In today’s world, 21st-century skills are all the talk. We heard it first from business leaders who apparently have been disappointed by the quality of recent graduates, not because they aren’t intelligent or eager to do a good job, but because they don’t take enough initiative or they don’t seem creative enough to meet the ever-changing demands of the new business world.
Now we are hearing the same from educators. We are told from all corners that our students need to be tech-savvy communicators, innovators, problem solvers, critical thinkers, and on and on. Numerous educational reports, studies, online chats, and conferences focus on this subject. Essentially, 21st-century skills have become the siren call in education. (more…)
Last week, I spoke for career day at my son’s intermediate school, telling about the life of a working writer. About fifty kids from the school had signed up to hear me. They were so bright, so attentive, their eyes wide, their brains bubbling. (more…)
Obviously, school is intended to prepare students for life. But what do we mean by that? On the one hand, we mean that it provides students with the necessary skills to gain a career after graduation and become productive members of society. On the other hand, the teachers most of us remember long after our own schooling are those who encouraged our individuality. (more…)
One of my daughters is working with the Boys and Girls Club’s SPARK program in Milwaukee, which helps struggling readers age six to nine to reach proficiency at their grade level. Many of these children have every reason to fail: For some, their only daily meal is at school; for others, their home is contaminated with lead; and crime is evident throughout their neighborhoods. (more…)
In his inaugural address, President Obama expressed his hope that all Americans take a renewed interest and pride in their country, that they become responsible citizens with a focus on the common good.
All new presidents express this same hope in one form or another when they are about to take office. Any one who remembers John F. Kennedy will never forget his famous inaugural appeal: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” (more…)
Last weekend my wife and I finished watching the latest of The Librarian TV movies. The protagonist is a bespectacled thirty-something bookworm with scores of university degrees who finds himself employed as the secret guardian of an untold number of legendary objects. Part of the job involves adventuring across the globe to recover items that aren’t yet safely ensconced in that collection. Frequently, his survival depends upon esoteric bits of knowledge he gained during his many years of school, and part of the character’s charm is the delighted manner in which he spills forth details about a particular plant or architectural feature or ancient language or whatnot. Not that the villains appreciate that, of course. I had to chuckle when in this most recent episode, one of the antagonists suddenly erupted, “Must you always speak in whole paragraphs!” (more…)
“Your sense of freedom and play will infuse your writing with energy, and that energy will make your words enjoyable to read.”
—Jack Heffron, author of The Writer’s Idea Book
I still remember, even after all these years, sitting in Ms. Nowitski’s Advanced English class as a high school junior. She was having us develop a research paper following the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee research guide. She waxed eloquently about research skills and, of course, stressed the importance of understanding everything about the research process so we could—ahem—succeed at the next level. (more…)
Yesterday I stumbled across an article about college students getting miffed when they didn’t get an “A for Effort”: “Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes.” I find it a difficult attitude to understand; it breaks down as soon as it’s applied to the working world. A building doesn’t care whether an architect tried her hardest—the design either stands or falls. A gall bladder doesn’t care that a surgeon did his best—the cholecystectomy is either a success or a failure. So why are students reaching college with this unrealistic attitude that if they read the material and show up for class they deserve an A? (more…)
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
—Albert Einstein
In one of my recent blog entries—”Just Imagine“—I stressed the importance of creative thinking in the classroom. Since then, I’ve done a bit of research on creativity, focusing mainly on the artistic process.
I first turned to “Thinking Like an Artist” in Mind Matters: Teaching for Thinking by Dan Kirby and Carol Kuykendall. This book has been around awhile (Heinemann, 1991), but it’s still one of the first things I turn to when I have thinking on my mind. (more…)
It’s somewhat ironic; just as I was about to post this blog about helping struggling writers, I read “Best Practices: Students in the Driver’s Seat” by Anthony Cody (Teacher Magazine, January 14, 2009). Cody promotes inquiry-based instruction and problem-based learning, two practices that give students a great deal of control over their learning. I, too, advocate these practices and have, in fact, written about inquiry-based instruction myself: “That’s a Good Question” (October 6, 2008) and “Planning Less, Learning More” (October 23, 2008). (more…)
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