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.