What’s new
for back-to-school gear?
Just turn on TV
for a minute or two and you’ll be reminded of the back-to-school frenzy we all
face. For families, it’s the latest ipad
or tablet that will help their child enjoy great success. Of course, that’s coupled with the very latest
style of jeans to ensure correct attire for all of the junior fashionistas!
So, who else is
busily preparing to launch the 2013-2014 academic year? Teachers, administrators, school staff…they
are planning the journey they will plot to reach the learning goals for their
students. We have innovative approaches
to guide us to these ends and they have differed through the years. Today, our schools are gearing up for full
implementation of the Common Core Standards. Common Core is a nationwide effort
— led by governors and top state education officials — to step up standards for
kindergarten through 12th grade, particularly in core competencies such as math
and language arts.
According to Paula A. Calabrese and Stefan Biancaniello, the cofounders of Onhand
Schools, in Pittsburgh,
which provides software and training programs to school districts, in an
editorial to the Philadelphia Inquirer on August 6, 2013, “Common
Core wasn’t just created to give young Americans a chance to compete in the
workforce?? The larger goal of these
standards is to prepare students to successfully navigate the world around them
by equipping them with the ability to solve problems and think critically. “
These
educational mentors go on to say:
“What the Common Core standards don’t do,
however, is dictate to local teachers, administrators, and leaders how to reach
these new goals.
Educators, in particular, are expected to
draw on their own experience and training when determining the best way to
challenge their students and motivate them to excel.”
In Learning
That Never Ends, we meet these challenges straight on with topics and ideas
that can enrich the pathway that our teachers are plotting. One key area is creating divergent thinkers,
which are thinkers who may follow many lines of thought and
tends to generate new and original solutions to problems. Divergent thinking is
the capacity to act and think flexibly and creatively with what one knows.
Two
of our favorite ideas for empowering students to use questioning to promote
divergent thinking:
Change
the style of questions asked:
Questions that
promote divergent thinking are open-ended, engaging, and thought provoking.
They cannot be answered in one or two words. If our desire is for students to
think divergently, then good questioning strategies should be at the forefront
of our instruction.
Asking and answering questions
plays a significant role in developing creativity and divergent thinking. That
sense of childhood wonder can be recaptured if students remain curious about
learning, and good questioning allow that to happen.
·
Preplan
questions that will promote divergent thinking: Copy
the following prompts and keep them on hand when you are teaching. Decide in
advance which ones you will include in your lesson to promote deeper, more
critical thinking
o What
makes you say that?
o How
do you know you’re right?
o What’s
another way of thinking about…?
o What
qualities of a lifelong learner do you see evident here? How do you know?
o What
qualities of a lifelong learner are missing here? How would the result be
different if they were present?
Creative ideas that foster metaphorical thinking:
·
Creating
cartoons, comic strips, or superheroes to illustrate a key concept: Have
students design original cartoons, comic strips, or superheroes to illustrate a
key concept taught. For example, students could design a comic book where main
character is Square, a superhero with all the strengths and powers specific to
his nature.
·
Construct
a character homepage or avatar:
·
Designing
advertisements:
Students create an advertisement slogan that describes an important
concept, famous historical or scientific person or event, or character. Be
creative and thoughtful when writing the advertisement slogan. Proof of
research and supporting details must be evident in the slogan. Students can
either present it as a TV commercial or create an illustration for a magazine
or news journal.
·
Creating
“wanted posters”: Students create “wanted posters” that describe
an important concept, famous historical or scientific person or event, or
character from a story. Wanted posters should include a “mug shot”, description
of the “criminal” with connections to the learning included, what they are
“wanted for”, any “warnings”, their “aliases”, who they “associate with”, the
“DOB”, “last known address”, and any “identifying marks.” Challenge students to
use research to defend their choices.
·
Design an Experiment: Design
an experiment around a topic of study. Students will need to write up the
experiment in detail, have enough materials for the class to do it, and be able
to explain the research behind the experiment. Partner experiments are also
useful.
·
Create
a Song/Rap/Jingle: Create a
song, rap, or jingle representing a topic of study. It must have a main theme
in both melody and lyrics. The lyrics should convey accurate content
information and should be creative and the details should support the main
theme. A live performance is required and must be rehearsed well in advance. If
you choose, both lyrics and music can be required.
