Week of April 23

 

Thursday Thoughts April 23

 

 

My grandfather is 93 years old and has more energy than you can imagine.  In fact, he still drives his Nissan sports car around his small town of Palmetto, Fl (outside of Bradenton).  He is a legend in his own right, as he was a high school football coach in Palmetto for 34 years.  He is in the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame and on any given day, you will still find him in the high school locker room taping students' ankles, giving pep talks or even leading the pregame prayer.   He was instrumental in the desegregation of the schools in Palmetto and is a fixture in the town.  In fact, he even ran the Olympic Torch through the town in 1996.    I relish the opportunities to sit with him and listen to 93 years worth of history, wisdom and humor.  I also marvel at the way he is able to use technology (yes I'm finally getting to the point) at the age of 93.  The best way to reach him is via his cell phone and if he doesn't answer, just text him.  In fact, I am not so sure that he doesn't have a Facebook account.  To think of all that he has experienced in his lifetime is awe-inspiring.  To think about how the world and technology has changed in his lifetime is mind blowing.  What stories do you or will you tell your grandchildren about the ways things were or are now?  Can you imagine the world in which they will live and the lens through which they will view it?    The biggest thing I have learned from my grandfather is this: what you do matters, who you are when no one is looking matters and the way you adapt to change matters. 

Medlock Staff.....you make a difference, you matter!



Staff Spotlight

This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Jennifer Coxen. Jennifer has been quite busy this year. She continues to serve as the school liaison for Kids Hope. We are still the only school in FCS to host this mentorship program. Her organization and communication are invaluable to the success of the program. Jennifer has really taken Genius Hour and run with it as she works with 5th grade. She works with the morning news crew and has added different features to enhance the broadcast. This year, Jennifer worked hard to ensure that all student TAG testing was completed in a timely manner. She is proud of the work that the Medlock TAG teachers are doing and she shares that work with the Fulton County TAG Department. Jennifer loves what she does and it shows. Jennifer, thank you for your contribution to Medlock and your passion for student learning.

4C's: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking Skills

10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom

Patrick Goertz, Edutopia

Posted 02/27/2015

One of my early challenges in coordinating my school’s STEM efforts has been determining exactly what is meant by a STEM school. There are probably as many answers to this question as there are educators, but I have decided to focus on what goes on inside the classroom. Not just in a science or math class, but in all classrooms. There are some activities that have traditionally been done well by the STEM disciplines that can be cross applied to all subjects.
I have narrowed these down to a list of 10 signs of a 21^st Century classroom. I have been slowly introducing these concepts to the faculty at my school through informal discussions and incremental training during in-service days.
A few notes:

• I am sure that there are many similar lists in existence. This one is originally based on a reference I found in the article “Considerations for Teaching Integrated STEM Education”.
• I have opted to drop the word “STEM” from this list because these ideas, while often associated with science and math fields, are applicable to and indeed seen in all disciplines.
• Each of the following could fill an article or a book by itself, but I have provided just a few explanatory lines for clarification.

And, in no particular order:

1. Technology Integration

Rather self-explanatory and covered very well in other sections of this site. It involves more than just use of technology, but students using technology to achieve goals in a different way than was possible before.

1. Collaborative environment

Many students prefer to work alone. However, this is an option not often granted in careers. In addition, collaboration fosters the development of new ideas and exposes students to opposing viewpoints.

1. Opportunities for creative expression

This is where many schools will add an ‘A’ to form STEAM. Creative expression not only yields surprising outbursts of understanding, but also builds student confidence.

1. Inquiry based approach

Much could be shared here about the difference between guided inquiry vs. open inquiry. The core idea of students approaching a new topic in the context of answering a question is a cornerstone of the current teaching models.

1. Justification for answers

The largest problem that I encounter in my students reasoning is an almost complete lack of it. Fostering an expectation of well-developed thoughts encourages students to approach a problem from a number of angles and discover what they truly believe.

1. Writing for reflection

Journal writing is often considered a dying art. This is a shame because as self-reflection goes, so does strong metacognitive reinforcement of learning. If students use a blog for reflection, they may even be surprised to learn that others are interested in their thoughts.

1. Use of a problem solving methodology

Problem solving goes well beyond engineering classrooms. Having a go-to method of approaching new difficulties can aid students through writing a short story or solving an economics challenge.

1. Hands-on learning

Long a staple of science courses, labs provide a wonderful opportunity to provide students with another anchor for learning. But it doesn’t stop there. Any opportunity to connect to the outside world is a chance to enhance student achievement.

1. Teacher as facilitator

Modern realization of best practice in education no longer supports the idea of the teacher as an authoritarian figure standing in the front of the room scrawling on a chalkboard. As educators, our role can be reshaped so that we work beside students providing support and encouragement for their personal journey.

1. Transparent assessment

Students perform better and form stronger connections with material if they are able to understand what demonstration of knowledge will be expected of them. Portfolios, rubrics, and formative assessments can help meet this goal.
I'd be interested in hearing the ideas of others who have introduced an integrated STEM approach at their schools.

Technology Tidbits

http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/dozieripad/freeapps.htm- Hundreds of apps for you to peruse.

News & Notes

Please take time to review the Superintendent's Budget Recommendations to the Board (below).
In addition to an increase in pay, there are proposals in the budget such as:

Add 5 more working days for paraprofessionals, clinic aides and bilingual liaisons.
Provide a supplement to Pre K teachers and Pre K paraprofessionals

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/fcss/Board.nsf/files/9VP6V3759F44/$file/FY2016%20Markup%202%20Superintendent%20Budget%20Recomendation%20April%202015%20Item%201.pdf

The school board votes on the proposed budget in June.