Bridging the gap between traditional literacy skills and those of the 21st century. This has been the topic of discussion here for the past few weeks. In Part 2 of this series, I concluded by providing a couple of examples of a unit’s end product. As a refresher, here they are again: Example 1: [vooplayer […]
Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and __________________ (fill in the blank). Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla, would fill in this blank with the following: Digital Literacy This, he believes, is the 4th “R” of 21st century learning (video here). Last week I began discussing my experience working through a new curricular unit, attempting to bridge traditional literacy […]
Times have changed. The skills needed for students to thrive have changed. Consequently, we as teachers must change. What does this mean in the world of literacy? With the evolution of technology has come a whole new dimension of literacy. Digital literacy. Although this presents a world of exciting opportunities, it […]
At some point in children’s lives, they learn to view themselves as either smart, dumb, or anywhere in between. As teachers, we see this all the time, right? Undoubtedly, this influences students’ self-esteem, motivation, and any number of learning and social behaviors. As we strive to cultivate a learning environment where students are free to maximize their […]
In a recent art assignment, a middle school student depicted an overburdened child who was being berated for earning an A, rather than an A+, on a calculus exam. In the image, the mother scolds the student with the words, “Shame on you!” The above comes from a New York Times article covering the ethnic divide […]
Part 3 of 3. Finland. An education superpower. What…is…their… secret?! Well, in case you haven’t been following along the past couple of weeks, let me quickly catch you up. Finland. They’ve been rockstars in the world of education. Inquiring minds want to know exactly what can be attributed to their success. Cue misinformation. Take a look […]
Finland. If a picture speaks a thousand words, what can we infer from the following?: As discussed Last week, Finland has been a hot topic in education circles for quite some time, and certainly for good reason. But what can we learn? And more importantly, what can we apply? I don’t know about you, but as […]
A lot of a…sharks out there…try’na take a bite of somethin’ What’s hot Perhaps these lyrics from Cypress Hill’s Rock Superstar best capture the whimsical nature of the American education system… If you’re in this system, then you’ve most likely experienced some Finnish envy: The top-performing nation. Teachers are highly regarded. For every 45 minutes of instruction, there’s a […]
The American students “worked on it less than 30 seconds on average and then they basically looked at us and said, ‘We haven’t had this,’ ” he says. But the Japanese students worked for the entire hour on the impossible problem. “And finally we had to stop the session because the hour was up. And […]
Can Grit Save American Education? In education, grit has become a buzzword that has permeated the American education system. But should we even be teaching it? What about the disadvantaged child who believes if he is just “grittier,” he can eventually overcome the socioeconomic obstacles in his path to success? What happens if the success he imagined never […]
