Wednesday, September 12, 2012

21st Century Practitioner

Due dates noted below


Now that you have reviewed the 21st Century Partnerships website and viewed the Ken Robinson video, review your notes, and then Create a Comment at the end of this Posting that addresses the following questions:
Due, ideally today but definitely no later than Sept 15, 2012 [to give your peers time to respond]
1. Website: How do you respond to the partnerships website and your future responsibility as a 21st century practitioner as outlined by the student outcomes framework and the new literacies [3Rs: Reading, wRiting, aRithmatics & 4Cs: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation]
2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2  ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner? 
Due by Sept 18, 2012:
Respond to at least THREE of your peers' postings in this discussion thread. 




55 comments:

  1. What are your thoughts about the 21st literacies and well equipped do you feel to teach them? What ideas do you have for developing the areas that you would need to develop?

    From the 3R's to including the 4C's, there seems to be a shift of thinking for teachers who want to see students master the 3Rs as they start to go in their learning career. The 3R's broadly speaking, speaks about how we can write, do math, and read in a classroom. This is the basic foundation for a student. While we do have this basic foundation it seems that this isn't enough at all. There is a paradigm shift of major proportions because in the old days, most teachers and adults, want students to be able to read, write, and do arithmetic. No sugar coating is necessary. It is the fact you are able to do it, that you will be able to succeed in your learning experience. It seems that in this mindset, it is very militaristic, where there is no clear cut way to progressively meet the 3Rs. It seems that these 3Rs are set in a traditional classroom, where students are EXPECTED to read, write, and do arithmetic. In today's world, the shift has changed. We can see it everywhere from schools who has high efficiency rates of reading, writing, and arithmetic rates compared to schools who don't have these rates. Students nowadays are barely hitting the mark of the 3Rs. Since this is the case, we move into the 4C's where this seems to be the eye opener to teachers. It seems to open new doors and explorations of what teachers can do to help students master the 3Rs. The 4Cs are critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creative and innovation. These four provide the help of what teachers need to do now in order for students to succeed since we are going from a very traditional style classroom to more of collaboration and student learning. While at the same time, students need to know how to problem solve because I believe there was a big assumption among teachers that they assumed students can problem solve already. But, I believe they can't now without our help. With the 4Cs I am inclined to believe that I will do a good job in instilling to my students the need to have problem solving skills, collaboration, communication, and creative skills to be successful. I believe the hardest thing about the 4Cs is the part of communication. Communication is something very difficult for some because of the walls that are put up because of either they are vastly different from me (diversity) or they just don't feel like talking. Without communication, we can't use the other three C's to fully progress the student in the right direction. To help with communication skills, I would want to come with ways to communicate other than verbal communication. Some of the things that I can come up with is the idea of having hand signals because I believe that most students aren't blind. Maybe sounds too, like a whistle to turn in homework, etc.

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    1. How do you see these literacies reflected in your school placement?

      In my CityView placement, there seems to be a lack of critical thinking and problem skills for students. Most students in my 7/8th grade class aren't able to conceptualize why 2(n+1)=2n+2 while some are able to conceptualize it. It seems that they don't like to critical think or it seems that their thinking is wrong. There was a student who tried to explain to me why it equaled, but he was going on about subtracting the 2 to the other side. I told him that is what you are trying to find. There is a lot of collaboration between students who are really smart and above their level of thinking in a math classroom compared to kids who are on IEPs at my school. They created cliches and they don't branch out as much.

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    2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?

      There were two ideas that struck me as interesting and an eye opener for me that I never thought about before. One of the ideas that was quite interesting to hear from the video was the section on how "education is modeled on the interests of industrialization and in the image of it." He gave an example of saying that schools is organized on factory lines, ringing bells, separate facilities, and specialized into separate subjects. We still educate children by age groups. This ties into a 21st century practitioner to make us realize what we are getting ourselves into. This particularly section of the video made my eyes have a different perspective of school and how it makes me think deeper and analyze why it is important to have the basic foundations of the 3R's at the beginning stages of production on the factory line. When we come out of the factory, we as students who graduated hope to gain the 4C's as we start to get more development on the factory line. It is the improvement process where we start off with one part in the beginning stage, then we add an arm, then we add another arm, and etc. until we get a finished product. The finished product may or may not be the product you imagine. There will be product flaws and we have to address it.

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    3. Another idea that was quite interesting to me was the idea about divergent thinking. He says that divergent thinking isn't the same thing as creativity. He believes that it is the process of having original ideas that have value. Divergent thinking isn’t a synonym. But it’s an essential capacity for creativity. It’s the ability to see lots of possible answers to a question, there’s a lot of possible ways to interpret a question. To see multiple answers not just one. As a society we tend to think that there's only one single answer to a question, where there is only lateral thinking. We were brought up that way as a child. That there's exactly one way to do one type of problem and that we should follow it. But, as a 21st practitioner we tend to think there will be multiple ways to answer a question and there will be multiple ways to interpret a question. When we have multiple ways of interpreting a question, we have different ways of problem solving and critical thinking. We tend to be in a social learning environment where we can communicate and collaborate with our peers in answering questions. As we answer questions, we are creative in coming up with multiple answers. But, there was a study done in that the video said at a young age, kindergarten level, there tends to be a trend of genius people about 98%. As that kindergarten child grows up their creativity becomes deteriorated because they are forced to look at one specific problem and to do it in one specific way.

      Very interesting video I would have to say.

      NOTE: Apparently I couldn't publish all of this. I had to chunk it up sorry for the inconvenience.

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    4. The grouping students by age piece resonated with me as well. Part of me wants to say that it's partially due to our psychological developments and maturity levels, but then again...he is very right. When did we decide that grouping students by age was the most important association? I love how I've never even questioned the system...that's how much it's engrained in me. Must hold true for other aspects as well.

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    6. Like Kellie said I thought that the part about feeding students through the school system by age was an interesting point. I too did not even think about this until I saw it in the video. I guess maybe it is because of maturity but also possibly due to brain development as well. Like what we learned in EdPsych about the brain and how certain ages go through different stages of pruning, puberty, biological changes, hormones, and susceptibility based on age. However, I still think it is strange we are "grouped" together by age, which society seems to think is the most important characteristic that defines who we are and how we will learn.

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    7. Tony-I too found Robinson's comment interesting and made similar thoughts/postings to his arguments. I have thought a lot about the systemic ways of our society before and think it is good that we all take a deeper look it to why we do things the way we do. The analogy given is spot on and makes you wonder how, as a future teacher, you might do things authentically as to not produce the same regurgitation but still color within the lines. I think there are rhymes and reasons to certain ways we do things (I am not negating important truths in which we know things work best) but continuous and constant reflection will hopefully some day mature the system. We are still a young developing species;)

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    8. Grouping students by age is just the easiest way to control when students enter and leave school, following the factory model. Why are we so unwilling to move students though, if they prove they would be more suited to a different grade both in terms of academics and peers? In out TAG course, this came up because TAG students felt more at ease in some cases with older students, with harder material and people they could relate with instead of feeling like an outcast. Yet, I can recall hearing many time how students shouldn't be held back or moved ahead because it would hurt them socially because they wouldn't match their peers in terms of development. Who has the right to decide these things and what control should parents, teachers and the student have in this situation? At what point is the community of a grade level, should it exist depending on the school, outweigh challenging, giving a student more time in a grade or putting the student in a more comfortable situation? On this same vein, I fail to see the point of the grade (k-12) system especially as we move towards proficiency grading. If a student can meet these requirements in six months instead of a year, shouldn't they be able to move on? And students who need two years to do the same be given the time to do so?

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    9. Krystal, these final questions are not new, but outstanding, and could be quite revolutionary if the machine could ever stop and rebuild. To do these things like breaking away from age-grouped education could help students, teachers, and education in so many ways. But could we ever find the means, time, money, and support to make such a drastic shift?

      I'm curious to research other countries to see alternative means of categorizing students.

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    10. And to follow up on your comment about communication Tony, we do communicate in many other ways whether we realize it or not. But you raise a good point, we do need to think about communicating in different ways as well as cultivating strong communication skills to try and minimize misunderstandings

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  2. 1. Website: How do you respond to the partnerships website and your future responsibility as a 21st century practitioner as outlined by the student outcomes framework and the new literacies [3Rs: Reading, wRiting, aRithmatics & 4Cs: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation]?
    -This was a lot of information to read through, so if I've understood this all wrong, tell me. Like Tony, I've also gathered that we are using the 4C's to better supplement the Core Subjects. I really like the idea of this paradigm shift as well. It's often true that in order to be successful, we must be current--with no exception for education. The emphasis on the 4C's in addition to the 3R's reflect the importance of preparing students for their role as 21st century workers by developing their life and career skills. I like the idea of better preparation, however, I noticed the blind eye to the arts. Some may say that the arts are addressed in the "Creativity and Innovation" category. However, with a new imperative for standards in order to better assess our students' "success", I feel there's no room for creativity to flourish. We are obviously going to need to use a variety of instructional methods to be "successful", but I just can't envision a way to "measure" that kind of success. Really, our problem lies in our incessant concerns for assessing. Regardless, the reality of the situation is we are moving toward conformity (like Ken Robinson pointed out). How will we emphasize the 4C's? Will we teach students how to critically think and problem solve? Will we teach how creativity has thrived in the past and use those as models for what innovation should look like today? I don't know. I like this framework, but there's another part of me that doesn't wholeheartedly believe in finite bounds or limits. Like all future and current practitioners, I believe in foundation. Sure, there are basic skills in which each person should learn in order to function in today's/future's society. Yes, they include skills such as reading, writing, and math. In addition to that, though, I want to provide that freedom for students to capitalize on their strengths and their individual thinking processes, while fostering new consciences. I want to use technology as supplemental materials in my classroom to better cater to the individual needs of my students because like the website states, we want to prepare students for the 21st century, but more specifically, an unknown future. They will learn how to critical think and problem solve, and gain all of those life skills while working toward mastery of core subjects...but I don't want to tell them exactly how to attain such skills. I want to use all sorts of methods and math calls that I can't rule out direct instruction entirely, however, I do think that aside from cooperative learning, inquiry is a great method to implement. Ideally, I want to pose questions and provide opportunities for them to naturally develop these skills, so that their capacity for creativity isn't lost. I'm really hung up on this creativity thing because I really think it's a dying form of intelligence and it's the only skill that makes our thinking unique.

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    3. 2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?
      -I really liked the organization of addressing this topic of concern. He easily transitioned from stating the problem to simplistically illustrating why this problem exists and then described our good-intentioned, but failing responses. His mention of ADHD children really correlated (for me) the main idea that in America, we're constantly trying to justify and conform behaviors. He didn't say this directly, but I think this is largely due to the fact that we lack a cultural identity. Many of our reforms are unsuccessful because I don't know if all of us truly understands the problem. In America, we only see problems for its surface value and the current issues they pose. We are unable to project future (not next month, not next year, but in years to come) concerns because again, I don't think we understand the problem. The problem is not that America's students and economy is internationally trailing many countries. The problem is in our paradigms of education and it's affect is on our students and economy. We are trailing because we focus our attention on fixes, turning our head toward the past. This affects my personal philosophies as a future practitioner because I may not be able to change the world or the nation, but I can make changes locally...and they can start in my classroom. I will be open to analyzing my own methods and philosophies in order to better meet my students' current and future needs. I'm also aware that these changes need to happen regularly, because my students will change, the nation's imperative will change, time will change. My satisfaction in my abilities to become a teacher lies in me knowing that I need to be open to change...and not in response to a problem, but in action for the future.

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    4. That's a good point there Kellie. "The problem is not that America's students and economy is internationally trailing many countries. The problem is in our paradigms of education and it's affect is on our students and economy." I would also like to add that, we read about it already in our methods class, it is the delivery in which concepts and ideas are given to the students. We spoon feed our students the concepts and ideas already before they get the big picture. This is the America mentality. In Japan, they do a lot of discovery learning where the teacher doesn't really spoon feed the students the concepts and ideas. There is little instruction and the teachers have higher expectations for the students to expand their knowledge. I believe that if we relate broader contexts of what the ideas are connected to, things would get better only in time.

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    5. I agree with you Kellie about the bit about creativity and I like your idea about asking questions and providing opportunities for students to naturally develop skills so that they do not lose their ability to think creatively. I feel like I have lost some of that because of the Internet and social media websites. You see something you like and you want to do it that way instead of thinking of your own way to make it better or individual. I don't know if this makes sense but I hope it does :)

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    6. Haha-spoon fed, well but of course you guys. We don't teach to expand personally curiosity or encourage discovery learning, there are standardized test educators, schools, districts, etc., have to answer to! The importance of core curriculum learned is obviously important, we all know that, but there is so much emphasis on pushing this material it isn't taught well and all innovation/engagement is lost. Students in college=mature enough to handle being slammed with content, but K-12, especially freshman I am learning, only need a little tricking. Good teachers are almost able to "trick" students into learning. Inspiring discovery learning and making it fun or interesting I think can be used to almost trick students into learning the material. I had to use this tactic for myself, turning daunting biology/chemistry notes from a 3 hour lecture, finding something that interested me, going on a internet tandem or youtube tandem to make it make sense. Turning direct instruction into discovery learning and story telling to remember natural processess.

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    7. Cool that's exactly what I meant, Holly. I want students to learn what you intended, without them knowing that you strategically led them there. It's that hidden lesson plan that's key to make them actively involved int heir own learning, which is actually better anyway because they're teaching themselves in their own 'language'.

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    8. Kellie... and others... In my opinion this is one of the greatest arts of teaching, but how do we master it? How do we lead them to the point of discovery without leaving a trail of our own? How do we activate the intrinsic motivation to even pursue this learning?

      So much of "teaching" is seeming to become more about guiding than direct instruction.

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    9. The problem with tricking students into discovery is that you are having to trick them into doing something they should be doing already, and that it has to be part a hidden curriculum. Creativity needs to be an explicit part of teaching and learning, not something we need to sneak into to our lessons and trick students with. I understand that standards based testing in the paradigm for education today, and we need to work with it, but there should also be ways to work discovery and creativity into what students are doing on a daily basis.

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    10. Alex, in response to your comment, "So much of "teaching" is seeming to become more about guiding than direct instruction." I would say there is a time and place for both. The art is knowing which to use and when.

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  3. How do you respond to the partnerships website and your future responsibility as a 21st century practitioner as outlined by the student outcomes framework and the new literacies [3Rs: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic & 4Cs: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation]?

    I thought that this model was really interesting, but while it seems simple it is pretty complex and confusing to me. However I really liked the idea of it and I hope I understood it correctly… The 21st approach included mastery of other subjects besides just the 3Rs, such as world languages, art, science, etc. It also greatly emphasized the model of the 4Cs that should be incorporated in every classroom: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity. These 4Cs I think are very important and are the transition of teachers just focusing on the 3Rs to more useful skills that better prepare them for the future. The 4Cs can be applied to any subject and challenge students while also giving them the means to succeed.
    I also like that the model includes teaching students Learning and Innovation Skills, Media and Technology Skills and Life and Career Skills. I think that a lot of schools and programs leave these important things out and do not prepare students for the “real world” which they will soon be a part of. Many think that these lessons should fall to the duty of the parent(s), but the truth is that not all kids will receive instruction from the home on how to use technology or how to work with others. Even if they do learn these skills in the home it does not hurt to have them reinforced at school. I think that more schools should adopt the aspects of this model that include teaching students how to use technology and life and career skills.


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    1. Nicole. I agree with your point about not all students having access to technology in the home and thus experience/instruction with such. I'm surprised in my placement to see the range of typing ability. Some students can whip out a whole paragraph in a few minutes on the keyboard, while others continue to hunt and peck like I did in high school. As the tech. grows in the classroom, our teaching of such needs to be withheld as well.

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  4. Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?

    I found it interesting what the video said about ADHD. How there is so much information out there now (computers, games, etc.) and then kids get bored and distracted in class (boring stuff) because it is not as stimulating, and then they get punished and medicated to get them focused. I think that if we implemented more of the 21st century model then not as many kids would have problems staying interested in class. If we included skills and technology instead of just information, and thought of creative ways to teach as well as pushed students to think critically, I think that the “Epidemic” that society so firmly believes is occurring would not be such a big deal.
    I also thought it was interesting that Robinson mentioned the idea that in school we are taught, “Don’t look” and “No cheating” when working on assignments. However, in the real world this is considered collaboration. Why are we discouraged to help each other on assignments and projects? Sure just copying someone else’s assignment or cheating on a test does not help the student learn on their own, but why has society instilled in our brains that we should never look at another’s work. No one knows everything and sometimes when you are stuck it is nice to have a classmate who does understand who can help you out. Most great learning happens in groups and this also ties in with one of the 4Cs, Collaboration: working together to reach a goal.

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    1. Definitely agree on that whole bit. Medication isn't always the fix and collaboration is a real-world skill that also needs to be fostered.

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    2. "Why are we discouraged to help each other on assignments and projects? Sure just copying someone else’s assignment or cheating on a test does not help the student learn on their own, but why has society instilled in our brains that we should never look at another’s work."

      I believe that society still has the grasp of individual work. Meaning that it is never okay to copy else's someone's work. It could be that some teachers are still in a paradigm crisis because they believe that the way to learn is not to have collaborative work at all. Because before, it was known to every teacher to be very traditional where there is very strict rules in which students can act in a classroom, do studies in a classroom, and possibly the respect in the classroom. Nowadays, teachers are moving away from that way of thinking, but some teachers are still in that zone.

      I think it might be that teachers are okay with helping each other one assignments and projects as long as they put the work into their own words. Teachers are judging this on face value where they are assuming that we as educated students would put our own "flavor" to our assignments. They don't know what kind of "help" we are going through. We could just copy it without any remorse at all and we'll get the credit for it regardless of what happens. There needs to be a fine line of knowing when we copy each other and when we don't.

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    3. Yes Tony i agree with you that many people can just copy work and no one would be the wiser. But I guess what I was trying to say was that in some cases, we have been conditioned to think that it is wrong to get help and collaboration has been discouraged. Although, like you said many more teachers are getting away from that idea. I just found it interesting that it was brought up in the video and how they approached the topic.

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    4. Yeah, Nicole isn't saying that there shouldn't be individual evaluation. She's saying that teachers need to move past the concept that "formative assessments" need to remain independent coursework. It's unrealistic for a person to be given a problem and not be given or allowed to seek out any resources to use while attempting to solve it. I guess to address your concern about preventing copying assignments is to more actively incorporate collaboration and model how it is best implemented. Students need more exposure.

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    5. The issue here is that teachers are still in the paradigm shift and that "most" teachers don't see it that way.

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    6. So in my High School placement I have 3 freshman classes and my mentor teacher does not give take home homework in part for this very topic discussion. Most students don't put in the effort at all and just copy from past/previous students or seek older friends help to get it done. All work is done in class and however long it takes to get done is how long it takes. The other reason for no homework he says is that half the class will come back with the line, "I forgot it" or "I lost it" hence, no consequence of not having it done does not matter anymore for some reason in our schools. So all evaluation is done on labs, lab journals, a semester project, and exams. So you either are a good student and know the material or you don't. Granted this is biology and probably more difficult for a subject like math. I am still undecided about how I feel regarding the assessment of the students, however I find the adaptation to the problem agreeable for the time being as I have no experience in this matter.

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    7. Nope, it's doable in a math classroom--my high school mentor teacher has that same philosophy in his math class. It's quite interesting and I actually quite like it much more when I saw it actively implemented in the classroom than when we were discussing this topic.

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  5. 1. Website: How do you respond to the partnerships website and your future responsibility as a 21st century practitioner as outlined by the student outcomes framework and the new literacies [3Rs: Reading, wRiting, aRithmatics & 4Cs: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation]?
    I think we have grown up in an interesting time, and have been grappling with these changes through our own educations. I can’t recall how many times my grandparents or parents tried to maintain that educational standards had fallen by recalling their 3Rs (reading, writing and arithmetic) educations and comparing that to my own. I could hold my own in terms of skills but not being able to recall instantly bits of information they had been forced to memorize. When it came to technology, media and information skills however, they were lost while I could fiddle my way through if I didn’t already know how to do something. The 4Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity) were also worked on but not explicitly or consistently, just by certain teachers who took it upon themselves to work on one or two. That has worked out alright for us, but as educators we can’t let it be this spotty for upcoming students. What are we to do when standardized testing and the effects it has had on classrooms has shifted attention more firmly on the 3Rs but the need for the other three categories is ever increasing?
    As an up and coming teachers, this is our task! We need to bring in more than just the 3Rs, to include the 4Cs and expanding media and technology needs. Students will need to have these skills when they leave the schools and enter college or the workplace. Technology, in particular, is something they will HAVE to navigate and use well. As teachers, it would be a disservice to leave this out of the classroom when it can be brought in so easily with projects, and that can lead to the 4Cs as they demonstrate creativity or critical thinking skills in new medias.

    2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?
    I was aware of how our current system is based on the factory model, but this video really brought home how this is so mismatched with today’s kids. That ties in with the increase of ADHD in how we expect students to act unnaturally (conforming to the factory model of education) and when they don’t (1) we are surprised and (2) we feel the need to fix them using medication. This falls nicely into the 21st century practitioner because it addresses how our current system is out of date and becoming more out of date. We expect kids to be entertained and focused on BORING things, when the world around them is exciting and interesting, buzzing with technology and media. If we keep this media out of the classroom, we can’t expect them to focus on a boring board over an iPad. The older model is that of the 3Rs but I think we can all agree at this point that the 4Cs are important inclusions as well. These can’t be developed in straightforward, drill and kill methods. They require more of the student as well as the teacher. I hope to be ready to meet those demands.

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    1. I would have to agree that our society today can see that the 4Cs are important, but some teachers don't want to change their mentality of the 21st practitioner. They have that strict sense of keeping their classroom very "traditional." I don't want to have a traditional classroom. But, as teachers we have to experiment to see what works best for us. We may have to go that route.

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    2. That's what I am thinking will happen. Teachers can easily get stuck in routines and units that they have "always done" which is great: easy on them and has (ideally) proven successful in the past. Students are changing though, and teachers need to adapt. I found myself trying to explain activity directions the other day and these two boys were giving my blank stares but once I put it in terms of computers and games, they got it! There are different sets of vocabulary, knowledge being brought to the classroom and skill sets that need to be used by the teacher to even reach the student. For us, I think we will lean towards that from the beginning, but we have to keep that going. We need to learn what students are doing at home and looking at it creatively as a classroom tool. If we can't engage with our lesson planning using the 4Cs, how can we bring them into the lesson for students to learn?

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    3. I agree with your point on bringing technology into the classroom. I know that my lesson that I taught yesterday was only successful because it was on powerpoint whereas if I had tried to teach the different types of rivers just on the blackboard, it would have been a complete failure. The key is to make things less boring and because students and kids find technology not boring, this is the way we should get our kids to learn.

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  6. 1. Website: How do you respond to the partnerships website and your future responsibility as a 21st century practitioner as outlined by the student outcomes framework and the new literacies [3Rs: Reading, wRiting, aRithmatics & 4Cs: Critical Thinking/Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity & Innovation]?

    As a future educator and well…lifelong student it seems, I see the importance and relevance of the transition from the 3R’s to the 4C’s. Growing up (K-12) my personal education surrounded the noted and heavily emphasized 3R’s. I am a little older than some of you so I am not sure how different our experiences are in primary and secondary education within the specifics but these were strictly the fundamentals that were taught. It was not until I reached college that my mind was forced to think on different levels of metacognition and higher levels of critical theory. This is what comes to mind when I think of the 21st century practitioner and the transition to the 4C’s. The emphasis is put more on communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, which I was not really introduced to until later. This inevitable left me a step behind the rest, I have always felt like I have been playing catch up in terms of my education because I did not receive these tools until later in life. Because of my own personal experience I really like this model and the concepts surrounding its cause. I think the 4C’s are very important for getting our next generation students that extra prep and step in educational gaps and deficiencies. No longer is the focus on specific subject matter but broader concepts that are applied to all courses that challenge and engage student curiosity and learning. I also like how the model is looking to the future in terms of applying media, technology, life, and career aspects. I think we need to be realistic about our student’s futures. As educators we wear all kinds of “hats” and unfortunately have been given the hard task of not just teaching but also producing well-rounded citizens that can be productive in our society. The average student is not going to graduate with a 4 year college degree yet still must be able to be successful in life. We learn to teach all types of learners (multiple intelligences differential theory) so why should we not also implement alternative programs in the school to allow all individuals the tools to succeed outside of school not just in school? I think it is important to implement these programs in our schools as well so all types of learners/individuals have opportunities and are prepared for the “real world” as they leave the school doors.

    2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?

    One main statement I found interesting that Robinson stated was, “…education is modeled on the interest of industrialization and in the image of it.” He explained an example in which education and school systems were compared to the organization and systemic functioning of factory lines, ringing bells, separate facilities, and specialized into separate subjects. He went into the grouping of ages as well within the educational system. This piece really resonated with me because one of the main reasons of why I am going into teaching is because I do not agree with most SYSTEMS put in place in our society that we are shuffled through, specifically the education system. Most systems in place are built on standardized; reproducible factory models because that is what is more efficient and functional (not speaking for myself but for lay public opinion). I see the relevance of identifying these issues as the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner is now transitioning from the 3R’s to the 4C’s, where more emphasis is given to the needs and freedom of the individual learner.

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    1. It is too obvious that we have both taken many courses from Mike Steele as you talked about distrust of systems. If it is organized, it must be distrusted because someone is controlling it and has their own special interests.
      When you speak of the average student not going to a four year college and implementing other programs, I get a little nervous. I saw a lot of my peers never plan on going to college, and not preparing for it until senior year of high school or waiting until summer after graduation to even look at school. When they entered collge they were even less prepared than I, like most freshmen, was. Perhaps I am missunderstanding the programs you are advocating for though and what they would entail. If we don't push all students to feel like they could handle college and have the skills to do so, then we are letting them off too easy. Every student has that potential and needs the encouragement and work which can be done well with the strong use of the 4Cs and technology skills in the classroom.

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    2. Right-let me clarify. So of course we should push all student to attend college, that is a must in my book. But the stats say a class of typical 40 will have about 4 who actually graduate with a four year degree. Now that is assuming it is a degree that will get them somewhere (they can apply) because as we all know those psychology and theater/art majors are now kicking themselves (one in a million talents strike)-college prep is needed as well to succeed and be happy in our career choices. By programs in high school I mean providing classes that give them a trade or increased skill in a certain area of interest that will allow them more choices of employment when they graduate. Adding something to their resume besides Taco Bell and a high school diploma. I only say this because it is reality and to better the middle class we should give everyone a leg to stand on from the beginning with skills and an education. Does that make better sense? Not trying to be cynical but honest.

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    3. That does make more sense, I think I juse misunderstood what you were trying to get at. I thought you were arguing for those programs instead of college prep, not as another possibly to be offered. North Clackamas school district had a magnet school while I was there that would take kids for one or two periods for those kinds of programs. There were courses on auto repair, manufacturing, fashion design, graphic design, cooking etc. and kids really got into those. The problem is that those programs are expensive because of all the additional supplies they need, that a normal classroom doesn't. We were lucky because a trust fund was set aside for that particular program and the money couldn't be used for anything else,so the district kept it going despite cuts. How can other districts establish/ keep programs that teach these skills with school funding as it is?

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  7. 1) This website has great aims. It is well organized and breaks down the 21st century pursuits: a holistic view of teaching and learning that combines a focus on student outcomes and innovative support systems.
    Students are pushed towards mastering the multidimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century.

    This all sounds great... But they still seem too vague, too broad, and not anything revolutionary. Isn't this all old news? I followed links to pdfs to find specific standards, requirements of skill, or something other than long listed bullets, but nothing concrete stood out for me.

    On the subject of creativity. Creativity is always promoted in schools, but the same school systems often seem to contradict the aims of creativity. Are we really going to get creative with our 3 Rs and revolutionize education? Or just mix in a few creative activities like every other system.

    2) The Video:
    So what is college good for now then? Apparently if you are pursuing a job that requires a bachelors degree in...anything, like you used to be able to 20 years ago, then good luck. Because everybody already wen't to college now, and they already have those jobs.

    I'd like to argue for going to college for the sake of learning and the social experience, as romantic as that sounds. But how many student do we know, how many of us, really even took advantage of our education for education's sake? Most of us wen't to college because our parents told us to. Maybe our parents were wrong.

    One of the best points from the video in my opinion was on issues of creativity. You have to be creative in the 21st century to get ahead. And isn't being creative more fun than being like everybody else? Our students are living in the most enriching stimulating world ever, yet we continue to give them lectures, handouts, and standardized tests that scream boring. Is this right?

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    1. Alex I agree and think that many students now are going to college just for the sake of going to college and get a degree; they are told by their parents, teachers, and peers that this will help them get a job. Personally I think I went to college not only because I did not feel like I was finished learning, but also because I thought it was expected of me. Not going to college was not even an option in my mind. My mom never personally pressured me to go but everyone in school talked about it and the counselor was constantly meeting with seniors so that they could get applications out in time. It was ingrained in our minds that going to college was the next step in life, and after that a job. But you are right in saying that we are at the point where all of those jobs are being taken by the generations before. What happens to those of us who are just finishing school? :/

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    2. Alex,
      I loved your post about college. It wasn't to long after I graduated that I began asking myself what I just obtained. While looking for work before deciding to go into education it seemed that every door around me was still locked shut even though I was now a "college graduate". What does this mean anyway? That I am able to follow directions and write a paper or two. It becomes extremely unsettling when one stops and thinks about their education. The creativity questions within your post are also very compelling, I feel like education similar to many professions and organizations is all talk. We know what is right (or at least we think we do), and yet we never seem to implement these "revolutionary" ideas. Instead we sit on our hands and complain, when will something be done?

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  8. 1. Website:
    The expansion of education beyond the 3 R's is very appealing and seems like a "no-brainer," yet we still focus our education system around an idea that has been proven to be inadequate. The expansion beyond the 3 R's is certainly what we need and might seem a simple thing at first, but I think it will be far more difficult to accomplish that it seems at first. The current paradigm although insufficient is ingrained in our way of thinking of education, and changing it, even if only to add common sense things. The 4C's Critical Thinking/Problem Solving; Communication; Collaboration; and Creativity & Innovation are critical to post K-12 education, and should be include in K-12 education since it is focused on preparing students for higher ed.

    2. Video:
    The view that public education is modeled on the economic and intellectual ideas of the industrial revolution is something that I agree with, but also find disturbing. I see the parallels between our education system and factory based production. Not only are students moved along in groups of the same model year they are shuffled from one station to another for specialized work.
    To be 21st century educators we have move away from the 3 R's model and integrate new ideas and viewpoints into the classroom

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    1. Nathan,
      I couldn't agree more with your response to the website. This does seems like common senses and there needs to be a shift to include the four C's within our classroom. As you pointed out the shift can be made simpler though if teachers simply prescribe to "common sense". I personally do not find it difficult to incorporate the four C's within in the current framework of our schools, but maybe I am just being overly optimistic.

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    2. That was another point from the video that resonated with me, how students are sorted by age. As much as I object to this I have no idea how else to sort students. Then again anything might be better. I like the idea of mixing student because then you have diversity in every group, but to much diversity makes it had to teach. One of the biggest problems I have with sorting by age is that it becomes such a huge deal to hold students back a grade. I think we need to make less of a big deal about holding students back. The result is I have 8th graders who can't multiply 2-digit numbers without a calculator.

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  9. What are your thoughts about the 21st literacies and well equipped do you feel to teach them?

    Well they seem to cover just about everything. It's a little overwhelming to read them all. I do like that they include subjects like art as a core subject. I want to be able to teach my students everything p21 covers but my first thought is is it possible with our current school system? I don't want to start with such a pessimistic view but we can barely achieve reading literacy how can we possibly add on critical thinking literacy without overhauling our entire education system. I'm all for the ideas I just think it would take a lot of effort to change the system to promote these kind of literacy. I wouldn't say I'm fully prepared but I do already try to incorporate multiple literacies into my classroom. The two I most often think of are critical thinking and collaboration. I really try to implement collaborative learning in the classroom, and I try not to just make it all group work. currently I focus on peer feedback. Currently in math they grade their own papers or another classmates. when a problem is wrong they can ask someone else how they did their problem. They have to show their work so a class mate must explain to them how to get through the problem without just telling them the answer.


    What ideas do you have for developing the areas that you would need to develop?

    I would probably need to work on the life skills and career skills area the most. I would try and take some professional development classes to better understand how to teach those kinds of skills to students. i would also need to keep up more on current technology, thankfully I am not that behind. I would just try each new technology that comes out. Currently I just find what works for me and stop there. For development though I would do some research on every new technology coming out and find the uses and situations it's best for.

    How do you see these literacies reflected in your school placement?

    I'm lucky to see a lot of literacy development in my placement. Every day the students have advisory a period that is almost soley devoted to literacy development. Everyday they read silently for thirty minutes, then they do a different literacy activity based on the day. Mondays id math, wednesdays are writing, and fridays are speaking.


    2. Video: Write a statement that includes 1 or 2 ideas that you found interesting in the Robinson's talk. What connections can you make between Robinson's talk and the theme of becoming a 21st century practitioner?

    I enjoted the whole talk, but since I can only pick a few key points. I would say I was inspired when he talked about how educating students for the past economy does not prepare them for the current or future economy. That in order to prepare them for the future which is constantly changing from our point of view. We much prepare them to be able to adapt to new situations and learn new skills. This arguement fits in directly with 21st century thinking, 21st century thinking is attempting to be the tool with which we prepare the 21 century population. I just think it's such an interesting concept and in order to adapt to teaching in that way requires a change in perspective. It's going to be a historical change to move from teaching "stuff" to to teaching "tools". Or at least that's how i think about it. We can't just teach the knowledge in the book any more, this generation has realized they can just look it up on their smart phone. So we need to prove to them we can teach them something worthwhile that they won't find on Google....at least not on the first page maybe...

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    1. Kynah,
      I think you sell yourself a tad short here. Yes developing the four C's within the classroom is no easy task, but as you mentioned as a pre-service teacher you are already beginning to do so. The education system needs to be restructured in a way but then again I think what needs to happen is for teachers to take the time to really commit to the job. As you mentioned bringing in collaborative learning can be done in many different ways, teachers must commit to making that happen. I am glad to see you are striving for this, I too want to bring in the four C's while still maintaining the importance of the three R's. Again it is not an easy task, but it is do able.

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    2. I definitely agree with the fact that it is very difficult to incorporate literacy in your class especially in our placements where we are just starting out. Maybe assign a lot of word problems? But it's great that you're really using collaborative learning in your classroom. I want to do more of that in mine but it's somewhat difficult.

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    3. I must say that when I watched the video I did not think of the remarks on the structure of the education system relative to the economy of the industrial revolution in terms of trying to use the system to prepare students for the future, I thought of it in terms of needing to reform the current system. I definitely agree that we need to teach tools and concepts to students, because the content is always just a click away. The question is how do balance teaching content to students who don't have access to technology, or don't use technology for academics, and teaching concepts to students so they can better use the resources they have access to.

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  10. 1. The four C's, and more specifically thinking critical seems to be not only what interested me the most but what many others have written on as well. How do we move from the three R's to include the four C's as well? The question seems to be a difficult and complex one however, I think it actually may be easier than I thought at first glance. It does not require a restructuring of the entire education system but rather a dedication to our profession. The tools at the disposal of our students (the bringing of technology into the classroom etc.) are numerous and ever-growing. When I started to examine critical thinking paired with technology the question of how to develop these things began to answer itself. As some of you have heard me talk about Bailey's presentation at the OTEN conference a couple of times (I hate to beat a dead horse) I think this is the perfect example. Within a social studies classroom the task of thinking critically is what we as teachers should already be striving for. The internet, computers, digital video editors, and podcasts all allow one to create multiple modes of assessment that bring in technology and also allow students to think critically, and foster creativity. In Bailey's example the use of primary source documents, and the construction of meaning (critical thinking) around these documents is paramount. This is just one example and it touches on many aspects of both the 3 R's and the 4 C's. The difficulty lies in being able to find other assessments that do the same thing. Again I lead with technology and the internet, preparing our students for the 21st century economy is not an impossible task, it will simple take work. The number of resources available to teachers and students alike is numerous and only continues to grow. The only question I see is are we as teachers willing to spend the time and energy looking for and creating these lessons that meet the schools needs for proficiency, standards, tests, and also the students needs that include the four C's.
    2. I tried to touch on the video briefly during my first response as I see these two resources very interconnected. Robinson speaks about the need to foster creativity and also prepare our students for the 21st century economy rather than the past. This is a valuable lesson that must be addressed. With that being said the part that most stuck out to me during the video was when he mentioned some students or individuals feel marginalized (can't remember the verbiage he used but it was the spilt in the dna with the smart person on top, and the "dumb" person carrying a furniture down the stairs). This struck extremely close to home, many students truly believe they are not intelligent because our school system tells them so. I find this extremely damaging and difficult to fix. I am reminded of one of my close friends, an individual who struggled with school and when talking to him I immediately notice is difficulty in articulating himself. Because of this after graduation he had no idea what to do, college did not seem like an option yet he also didn't want to simply enter the work force for some min. wage job. What our high school and many people who know him failed to realize is that he has an incredible spatial mind and also is fairly talented when it comes to math and logic. He helped build a house during our senior year of high school and after much prodding and reinforcement from those around him he eventually gained the confidence that he was an "intelligent" individual in his own right. He entered community college and is now a term away from earning a degree in forestry engineering from OSU. However, without the support of his family and friends I am not sure he would have found the educational success available to him. As educators it is our job to make sure all students realize their potential and strive to achieve it, not doing so is a crime on our part.

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    1. I completely agree with your story about your friend and how the education system really tries to tell students that they're dumb or cannot succeed where in fact that they are just different types of learners. I've seen this with some of my friends too. They go from 2.5 GPA's in high school to 3.8 in college because they can forge their own path and determine what they want to learn. I do also believe that it is our duty as educators to push them to learn and that it may not be in some subjects but to foster it where we can and when we can.

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  11. 1. Website
    I think the website was a little vague on how it was going to accomplish the 4 C's and the 3 R's. I personally hate the idea of going back to basics with students. I think the 3 R's is a terrible term because it is already not spelled correctly and reinforces this type of thinking in students (I know it's an anagram but I don't care). I do however, think that all teachers should focus on the 4 C's to provide the life skills that students need to learn without dumbing it down to basics and keeping the material interesting and stimulating. But the website itself was quite vague on how it wanted to accomplish that.

    2. Video
    I agree with what Robinson said int he video that we need reform. I see this in two areas though: High school reform and an increased focus on the arts/electives.
    I think that we need to make learning more driven and individualized. We set students on tracks, tell them they have to learn this or that, and they are really herded like cattle from one subject to the other. I think that if we made learning more personalized then students would take a greater interest in their education. For example, in high school we have the minimum number of credits that a student needs to graduate. They must complete many courses here or there with little room for personalization. In Germany, students learn these "core" classes for 2-3 years and then spend another 1-2 years having personalized education. They can choose 2-3 subjects and really focus on these. For example my friend who spent her 2 years in "abitur" focused on math and english language is now studying international business technology and chemistry at college. Another friend was a high level math and science student and skipped these two years and went right into an apprenticeship/internship and is now an mechanical engineer. There are many ways to educate students and at this age, it's better to let them drive their own education and figure out what they like, basically what American students do in college for the first two years.
    As for electives and arts, I believe that they're some of the most important subjects because they also let students drive their own curriculum planning. At my middle school in California, I took wood shop, plastics shop, drawing, and cooking. At Whitford, they have to choose between Art/PE and Spanish/Band. I chose mine out of 20 something course offerings. At Whitford, they don't get choices and spend more time learning math and literacy to meet standards. Both are driven for certain things but at least I had fun at school and when I was having fun, when I chose what I wanted to do, I paid a lot more attention to that certain class.

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    1. I agree completely that it is much easier to get something out of class when you're actually interested in it. I had a similar experience in my middle school, I had maybe a dozen elective choices that ranged from band to wood shop. One of the best classes I ever took as an elective was applied mathematics, not only was it fun but we actually used math, not just did math problems, that is something that is definitely missing from Whitford, and all the other schools I have observed. The basis of education seems to be drill and kill model. The trick it seems is to get students engaged but how can we do that when we are not given the opportunities to do anything outside the box.

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  12. "I think that if we made learning more personalized then students would take a greater interest in their education."

    Or what if we could just teach students cores we want them to know like math, through the subject they are interested in. Then they can see the relevance to what they want to do, instead of asking "when will i ever use this?" So for example if a student is interested in farming and raising chickens, we could teach them how to count using chicken eggs, same with multiplication. If each chicken produces 2 eggs and you have 7 chickens, how many eggs will you have?

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