21st Century Skills

"We cannot allow these implements of destruction into our schools! Students will deface property, engage in unsavory activities and generally create chaos!" This opinion was expressed about pencils in the early 1900's. Imagine school today without pencils and pens. The tool once thought to be a problem is now a key part of learning. I see the same thing happening with digital technology. Computers, phones and mobile devices are rapidly changing not only the way we teach but how students learn. No. We cannot get rid of paper and pencils but we do need to make room for activities that will help our students master the increasing demands for rapid problem identification, solving and analysis many careers demand today. Yes. We have new "pencils" and we will have to change but what else is new? 

Think of it this way. How would you like to go to a dentist who refuses to use modern techniques because what he or she learned in the 1960’s still works? Hanging on to the past is a great idea for classic cars and rock but not for education. Let's get together and reflect on failures and successes with new methods and tools. Afterall, many of the things we do now will be looked on as ancient and silly...in the very near future!

Let's get writing!

One of the great things about teaching English is when a student works hard and produces a great piece of writing.  Here's a link to help teachers and parents understand and help with the writing process.  Language Arts Podcasts

“HAVE YOU DONE YOUR HOMEWORK?”

            Many of us come home and one of the first questions we have for our children is, “How was school?” After the smile or the rolling of the eyes (depending on the mood and the day) we get a “Fine,” or “I don’t know” which doesn’t tell us a whole heck of a lot.  Somewhere in there will be an exchange about homework.  “Have you finished your…” “Do you have any…”  “What about your…” and after asking for a few weeks it turns into, “Why don’t you ever have any…”  HOMEWORK!!!  Let’s look at the reasons homework plays a key part in a student’s learning process. 

The four main reasons given for assigning homework:

1.  Finding out what students already know or what we at school call background knowledge.  The assignment may be to write down questions or to simply explain something.  Maybe students attempt to solve math problems or read a passage to explain the purpose and key points.  This work is important because it shows what students understand and can do.  

2.  Following up on lessons taught to make sure students understand.  Writing about what they have learned from a science experiment; composing a persuasive essay about homework J; or completing problems 1-10 in chapter 10 are ways teachers and students work together to make sure mastery of new material happens.

3.  Practicing of skills learned.  The key to this type of homework is the student must have learned the concept in the first place.  Practice homework is best used after a lesson. Practice lessons also include checking for understanding. 

4.  Processing assignments involves the use of what students learn while solvoing real world problems such as calculating the cost of materials needed to pave a street; the square footage of a room; or writing about what a student has learned and how they believe they will use this knowledge in the future.

Discovering, following-up, practicing and processing are all reasons for homework.  Talking with our children about the reasons for a particular assignment at school and at home will help make homework a more effective tool for learning.  Who knows... Maybe the next time we ask the question, “Have you got any homework?” the answer we get could surprise us!!  Go Knights!!