I chose the Student Ownership signpost. Possibly because I work with older students, juniors and seniors, I believe these students are capable of using tools of learning to further their education. They know what is important to them and how they will use the knowledge. When students are allowed to choose a topic of study, we can both learn together. Self-confidence is gained by the student and they teach me new information.
I think that Student Ownership is important for our students - especially our high school students. Encouraging students to have goals and work towards them helps them become self-motivated.
I think sometimes if we would allow the students to be in charge of their learning it would be a guide for both the teacher and the student. Having that ownership of their learning is awesome.
I forgot to address how the signpost impacts the future of education! When students are interested in the topic, they see relevance and delve deeper into information. At some point in the future, I think all learning will be truly student focused and driven.
I truly believe that pedagogy is the key to the future of education. Not only is it what we teach, but how. If we continue on this path we will break away from literal thinkers and see a birth of critical thinkers and students who want to be a part of the world around them. I truly believe that hands on experiences and everything discussed in this section are the key to infusing passion back into learning. Allow students to dream, pretend, think, design... do not enclose them in the box of what you think they should do, or what is easiest to grade. Our job is to teach. We need to involve our students. We need to collaborate with them and create a community of learners... not a lecture hall. If we can do this, education will be the leading innovation in America and will allow us to thrive into tomorrow.
I agree with your statements with incorporating hands on experiences to allow students to dream, think, and design. I wrote about those same topics but with student ownership.
Wisdom - "we would trade a lot of knowledge for a little bit of wisdom". Students often gain understanding of life experience from the relationships they form with teachers and peers. Wisdom - good old fashioned horse sense. Many CTE students are given the opportunity to gain life wisdom as they participate in hands on learning in CTE classes, SAE's and contests such as parli-pro, public speaking, livestock judging and other career events. Administrators and peers need to "see" all faculty members as having valuable wisdom to share with students. When students (and their parents) seek to actively gain wisdom schools will see positive results. And the Student Ownership signpost will become a part of this.
Wisdom is so valuable. You are so right about getting students out in the world and having hands-on experiences. They know if that's something they enjoy, not that they liked the video or think it might be neat to try. It's so good to get them out working and doing things for themselves. Excellent ideas!
I believe part of this is the teacher and administrators being visible as "people," not just in their authoritative position. It's one thing the have to respect someone because you're supposed to, it's another entirely to respect them because they respect you. I used to think my teachers were like superheroes. It never occurred to me that they were moms and dads. That they did chores and played games. I think that if students see us as humans/people first, they will respect our wisdom and appreciate it all the more.
I agree with you. Sometimes they only see us in one role of our life when truly we have many other rules. We also have been in their shoes at some point even though times are changing.
I think Leadership is an important sign post. Leadership can impact innovation in so many ways. When teachers want to innovate, a leader can create an environment where it’s encouraged or an environment where it’s stopped before it starts. A good leader can also start discussions that allow teachers to ponder and consider the best ways to solve a problem without knowing the right answer. They allow the staff members to discuss and come up with ideas or solutions. So, while the other sign posts are important, I think that the leadership in schools need to foster an environment that encourages innovation.
Allowing teachers to be leaders can bring out the best of everyone. Everyone has different ideas and approaches to things. Working as a team and valuing each other's strengths can change the school environment and great innovation can begin. It's giving up some of the traditions and being free to trial and error that is the tough part. It can be scary and with the increasing pressure on students being proficient it can be down right terrifying.
I believe all of the signposts are important. I chose student ownership because I feel there is lack of this in my district. Students need to feel responsible for their work. This could be accomplished through completing projects where students are in charge of research, creating, and presenting. Students completing projects will change the future of education because the student has more control and more interest in the outcome. It would also give them strategies to be successful in life after high school.
I agree with you Deanna that student ownership is definitely important. When students own their work, the quality is so much better. It also allows them to problem solve and figure things out in the real world.
I think student ownership can impact education in a big way. The students usually know more about technology than the teachers do. Why not let them teach each other? Of course, they don't get to pick whatever topic they want. They would have guidance from the teacher and specific requirements to fulfill. I think back to my computer class in high school. To demonstrate our knowledge of powerpoint, we had to a biography of someone. I chose Walt Disney as I loved the Disney movies. My knowledge about Walt Disney went from very little to more knowledge. Then I had to present to the rest of the class...fulfillment of speaking and listening. I also think now as an adult, there are topics on the History channel that I am now interested in that I wasn't in high school. I think part of it is that they have interesting topics such as the tunnels under London or how areal photography probably changed the outcome of WWII. What if we let the students select topics of interest to them and with teacher guidance, they not only learn themselves but their peers may find a new interest and I'm sure the teacher will learn something in the process also. Open the door to creativity and student interest and great learning could come from it.
Ownership is great for the students. It will help them with getting up in front of people and speaking, communicating and collaborating with others. Develop problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. It'll provide a drive for success with inside them to find what they are interested in and follow a path to self sufficiency and preservation in society. When other students see this it will make them want to have the same capabilities. As it says in the book it will catch fire with others and create a positive influence for many others.
I like the idea of having students share the teaching role, not just with technology, but with other skill sets. It reinforces the role of teacher as "lead learner" as well.
I like your thinking Heather. There are tons of topics on the history channel that I wished I could have had the opportunity to study earlier in life, but didn't have that because the only history was out of our textbook and if the teacher didn't like a subject it was glossed over. If students were allowed to explore something that they are interested in with guidance, they could share and find something that could be life changing
They are all important but since I have to choose I think leadership will have a huge impact on the future of education. I have seen schools where lack of leadership has created an "Africa" effect within a school, one giant continent consisting of numerous independent countries and with a lot of infighting! Lack of leadership opens the door for teachers to "do their own thing" often without a focus and direction. Teaching that lacks the backing of educational research but focuses on opinions and tradition will not be able to keep up or compete in the 21st century. Those schools lack all the other sign posts necessary to move forward as being 21st Century schools teaching 21st Century learners. It's like having a lot of 1 room school houses in 1 building, not effective at all. Leadership is like a compass keeping everything and everyone on course and helping navigate through uncertain waters. A word of caution, it is important to be able to distinguish good leaders from bad leaders. Obviously Hitler, for example, was not a good leader. I tell my own 2 kids at home this, be careful who you follow- not all leaders will lead in the right direction!
Anchors, dams, and silos is the one signpost that stands out to me the most. Especially the anchors that tie teachers down. There needs to be a way to free up the assembly line of learning or even do away with the assembly line altogether. If teachers can get themselves free of being a traditional education teacher, students and educators will be better off. Like in the earlier chapters of this book if we can have teachers have their students explore concepts that are not tied to traditional curriculum we would have more students educated and better prepared for learning and be prepared as an adult for the rest of their lives. For most of our kids right now it will be very hard for them to get into college if they are required to perform well on an SAT or other standardized test. Colleges need to find a way to change their criteria in order for students that don't do well on standardized test at least have a chance to attend a college just to see what they can do and most of these kids might surprise us in a good way. Silos that separate students and processes are very much a negative impact on our school system if we can get rid of these silos we would be able to see some of our students that struggle in school be able to think for themselves step out of their comfort zone and see them come up with their own innovations as well as excel in their learning and their education.
I agree with you getting away from traditional ways and getting to where the world is today is a must. In order to have connection and engaged learning we have to meet the students in their world. Teachers need to Think and get outside of the box and their comfort. This only makes for better teachers and students. It is about change and change is good especially when it comes to a student learning applying the learning.
Frequency and Amplitude: I love the idea of having short bursts of learning for professional development. When I start reading blogs or looking on pinterest, I get so inspired. My previous place of employment allowed us to do a alot of job shadowing...I learned so much from this process on different therapy techniques and organizational skills.
We all learn and implement best if it's frequenty repeated and in small bites. I think this way of providing learning to our educators could bring teachers together to support each other...to collaborate on successes and failures within their classroom. I also think it would help make us more accountable as we are all in this together.
I see value and a need for each of the 12, but for purposes of this post, I chose leadership. Some of the most effective change efforts I've seen over the years, were those where their was a shared vision and shared leadership. This atmosphere allows people to play off each others strengths, and hear and respond to each other's ideas. It increases the sense of ownership and accountability.
I believe student ownership is what I would hope students would use the most. When a student owns their learning, they are in control of their destiny and when a young person feels that they are in control, they (most of the time) will work harder at that particular item. This also can have significant impact on them when they are outside of a school setting and into the work force. If a person is willing and able to take ownership of their job and its requirements, a person will do so much better at that job. Ownership kind of translates to being proud of accomplishments in my opinion.
Linda- I agree that students taking ownership of their education is very important. It reminds me of when kiddos are first starting to use their own hard earned money for buying something that they want rather than just asking mom and dad for it. They tend to be more mindful of the whole process, you know??? Similarly, when a student is more heavily invested in their education, I think they tend to be more responsible, work harder, and as you also mentioned, just take more pride in what they’re doing.
Leadership even at a young age is a very important role in a child’s education. If we teach students to be leaders as they grow over the years they will embrace change more readily and be willing to lead those who are not through change. Also if we are teaching kids to be leaders as they grow they will be able to brave the storms of negativity and find positive in all that lies ahead of them and others. They will be better adults and be able to survive and thrive in the real world setting and in future careers.
I feel that leadership is a big idea that is important from all ages. I feel at the preschool/kindergarten level teaching students what it looks like to be a leader in the classroom, through manners, peer relationships, being the best that they can even at 4 years old, doing their best work, participation and acknowledging when someone is speaking to you and active listening. I feel that we need to teach these youngsters leadership roles at their level and continue through high school. I think this builds so much for a person's character, it provides a confident student and hopefully a better adult.
I think that all twelve of the sign posts have an important part in the future of education. I chose wisdom as the signpost of education that I think is most important. "We would all trade a lot of knowledge for a little bit of wisdom." I think this is important because it allows students the understanding of the life experiences that they gain from teachers and their peers. We all want our students to become happy, caring, and productive members of society. With the wisdom that they can gain from us as educators, they will be able to do just that.
I think “Finding & Developing People” will have a HUGE impact on the future of education. I think that the success or failure of an educational institution largely rests on the people that work there (Faculty, staff, administrators, everyone). If a school is filled with caring, optimistic, energetic, innovative individuals, it’s likely that the atmosphere and culture created will greatly facilitate how instruction is able to be provided and also the type of education students receive.
I chose the Student Ownership signpost. Possibly because I work with older students, juniors and seniors, I believe these students are capable of using tools of learning to further their education. They know what is important to them and how they will use the knowledge. When students are allowed to choose a topic of study, we can both learn together. Self-confidence is gained by the student and they teach me new information.
ReplyDeleteI think that Student Ownership is important for our students - especially our high school students. Encouraging students to have goals and work towards them helps them become self-motivated.
DeleteI think sometimes if we would allow the students to be in charge of their learning it would be a guide for both the teacher and the student. Having that ownership of their learning is awesome.
DeleteI forgot to address how the signpost impacts the future of education! When students are interested in the topic, they see relevance and delve deeper into information. At some point in the future, I think all learning will be truly student focused and driven.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that pedagogy is the key to the future of education. Not only is it what we teach, but how. If we continue on this path we will break away from literal thinkers and see a birth of critical thinkers and students who want to be a part of the world around them. I truly believe that hands on experiences and everything discussed in this section are the key to infusing passion back into learning. Allow students to dream, pretend, think, design... do not enclose them in the box of what you think they should do, or what is easiest to grade. Our job is to teach. We need to involve our students. We need to collaborate with them and create a community of learners... not a lecture hall. If we can do this, education will be the leading innovation in America and will allow us to thrive into tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statements with incorporating hands on experiences to allow students to dream, think, and design. I wrote about those same topics but with student ownership.
DeleteI think a portion of this is completed, as Lichtman suggests, by learning with students. We model learning right along with our students!
ReplyDeleteWisdom - "we would trade a lot of knowledge for a little bit of wisdom". Students often gain understanding of life experience from the relationships they form with teachers and peers. Wisdom - good old fashioned horse sense. Many CTE students are given the opportunity to gain life wisdom as they participate in hands on learning in CTE classes, SAE's and contests such as parli-pro, public speaking, livestock judging and other career events. Administrators and peers need to "see" all faculty members as having valuable wisdom to share with students. When students (and their parents) seek to actively gain wisdom schools will see positive results. And the Student Ownership signpost will become a part of this.
ReplyDeleteWisdom is so valuable. You are so right about getting students out in the world and having hands-on experiences. They know if that's something they enjoy, not that they liked the video or think it might be neat to try. It's so good to get them out working and doing things for themselves. Excellent ideas!
DeleteI believe part of this is the teacher and administrators being visible as "people," not just in their authoritative position. It's one thing the have to respect someone because you're supposed to, it's another entirely to respect them because they respect you. I used to think my teachers were like superheroes. It never occurred to me that they were moms and dads. That they did chores and played games. I think that if students see us as humans/people first, they will respect our wisdom and appreciate it all the more.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Sometimes they only see us in one role of our life when truly we have many other rules. We also have been in their shoes at some point even though times are changing.
DeleteI think Leadership is an important sign post. Leadership can impact innovation in so many ways. When teachers want to innovate, a leader can create an environment where it’s encouraged or an environment where it’s stopped before it starts. A good leader can also start discussions that allow teachers to ponder and consider the best ways to solve a problem without knowing the right answer. They allow the staff members to discuss and come up with ideas or solutions. So, while the other sign posts are important, I think that the leadership in schools need to foster an environment that encourages innovation.
ReplyDeleteAllowing teachers to be leaders can bring out the best of everyone. Everyone has different ideas and approaches to things. Working as a team and valuing each other's strengths can change the school environment and great innovation can begin. It's giving up some of the traditions and being free to trial and error that is the tough part. It can be scary and with the increasing pressure on students being proficient it can be down right terrifying.
DeleteI believe all of the signposts are important. I chose student ownership because I feel there is lack of this in my district. Students need to feel responsible for their work. This could be accomplished through completing projects where students are in charge of research, creating, and presenting. Students completing projects will change the future of education because the student has more control and more interest in the outcome. It would also give them strategies to be successful in life after high school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Deanna that student ownership is definitely important. When students own their work, the quality is so much better. It also allows them to problem solve and figure things out in the real world.
DeleteI think student ownership can impact education in a big way. The students usually know more about technology than the teachers do. Why not let them teach each other? Of course, they don't get to pick whatever topic they want. They would have guidance from the teacher and specific requirements to fulfill. I think back to my computer class in high school. To demonstrate our knowledge of powerpoint, we had to a biography of someone. I chose Walt Disney as I loved the Disney movies. My knowledge about Walt Disney went from very little to more knowledge. Then I had to present to the rest of the class...fulfillment of speaking and listening. I also think now as an adult, there are topics on the History channel that I am now interested in that I wasn't in high school. I think part of it is that they have interesting topics such as the tunnels under London or how areal photography probably changed the outcome of WWII. What if we let the students select topics of interest to them and with teacher guidance, they not only learn themselves but their peers may find a new interest and I'm sure the teacher will learn something in the process also. Open the door to creativity and student interest and great learning could come from it.
ReplyDeleteOwnership is great for the students. It will help them with getting up in front of people and speaking, communicating and collaborating with others. Develop problem solving skills and critical thinking skills. It'll provide a drive for success with inside them to find what they are interested in and follow a path to self sufficiency and preservation in society. When other students see this it will make them want to have the same capabilities. As it says in the book it will catch fire with others and create a positive influence for many others.
DeleteI like the idea of having students share the teaching role, not just with technology, but with other skill sets. It reinforces the role of teacher as "lead learner" as well.
DeleteI like your thinking Heather. There are tons of topics on the history channel that I wished I could have had the opportunity to study earlier in life, but didn't have that because the only history was out of our textbook and if the teacher didn't like a subject it was glossed over. If students were allowed to explore something that they are interested in with guidance, they could share and find something that could be life changing
DeleteThey are all important but since I have to choose I think leadership will have a huge impact on the future of education. I have seen schools where lack of leadership has created an "Africa" effect within a school, one giant continent consisting of numerous independent countries and with a lot of infighting! Lack of leadership opens the door for teachers to "do their own thing" often without a focus and direction. Teaching that lacks the backing of educational research but focuses on opinions and tradition will not be able to keep up or compete in the 21st century. Those schools lack all the other sign posts necessary to move forward as being 21st Century schools teaching 21st Century learners. It's like having a lot of 1 room school houses in 1 building, not effective at all. Leadership is like a compass keeping everything and everyone on course and helping navigate through uncertain waters. A word of caution, it is important to be able to distinguish good leaders from bad leaders. Obviously Hitler, for example, was not a good leader. I tell my own 2 kids at home this, be careful who you follow- not all leaders will lead in the right direction!
ReplyDeleteAnchors, dams, and silos is the one signpost that stands out to me the most. Especially the anchors that tie teachers down. There needs to be a way to free up the assembly line of learning or even do away with the assembly line altogether. If teachers can get themselves free of being a traditional education teacher, students and educators will be better off. Like in the earlier chapters of this book if we can have teachers have their students explore concepts that are not tied to traditional curriculum we would have more students educated and better prepared for learning and be prepared as an adult for the rest of their lives. For most of our kids right now it will be very hard for them to get into college if they are required to perform well on an SAT or other standardized test. Colleges need to find a way to change their criteria in order for students that don't do well on standardized test at least have a chance to attend a college just to see what they can do and most of these kids might surprise us in a good way. Silos that separate students and processes are very much a negative impact on our school system if we can get rid of these silos we would be able to see some of our students that struggle in school be able to think for themselves step out of their comfort zone and see them come up with their own innovations as well as excel in their learning and their education.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you getting away from traditional ways and getting to where the world is today is a must. In order to have connection and engaged learning we have to meet the students in their world. Teachers need to Think and get outside of the box and their comfort. This only makes for better teachers and students. It is about change and change is good especially when it comes to a student learning applying the learning.
DeleteFrequency and Amplitude: I love the idea of having short bursts of learning for professional development. When I start reading blogs or looking on pinterest, I get so inspired. My previous place of employment allowed us to do a alot of job shadowing...I learned so much from this process on different therapy techniques and organizational skills.
ReplyDeleteWe all learn and implement best if it's frequenty repeated and in small bites. I think this way of providing learning to our educators could bring teachers together to support each other...to collaborate on successes and failures within their classroom. I also think it would help make us more accountable as we are all in this together.
DeleteI see value and a need for each of the 12, but for purposes of this post, I chose leadership. Some of the most effective change efforts I've seen over the years, were those where their was a shared vision and shared leadership. This atmosphere allows people to play off each others strengths, and hear and respond to each other's ideas. It increases the sense of ownership and accountability.
ReplyDeleteI believe student ownership is what I would hope students would use the most. When a student owns their learning, they are in control of their destiny and when a young person feels that they are in control, they (most of the time) will work harder at that particular item. This also can have significant impact on them when they are outside of a school setting and into the work force. If a person is willing and able to take ownership of their job and its requirements, a person will do so much better at that job. Ownership kind of translates to being proud of accomplishments in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteLinda-
DeleteI agree that students taking ownership of their education is very important. It reminds me of when kiddos are first starting to use their own hard earned money for buying something that they want rather than just asking mom and dad for it. They tend to be more mindful of the whole process, you know??? Similarly, when a student is more heavily invested in their education, I think they tend to be more responsible, work harder, and as you also mentioned, just take more pride in what they’re doing.
Leadership even at a young age is a very important role in a child’s education. If we teach students to be leaders as they grow over the years they will embrace change more readily and be willing to lead those who are not through change. Also if we are teaching kids to be leaders as they grow they will be able to brave the storms of negativity and find positive in all that lies ahead of them and others. They will be better adults and be able to survive and thrive in the real world setting and in future careers.
ReplyDeleteI feel that leadership is a big idea that is important from all ages. I feel at the preschool/kindergarten level teaching students what it looks like to be a leader in the classroom, through manners, peer relationships, being the best that they can even at 4 years old, doing their best work, participation and acknowledging when someone is speaking to you and active listening. I feel that we need to teach these youngsters leadership roles at their level and continue through high school. I think this builds so much for a person's character, it provides a confident student and hopefully a better adult.
ReplyDeleteI think that all twelve of the sign posts have an important part in the future of education. I chose wisdom as the signpost of education that I think is most important. "We would all trade a lot of knowledge for a little bit of wisdom." I think this is important because it allows students the understanding of the life experiences that they gain from teachers and their peers. We all want our students to become happy, caring, and productive members of society. With the wisdom that they can gain from us as educators, they will be able to do just that.
ReplyDeleteI think “Finding & Developing People” will have a HUGE impact on the future of education. I think that the success or failure of an educational institution largely rests on the people that work there (Faculty, staff, administrators, everyone). If a school is filled with caring, optimistic, energetic, innovative individuals, it’s likely that the atmosphere and culture created will greatly facilitate how instruction is able to be provided and also the type of education students receive.
ReplyDelete