The Partnership for the 21st century skills website was very intriguing in the sense that these 21st century skills are all laid out into very detailed maps that are teacher friendly. I enjoyed reading the articles posted about how many states in the U.S. are really attempting to apply these standards into their schools. I congratulate the teachers that are trying to make our classrooms more 21st century friendly. One question for me is, why was I not aware of these standards before taking this class? Florida is not one of the states that is named for having adapted these standards. It seems that if this is a growing problem among our schools, then why are these not federal guidelines, or at least an outline of goals on what we are striving for?
Our children are the reason why we do the job we do. One of the hardest things as a teacher is differentiating instruction to fit all learners. As we all know, children are engaged in different types of multimedia that draws all of their attention to it. When teachers try to engage students for a long period of time, it doesn’t always work. One of the things that the 21st century skills suggests is to get rid of “long periods” of seat work, lectures, and or teaching time to focus on adjusting the length of instruction depending on your learners. In the outside world, most schedules are flexible because we live in a more global society and have business partners from other countries. I do know that my young learners thrive on having a definite schedule. They know what is coming next and that is pretty much all the stability that some of my learners have in their lives.
Another thing that shocked me was how the outlook is on changing the architecture of our schools. Widening up classrooms so students and teachers can interact in more diverse settings and get to know one another. I don’t know where they will get the money for this project because with these hard economic times, who can afford to give more in taxes? There is talk about installing moveable furniture to have students quickly moving around.
I’ve learned that as an educator my students and I should always be flexible and welcome change. I also look forward to how schools will be able to make that shift from the industrial age to the information age. I know that my students need to be engaged in order to learn most from their environment and that I should be open to try different strategies and settings. Allowing my students to virtually master concepts such as vocabulary using Kid Pix where they can show they know the vocabulary word through drawings is age appropriate for the early childhood classroom. I also believe that it is important to involve the parents by posting updated blogs about what we are learning. Certainly communication is key in the 21st century learning environment.
I taught two programs that focus on sectioned learning. For instance, we had 20 minutes of whole group instruction, 20 minutes at each independent group (there were three) and then 10 minutes of wrap-up instruction at the end of the period. This method proved to be very successful. It is hard for students to sit through long lectures and projects. This gave them the chance to move around the refresh before starting the next part of their lesson. I loved this method and so did the students.
ReplyDeleteI have the same question that you have Erica – why was I not aware of these standards before taking this class? The state I live in, Illinois, isn’t one of the states who has adopted these standards. It seems that if students need to master these skills to succeed in work and life in the 21st century, then all schools should be using these standards to prepare our students.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right that educators need to always be flexible and ready to welcome change. Some of the things I have changed in my classroom to integrate technology is having the kids write their reader response on their laptops and drop it into my dropbox on the server. Another thing I do differently is to have students write a book review and then turn it into a podcast. I keep in contact with parents by posting my daily homework assignments on my classroom website. I also ask students to respond to questions about curriculum through blogs. I used to do all of these things the old fashioned way – by using paper and pencil. Therefore, I have definitely welcomed change in my classroom.
Even though my state is not part of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, I feel that my school is doing a great job of teaching students many of the things they need to succeed in work and life in the 21st century.
Your comments about instructional time and the architecture of a classroom can both be met easily and often without extra expense or even with technology. I know our resources suggest doing all this to promote technology, but, as you said, with money restrictions, there are ways to do it.
ReplyDeleteYou may not be able to bring down the walls of your room, but have you ever thought out trading classrooms with another teacher? My husband and I have often talked about trading schools for a day. Its easy because we teach the same subject in the same district. But what about in your own building? Maybe take half of your class with you. Maybe you could even do this to match kids based on their level of instruction. I know we don't like to "track" kids, but there is an advantage to grouping students by level, even if just for a short time. Even if you are the only kindergarten teacher, maybe you could work with the first grade and bring up the higher kids.
We have a Tech Academy Charter School in our district. They use the no-walls method of classroom. I remember the first time I sat in a room for a in-service and hearing everyone else. It was un-nerving at first, but I could see the benefit of being able to move students around, work together, shift.
In my school, our 6th grade team is trying to do something better for math. Too many kids are struggling. So they are re-thinking the typical classroom, moving kids around, increasing time, all in an effort to help kids succeed. Technology is and isn't being used, but the key is, they are creating different ways to meet the needs of our students. The traditionalist would throw their hands up and scream, but isn't that what thinking outside the box is all about?
Kerry