4C the Future- Above And Beyond

Our world is complex, demanding and competitive.  In the 21st Century our students need to learn more than the 3R’s they are tested on.  It’s time to help them go “above and beyond", by embracing the 4Cs –communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.  

To get the word out to about the “3Rs + 4Cs” approach, P21 and FableVision partnered to produce a short, animated film called Above and Beyond.  Enjoy, share and discuss this short film.  

Together, we can help ALL our students flourish in the 21st century.

4C the Future

New Year - New Learning

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn."  ~John Cotton Dana

Here we go.... are you ready?  The 2011-2012 school year has started.  We know that the world is getting smaller and the students we are welcoming into our classrooms are a different generation.  They are digital citizens - always "plugged in" to some type of device (cellular phones, handheld gaming devices, PDAs, computers, TVs, and game consoles).  We, the teachers of this generation, have been given the challenge to prepare these students for the world outside our classrooms - the 21st Century.  This means teaching and integrating a new set of skills into our curriculum.... 21st Century Skills.
Our district has identified 21st Century Skills as one of the four priorities in the strategic plan:  Emphasize 21st Century instructional practices which foster student academic engagement.

Engagement?  What are our students engaged in?
Our students are engaged in electronic media for more than six hours a day, on average.  They are multitasking by listening to music while surfing the Web and watching television or texting friends while playing a video game and downloading new applications for their iPad.  Even preschoolers easily navigate these electronic devices, multimedia resources and the Internet.

What are these 21st Century Skills?

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Collaboration (locally, nationally, internationally)

Communication (as well as accessing and analyzing information)

Creativity (sparking curiosity and imagination)

To learn more about 21st Century Skills, visit the following sites:

21st Century Fluencies

Partnership for 21st Century Skills

Back to School 2011

One Hundred Years from now

(excerpt from “Within My Power” by Forest Witcraft)

One Hundred Years from now

It will not matter

what kind of car I drove,

What kind of house I lived in,

how much money was in my bank account

nor what my clothes looked like.

But the world may be a better place because

I was important in the life of a child.

Yes, our work is important work!!!  In just over a week the halls of our schools will be filled with children.  I know that all of you have been thinking about the school year and maybe even dreaming about it.  This is an exciting time for you and our children! 

Here are some tips for starting the year successfully and sanely:

Establish routines and procedures early, and have students be a part of these when possible.  Remember to teach, practice, practice and practice these routines and procedures.

Involve students in the “rules of the classroom”.  Make them feel part of the process so they will have ownership.  If students feel as if they have a voice, they will respond positively! 

Think about your classroom environment.  Is it neat, well organized and welcoming?  The classroom environment sets the tone and can determine the student's comfort level.

Plan a fun activity for the first day that helps create community.  It should be an activity where all students will be successful.  The best way for establishing rapport is to call someone by name.  It is a great idea to have an activity that helps everyone learn the names of their classmates (helps you learn them too).

Survey and assess your students.  Get to know them as individuals as you get ready to create lessons to meet their needs as learners. 

Establish strong lines of communication with parents from day one.  Consider collecting the email addresses of your parents and students.  You can send important messages, newsletters, and documents electronically.   You may want to keep parent communication logs that document when communication occurred, why it occurred, what method of communication occurred, and the result of the discussion. Always try to keep a balance between the 'positive' and 'negative' communications that you make.  Don't be afraid to tell parents you caught their child doing something fantastic!

Here are some sites that may provide ideas for the beginning of the school year:

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10623

http://www.teachingheart.net/ultimate.html

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2007/08/tips-on-starting-school-year.html

http://www.proteacher.com/030005.shtml

I hope you have a great start this fall.  See you at school!

Primary Sources

Recently, I visited a very close friend of mine in Ely, MN.  Sarah (my bestie) had just completed her first book and was anticipating her book signing event with a great deal of pride.  She had worked very hard on her book Dorothy Molter: The Root Beer Lady and was extremely proud of the fact that it was written using primary sources.  Sarah was certain that every detail in her book was true and could not be argued.  She wanted Dorothy's story to be an accurate reflection of her life.

What is a primary source?  Primary source is a term used to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.  It is an artifact, a document, a recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study and serves as an original source of information about the topic.  A primary source can be also be a person with direct knowledge of a situation, or a document created by such a person.  
Another great spot I visited while on vacation was the  Prospect House in Battle Lake, MN.  Here I held touched, and admired primary sources from the civil war:  letters, swords, envelopes, bullets, and clothing.  This house is full of history - literally!  From photos to clothing, signs to toys, dishes to letters.  Oh, what stories primary sources can tell us about the past.
Teachers and students may want to consider using and reviewing primary source documents when they are learning about historical events.  The following sites may be helpful for anyone looking for primary sources online:  100 Terrific Sites and History Source Documents.