. Communication therein, must take place between staff with different proficiencies in communication. Collaboration is a necessity to communication and will spawn robust methods to ensure learning is achieved.
Things we would want to learn about that could be brought through a self-directed learning approach would be scuba-diving.
Preliminaries to self teaching scuba-diving:
First we'd want to learn history and equipment naming.
Look at dangers and pitfalls with training.
Prerequisites needed before we'd start.
We could work toward showing our progress through a report, which is conventional. If the learning produces a tangible product, why not have the student present a completed product to the class?
Presentations, brochures, a discussion. A teacher can assess application of the learning rather than proof of learning.
Preliminaries to self teaching scuba-diving:
First we'd want to learn history and equipment naming.
Look at dangers and pitfalls with training.
Prerequisites needed before we'd start.
We could work toward showing our progress through a report, which is conventional. If the learning produces a tangible product, why not have the student present a completed product to the class?
Presentations, brochures, a discussion. A teacher can assess application of the learning rather than proof of learning.
Geocaching and how it can apply to learning:
A teacher can utilize geocaching by having students work as a group, critical thinking and life skills. It will include digital literacy for the students by exposing them to new ways to make use of technology they may already have. (Again this can focus the students' aptitude for making new uses for the tools they already have/have been taught.)
A teacher can utilize geocaching by having students work as a group, critical thinking and life skills. It will include digital literacy for the students by exposing them to new ways to make use of technology they may already have. (Again this can focus the students' aptitude for making new uses for the tools they already have/have been taught.)
Creativity versus Innovation:
Creativity means to have strong, unique ideas. Innovation is putting that creativity into action, and in-turn, innovation can change the way an individual and people think.
Teaching students such precepts can be challenging. As teachers, the best way to go about teaching innovation through creativity is leading by example. We must -whether we like it or not- constantly ratchet our knowledge and teaching output each year to ensure the students are getting the best of our lessons.
A few examples/ideas that work focus on technology and media; things with which student may already be savvy.
Utilize the students own creativity by letting the students decide how to carry out the implemented project. There is a potential that the students will feel somewhat 'out to sea'. A teacher may also paint him/herself into a corner with a complicated rubric apropos of planning and carrying out something the parents and staff could see as meaningful.
What can work to help focus the students' minds by including milestones throughout the lesson and have the students provide input to where they are at.
To add student agency to the creativity and add momentum to the project itself, have the students involved in rubric creation. Perhaps even individualize said rubric as the students begin to create each of their projects. This self-directed learning and assessment can focus self- reliance and even if the project completely fails, the students will have a reference point, or a springboard, to try again and build a better project in the future.
To create a basis of procedure is essential. With time, students will be able to set a basis or foundation from which they can grow. Creativity and innovation is not merely giving a student the tools to arrive at the outcome, it is forcing the students to find out what other ways/tools they can use to find that outcome.
Creativity means to have strong, unique ideas. Innovation is putting that creativity into action, and in-turn, innovation can change the way an individual and people think.
Teaching students such precepts can be challenging. As teachers, the best way to go about teaching innovation through creativity is leading by example. We must -whether we like it or not- constantly ratchet our knowledge and teaching output each year to ensure the students are getting the best of our lessons.
A few examples/ideas that work focus on technology and media; things with which student may already be savvy.
Utilize the students own creativity by letting the students decide how to carry out the implemented project. There is a potential that the students will feel somewhat 'out to sea'. A teacher may also paint him/herself into a corner with a complicated rubric apropos of planning and carrying out something the parents and staff could see as meaningful.
What can work to help focus the students' minds by including milestones throughout the lesson and have the students provide input to where they are at.
To add student agency to the creativity and add momentum to the project itself, have the students involved in rubric creation. Perhaps even individualize said rubric as the students begin to create each of their projects. This self-directed learning and assessment can focus self- reliance and even if the project completely fails, the students will have a reference point, or a springboard, to try again and build a better project in the future.
To create a basis of procedure is essential. With time, students will be able to set a basis or foundation from which they can grow. Creativity and innovation is not merely giving a student the tools to arrive at the outcome, it is forcing the students to find out what other ways/tools they can use to find that outcome.
The importance of being socially, culturally, globally, and environmentally responsible:
When I took the students to Quebec City last week, we had a layover in Toronto for two hours. Although Neil and myself weren't aware of how much cultural diversity was surrounding us, the students were and this is largely due to the fact that our lovely little school does not have a lot of ethnic diversity. They commented on the multitude of languages they heard within a short time period and how difficult it was to understand some of the service staff in the restaurants and stores. We've discussed the extent of immigration at leangth in social studies, but it was interesting to watch how they reacted when they became the minority.
I believe that it's important for students to be culturally aware because it teaches tolerance. The importance of knowing that just because customs, languages and traditions may be glaringly different than what they're accustomed to, doesn't mean that they're wrong or backwards. Wouldn't the world be a lovelier place if everyone was tolerant?
I believe that it's important for students to be globally aware so they can understand the world around them! It is essential that students are aware of what is going on in the world and how it directly and indirectly affects them.
When I took the students to Quebec City last week, we had a layover in Toronto for two hours. Although Neil and myself weren't aware of how much cultural diversity was surrounding us, the students were and this is largely due to the fact that our lovely little school does not have a lot of ethnic diversity. They commented on the multitude of languages they heard within a short time period and how difficult it was to understand some of the service staff in the restaurants and stores. We've discussed the extent of immigration at leangth in social studies, but it was interesting to watch how they reacted when they became the minority.
I believe that it's important for students to be culturally aware because it teaches tolerance. The importance of knowing that just because customs, languages and traditions may be glaringly different than what they're accustomed to, doesn't mean that they're wrong or backwards. Wouldn't the world be a lovelier place if everyone was tolerant?
I believe that it's important for students to be globally aware so they can understand the world around them! It is essential that students are aware of what is going on in the world and how it directly and indirectly affects them.
Why is it important to give students social, global, cultural, and environmental awareness?
- Building empathy.
- Open mindedness is the key to success for an individual in society. One becomes better able to take in and consider different ideas and either become more attuned to her/his own, or amalgamate that new idea with the previous one.
- Having such an awareness will benefit the student by way of appreciating the major issues, contentious situations, and the irony within each part. With such critical thinking, the student will be able to raise his/her consciousness and be able to take ownership of her/his place in society.
The courses that will best be able to address these awarenesses would -in my opinion- be Social Studies and Language Arts/English literature. Science and Mathematics will no doubt add to the students repertoire, but in terms of applying critical response, I believe the humanities cause the students to take a stand on issues faced in society.
- Building empathy.
- Open mindedness is the key to success for an individual in society. One becomes better able to take in and consider different ideas and either become more attuned to her/his own, or amalgamate that new idea with the previous one.
- Having such an awareness will benefit the student by way of appreciating the major issues, contentious situations, and the irony within each part. With such critical thinking, the student will be able to raise his/her consciousness and be able to take ownership of her/his place in society.
The courses that will best be able to address these awarenesses would -in my opinion- be Social Studies and Language Arts/English literature. Science and Mathematics will no doubt add to the students repertoire, but in terms of applying critical response, I believe the humanities cause the students to take a stand on issues faced in society.
This is Penny hacking in on Jonathan's google account - let this be a lesson on tech security!!!!! I just wanted to comment that while technology is an incredibly important and pervasive part of school, 21st century competencies involve many more ideas than just "technology". Technology is one avenue to engage our students, however there are also many other ways that can be utilized to inspire, encourage and internalize these ideas. 21st century competencies is part of what is expected of educators to include in teaching, however you can effectively get students to engage.
I enjoy and encourage the use of technology and appreciate those who use it. PWSD's AISI cycle 5 is based on 21st century competencies.
I enjoy and encourage the use of technology and appreciate those who use it. PWSD's AISI cycle 5 is based on 21st century competencies.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Welcome
Now that the learning activity is over, I'll give visitors a bit of a welcome. Beneath this paragraph is the welcome that the humanities teachers at my school received after using a QR Code instructed them to check their email for the invitation to be a blog author. This blog was created for teachers at my school to learn about 21 Century Competencies. It was a PD day focused mainly for humanities teachers, but the concepts are certainly applicable for all teachers in any curricular area. Feel free to browse the posts and make some comments.
Excellent work! This blog has been created for you to keep notes, comments, thoughts, and tips for yourselves as you complete some activities today. Begin by creating a “New Post” to introduce yourselves and any thoughts you have so far. The title of the blog should give you an idea of what we will be learning more about this morning. After creating the new post, see if you can find an image that shows Alberta Education’s 21st Century Competencies. Create another new post and list the “pie slice” competencies and/or add the picture. Then, using the southeast competency, head to the nearest such classroom and look around for another QR Code task. (There will not be anymore QR Codes after this one.)
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