BUILDING BETTER INSTRUCTION

·         INSUFFICIENTLY PREPARED  It is clear that the demands being made on our students now are insufficiently preparing them for the future demands that will be required of them.  We are turning a corner in education and we are recognizing that we must change our methodology and practice, but are we really resistant to change or are we lacking in opportunity and support to implement the change?  Switching to 21^st century learning skills and project based curriculum requires ongoing support from educational leadership and the community.  Professional development that is relevant and high quality is vitally necessary. 

·         BLOOM, MARZANO, RICHARDSON   Based on the meta-analysis by Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock nine categories of instructional strategies were identified that are most likely to lead to student achievement all of which are to promote changes in student behavior thus increasing motivation and achievement.  This analysis mirrors the characteristics of 21^st century learning as well as the New Bloom’s Taxonomy.  Learning is authentic, real-world based, student centered, includes higher order thinking skills, and collaborative rather than competitive.  As Richardson has most recently posted on his blog “Easier vs Better” are we doing what we are doing because it is better or is it just easier?

·         STUDENT BLOGGERS    In the article e-learning 2.0 the author brings up an interesting point.  He states that blogging is particularly motivating for students because they have an instant audience for their work.  It gives them a place to discuss how they feel about the topic which involves higher order thinking skills.  They must consider their own thinking (metacognitive skills) and how it relates to the content and how they feel about it.  It gives them a place to take risks.  In a recent article I read about the teenage brain the researcher talked about how the teenage brain values rewards much more than an adult even for the same event.  One example involved risk-taking behavior and how an adult may decide not to do something because the risk compared to the reward is too great.  The same activity can be viewed by the teenager as the reward being worth the risk.