Thursday Thoughts January 21
The phrase above was spoken directly to me today. It is thought provoking. In education, I think we spend so much time trying to make sure that everything is perfect that we don't acknowledge the small progress that we make on a daily basis. We definitely miss some of the small accomplishments of our students because we are focused on the major "milestones" that we expect them to make. Over the past few years, we have made tremendous progress (especially in technology use). But actually, you don't have to look back over the years to see the progress. You can take a look at a student's writing product from August to January, a STAR report/BAS score or even a Genius Hour project that lights a spark for a student. As we move into the longest stretch of the school year, please don't ignore the small progress being made. It adds up and it is the fuel we need to keep doing what we need to do for kids.
Staff Spotlight
This week I would like to shine the spotlight on Leigh Pope. Leigh is new to Medlock this year and she has jumped right in to assist in any way necessary. Throughout the course of the day, Leigh is in at least four different classrooms supporting special education students and teachers. Leigh pitches in and does whatever is asked of her. She is a team player and her efforts do not go unnoticed. We appreciate Leigh and her dedication to our students.
Personalized Learning
10 Signs of a 21st Century Classroom
Patrick Goertz , Science Teacher, STEM Coordinator
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 21st 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.
Habitudes- (Growth Mindset)
Looking Ahead
Please be reminded that we have a Faculty Meeting on next Tuesday 1/26 and all staff members are expected to attend. At that meeting, I will share the scope of the EXTENSIVE construction that will take place at Medlock this summer. Heads up.....no one (not even me) will be able to enter the building after the post planning day. The last day of school this year is on a Thursday (5/26) and there is only one post planning day which is the next day, Friday (5/27).
No comments:
Post a Comment