Archive of ‘Family & Consumer Sciences (FACS)’ category

Students & C3 Inquiry

Traditional education has mainly focused on linearly transmitting information, from teacher to student, with the product being an assessment of what the student “knows.” However, when the class moves in a linear A-B-C-D fashion, information and concepts which are missed may go unnoticed.   In order to expose gaps in knowledge and skill a new way of digesting material must be introduced.  The C3 Inquiry method proposes just this kind of change.

Ever since learning of the C3 Inquiry method, I’ve been a fan.  I recently created a lesson which utilized the C3 Inquiry: “What Influenced the Creation of the U.S. Constitution?” located at http://www.c3teachers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/C3-FINAL-Gov-Constitutional-Influences.pdf, Inquiry material created by Fairfax County Public Schools.

As I walked through the lesson plan, I began to realize, I was getting ahead of myself. Most students are not exposed to the inquiry method and if they are, I’m not sure they realize its purpose. Since I believe purposeful instruction is the key to student engagement and motivation, I began to really think through how I would introduce this method to my class.  “How should I explain this?”, “Should I have a pre-review of the activity before I explain its purpose?”, or “Should I just introduce it “cold” and work through the explanation as the lesson progresses?”.

Although some of my answer(s) will come from the culture of the individual class, I came to the conclusion —it was best to begin at the beginning. I will introduce the C3 Inquiry lesson to the students by telling the students that we are going to engage in a C3 Inquiry and explain to them “why” we are going to engage in this method.

In my explanation of the “why”, I will point out that:

  • C3 often takes students out of their comfort zones (because students are used to direct instruction),
  • C3 stretches learning and provides many avenues to “show what you know”,
  • C3 at its base prods students to ask questions and construct their own responses,
  • C3 will help students think of the content in ways not before considered,
  • C3 will help students learn “how” to ask their own questions, how to frame the questions, and how to ask the right questions; and,
  • C3 trains students to be “question askers” and not just “question answerers”

For all of C3’s benefits it is also important to realize that even with the explanation of the process, the introduction of this foreign learning concept may give some students cause for pause.

That’s why probing students with open-ended questions, using student generated questions to drive additional thought, and forcing the use of evidence to support concepts, answers, and additional questions are keys to expanded thinking through Inquiry.

However, these techniques as well as “question asking” in isolation does not turn students into critical thinkers — this is why I will take care in being selective about the student questions I answer; to allow students to remain in the driver seat of the C3 lesson.

In addition, I will strive to share my own annotations to the Inquiry, showing students I’m learning with them, that I have questions too, and that I use the Inquiry method to help me process information.

In the end, I see myself using this inquiry method in my future classroom to deepen understanding of the various factors at play in the media both past and present, meeting SOL skills standards, and fulfilling Virginia Portrait of a Graduate requirements. I envision doing this by breaking the students up into discussion groups where they can fully apply the different thinking processes happening simultaneously during the Inquiry.  Education is evolving, and a modern society deserves a modern way of thinking, a way of changing the dialogue from “what we know” to “how we know.”

Varied Instruction

Humans are unique creatures. The advancement of society from the nomadic tribes of yesteryear to today’s technically connected epicenters has depended mainly on human’s ingenuity. How did humans learn to be so creative, resourceful, and knowledgeable? Was it through a well thought out academic framework? Was it trial by fire? Or a combination of numerous influences all as unique as the individuals themselves?

A plentiful cache of learning theories has attempted to answer those questions, and it is safe to say that no sloe theory tells us exactly how humans learn. However, several have been well researched, thoroughly documented, and soundly applied providing confidence in the broad elements.

Varied instruction takes into consideration the theories of multiple intelligence, constructivism, humanistic psychology, and cognitive development through the idea of neurodiversity. Boiled down to its most basic points, neurodiversity creates a complex educational landscape, one in which the educator attempts to navigate through more individualized instruction.

Individual difference variables are the drivers of a classroom of varied instruction. Honing in on those elements which make each learner unique and creating a curriculum which caters to those individual learning differences is a tall order. In an education system which is designed to education enmass, it may seem that the ‘teach to the average’ method which was employed for an industrialized America is now the system with which we are stuck. This is not the case. Although it seems impossible for mass education to accommodate one-on-one individualized education, detailed planning and first-hand knowledge of students makes the impossible into the possible.

In a diverse learning environment where each learner’s strengths and weaknesses are known, measured, supplemented, and assisted; the individual learner has a chance. With the theory of varied instruction in mind, reviewing cognitive processes, how the brain learns, how the developing brain is posited to learn multiple things, in multiple ways, at multiple times, is the key to successful, motivated, autonomous learners. Bottom line, providing ‘voice and choice’ to accomplish the same goal (write an essay, create a mind map, drawn a comic strip) will accomplish the same objectives.

What does varied instruction look like in your classroom?

 

Globalization & Education

Globalization is not a new concept; in fact, modern industrialization can be marked by 19th-century advancements in automation. The ability to mass produce items created a global trade market which opened up new economies. The 20th century ushered in more than trading goods between different countries—it offered a glimpse into commercial integration. With the advent of the internet in 1990 advancements in technology have created an interconnected 21st-century world (1). From globalized business to connection through social media, technology has taken an insulated population and created a global population.

This is especially apparent when we look at our classrooms. Students have a constant online presence, interacting with people from around the world on a daily basis. As educators, we have an opportunity to harness a student’s interest in other people and a student’s curiosity about other cultures to create cultural competence for success in the ever complex 21st-century world.  Further, as educators we are guided by the United States Department of Education’s (ED) “mission to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access” (2) and encouraged by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to educate students about “the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice” (3). Although the purpose is clear, the “why” is sometimes opaque.

So why do our students need global competence? Twenty-first-century students exist in a diverse and interconnected world. Mass migration erases borders, concerns over climate instability create community, and constant social and technological interconnection amalgamates cultures. This means students must learn global competence to discover ways to live harmoniously in multicultural communities, thrive in a changing labor market, and use media platforms effectively and responsibly. Teaching students to investigate worlds beyond their immediate environment promotes cultural awareness and respectful community interactions as well as affords respectful communication with diverse audiences (4).

This integrative outlook on the world is not just a collection of independent skills; it is both a disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding of the globe as a system (4).  This interdisciplinary understanding needs to be purposeful, grounded, interactive, and thoughtful (4) to keep students engaged in the learning process. Student engagement is key in any learning process but is especially important when students are tackling concepts outside of their comfort zones. Collaborative learning, and working through the lens of empathy, can help students absorb the dissonance in these topics.

Zepke & Leach, 2010 note that “When institutions provide opportunities for students to learn both autonomously and with others, and to develop their sense of competence, students are more likely to be motivated, to engage and succeed.” (5). Educators can have students work independently and together to create a habit of global competence by asking students to complete such assignments as “write an argument concerning the promise and period of globalization, or a narrative on life of a migrant child, or an explanation of how communication technologies work to facilitate democratic movements in a given region” (4).  Asking the students to engage in discussions about complex problems and work collaboratively to find solutions helps them stay on task by tapping into the emotion which drives cognition (Schwatrz, 2016); these are critical metacognitive skills needed to internalize concepts of a globalized system.

The future is here, globalization is real, and 21st-century students need competencies in order to work with people from different cultures, on global teams, and with international consumers. Students need to envision, tackle, and solve problems in ways not yet conceived, and of course the competition in the global business arena is only becoming more competitive.  By engaging students through addressing global challenges, globalizing the context for learning, connecting universal themes, illuminating global knowledge and history, and learning through international collaboration (4), we can ensure that our students are ready for the future that lies ahead.

Reading & Writing: The Heart of Life Long Learning

Reading and writing are core competencies in not only every single academic subject but in every workplace. In today’s complex, information, and data-driven society, the need to read content and write as a form of expression is even more critical.  Unfortunately, as the need for these basic skills increase, the ability of our secondary students to competently perform said tasks decreases. As workplace texts become more complex, the texts with which we train our future generations in both primary and secondary schools become easier. In fact, “employers rank reading and writing as top deficiency’s in new hires” (1). Moreover, a sizeable sum is spent by employers in the remediation effort to ensure new hires are proficient in basic reading and writing skills.

Why are secondary students graduating from high school without basic competencies in reading and writing? The reasons are as plentiful as the student’s individual differences; however, one universal strategy to remedy the deficiencies is to teach both reading and writing in each classroom as both a method of instruction and intellectual activity (2).

For reading, incorporating multiple literacies into the classroom helps students learn to mentally organize information and learn key vocabulary. Teaching writing can pose more challenges for educators than teaching reading, simply because writing is a time-consuming craft. However, there are five guiding principles regarding writing instruction (2):

  1. Teacher: The teacher is the facilitator of the process and an expert in the content
  2. Time: Time must be made for writing. Because writing is a process of drafting and re-drafting, there must be ample time dedicated to the task of writing.
  3. Technology: Technology can be used to help students in the writing process. Software such as Microsoft Word and Google Classroom can change the entire landscape of writing for countless students.
  4. Assessment: Measure student growth in writing. Although this is a difficult and somewhat subjective task, the assessment of growth in writing is critical to helping students find strategies to make them better writers.
  5. Practical Strategies: Implementing strategies such as pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing assists the student in the “how” of writing

Once students learn that sitting down and writing a paper for submission in one sitting is virtually impossible (unless that is what the assignment calls for), then they will learn that part of the process of writing is patience and part of the process is reflection. These guiding principles of teaching writing improve student learning.

In short, a teacher preparation program requires a course in reading and writing in the content area for each classroom because students cannot be college ready, workplace-ready, or world ready if they cannot read and write. Effective writing is vital for the classroom, and the workplace (2). Once students are fluent readers, they often read for pleasure, and this correlates strongly with academic achievement (1), translating into higher salaries and more job satisfaction in adulthood. It is the responsibility and the opportunity of each educator from each discipline to equip students with the tools they need.

Profile of a Virginia Graduate: College & Career Ready

The journey to answering the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is no longer as straightforward as it may have been in years past.  Rapid and ever-evolving technological advances change the landscape of the educational and workplace environments at a dizzying pace.

Millions of American children are not engaged, attaining, or thriving in secondary educational institutions.  Regardless of how one discretely defines these attributes, holistically speaking, adolescents of today are largely unprepared for adulthood.  Specifically, these adolescents are not ready, upon graduation, to attend any institution of higher learning or secure meaningful employment. In short, they are not College and Career Ready.

Preparing youth for today’s competitive environment falls mainly at the feet of the secondary educational system(1). However, with an overwhelming 44.8% of high school juniors and seniors not feeling positive about their college and career readiness (2) it is clear that secondary educational institutions need to take steps, in tandem with parents, to help them prepare. Generally, college and career readiness can be defined as the:

level of preparation a student needs in order to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in a credit-bearing course at a postsecondary institution that offers a baccalaureate degree or transfer to a baccalaureate program, or in a high-quality certificate program that enables students to enter a career pathway with potential future advancement” (3).

Read this definition to any person on the street and ask if they think the youth of today meet these criteria, and, from the research, the answer would likely be “no.” That chance increases as you ask parents, teachers, college professors, and employers.

Since successful participation in the college classroom and workforce requires both formal education and hands-on experience to be college-ready, it necessitates that the secondary educational system is responsible for best preparing the students while they are still in school. Virginia schools are ready for this challenge, through various programs such as internships, externships, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs as well as the integration of career exploration as part of the foundational curriculum.

Career exploration is longer be thought of as an elective to be taken as a “time filler” on the student’s schedule.  Virginia is creating a meaningful and streamlined progression for career exploration, not a course that provides a list and says “go learn about this on your own.” Virginia also utilizes the Advance CTE: State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work! a program which offers courses under the 16 different career clusters with 70 different career pathway(4).  

By incorporating both college and career education training in hard and soft skills, Virginia’s Profile of a Graduate marches in lock-step with the goals of colleges and employers alike, preparing Virginia graduates for success in the 21st century.