Infographic: 9 Ways Digital Learning Tools Function
In late 2012, digital learning tools are exploding in popularity. Some of that is due to the inherit interest new “stuff” promotes. But some of it is due to the ability of technology to empower each individual learner with information access, just in time learning, powerful learning simulations, and access to a network of peers and collaborators worldwide. The best part? 9 Ways Digital Learning Tools Function VIA Learning: PersonalizationMotivationPersistence THROUGH Schools: ProductionSimulationCollaboration BY Enhanced Access: AccessAccelerationOptions The infographic below from gettingsmart.com also lists many of these ideas while offering to several real-world examples of schools putting digital learning tools into action at the classroom level.
A Collaborative Classroom
What's ideal when it comes to collaboration in our classrooms? Here's one coveted scenario: several children gathered at a table engaged in a high-level task, discussing, possibly debating an issue, making shared decisions, and designing a product that demonstrates all this deeper learning. As teachers, we'd love to see this right out the gate, but this sort of sophisticated teamwork takes scaffolding. It won't just happen by placing students together with a piece of provocative text or an engaging task. In preparing our students for college and careers, 21st century skills call on us to develop highly collaborative citizens -- it's one of the 4 Cs, after all. So how do we begin this scaffolded journey? Establish Group Agreements Deciding on group norms, or agreements, right at the get go will give each student a voice and provide accountability for all. Accountability is an important factor in group working agreements. Teach Them How to Listen Teach Them the Art of Asking Good Questions
Deeper Learning
Rahil Maharaj explains that attending Impact Academy, an Envision school in Hayward, California, has given him the inspiration and confidence to work hard and apply to college. Watch the video >> 0 To succeed in the future, students will need to know how to analyze, collaborate, and innovate. But our education system isn’t as effective at preparing them as it could be. Watch the video >> 0 “In order to prepare young people to do the jobs computers cannot do we must re-focus our education system around one objective: giving students the foundational skills in problem-solving and communication that computers don’t have.” – Frank Levy and Richard J. Murnane, “Dancing with Robots”. Learn more >> 0 Tiana Alba-Lanzerin prepares to present her graduation portfolio at an Envision high school in San Francisco, California. “I provide students with the opportunity to ask the questions, to become captains of their own learning.” What is deeper learning? Learn more >> Learn more >>
Reframing Worksheets
Worksheets matter! I know we hear a lot of talking points that tell us to get rid of them, but I think it's much more complicated than that. That call for "no more worksheets" comes from a place where that is all there is. By that I mean classrooms where students do nothing but worksheets. A recent visit to a PBL school jumpstarted my brain on this issue. Worksheets That Model a Career Tool Students consistently worked on a piece of paper shown below. As we design worksheets, let's consider making them look like the real-world work that students are doing -- or could be doing. Worksheet used at ACE Leadership Academy Credit: Andrew Miller Other Tips for Worksheets Include the Driving Question Where Students Can See It Like changing the look of the worksheet, this piece may seem too simple to make a real change. Rubric and Reflection Remember that a rubric can actually be just another quality indicator. Scaffolding the Levels of Questions
Mental Models |
How do you think the most rational people in the world operate their minds? How do they make better decisions? They do it by mentally filing away a massive, but finite amount of fundamental, unchanging knowledge that can be used in evaluating the infinite number of unique scenarios which show up in the real world. That is how consistently rational and effective thinking is done, and if we want to learn how to think properly ourselves, we need to figure out how it's done. Before we dig deeper, let's start by watching this short video on a concept called mental models. It's not that complicated, right? The idea for building a “latticework” of mental models comes from Charlie Munger, Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the finest thinkers in the world. Munger's system is akin to “cross-training for the mind.” In a famous speech in the 1990s, Munger explained his novel approach to gaining practical wisdom: Building the Latticework More About Mental Models These are the winning ideas.
Vocabulary Instruction
We know that there is a strong relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Systematic vocabulary instruction is an integral part of a K-12 comprehensive literacy framework for instruction. I consider it a privilege to have supported many teachers, coaches, & administrators in building a community that values word learning across classrooms and content areas. Common characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction have been documented in numerous professional journals and books. Even though research points to common elements of purposeful vocabulary instruction, recent NAEP results for vocabulary reveal that there was no significant change in vocabulary scores for 4th- and 8th-grade students from 2009 to 2011. Effective vocabulary instruction across grade levels and content areas is key. I write frequently about vocabulary. You can put this infographic to use tomorrow. Download today’s tool by clicking on the tag at the end of this post. Like this post? Kimberly
10 Rules for Students and Teachers (and Life) by John Cage and Sister Corita Kent
by Maria Popova “Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail, there’s only make.” Buried in various corners of the web is a beautiful and poignant list titled Some Rules for Students and Teachers, attributed to John Cage, who passed away twenty years ago this week. The list, which can be found in Sister Corita’s Learning by Heart: Teachings to Free the Creative Spirit (public library), touches on a number of previously discussed themes and materials, including Bertrand Russell’s 10 commandments of teaching, the importance of embracing uncertainty, the pivotal role of work ethic, the intricate osmosis between intuition and intellect, and the crucial habit of being fully awake to everything. RULE ONE: Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.RULE TWO: General duties of a student — pull everything out of your teacher; pull everything out of your fellow students.RULE THREE: General duties of a teacher — pull everything out of your students. Donating = Loving
