21st Century Skills (with Tony Wagner)
In this interactive workshop, participants will have an opportunity to:
- consider some implications of a focus on teaching and assessing 21st century skills;
- look at a model for assessing 21st century skills via a 30-minute video; and
- consider next steps for their classroom, school or district.
Lessons from Finland
Finnish students consistently outperform American students on the PISA (Programme for International Standardized Assessment) and yet their schools do less standardized testing than we do in the U. S. This session will examine some of the factors often attributed to Finland's success, including teacher selection and training, classroom practices, social supports, and other cultural factors. The discussion will center on which of these lessons from Finland may be transferable to the U. S. context and which may not be.
Implementing the School Transformation Model: Rutland High School's Experience
Having embarked on Year Three of their School Improvement Grant, representatives from Rutland High School will speak to their experience and efforts in implementing systemic change at the secondary school level. They will talk about shifting culture, building systems, overcoming obstacles, and work still to be done. Anyone who is considering introducing school change on any scale would be interested in hearing from these intrepid educators who are in the midst of it.
Student Adult Partnerships in School Transformation Roundtable
Educators across Vermont agree that student and adult partnerships are key to transforming our schools. Many of us have made inroads in the process. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to discuss what is working in our schools to elevate student voice in the transformation efforts. Equally important, we will also explore what isn't working. The goal of our dialogue will be to listen and learn from each other, creating a plan to move forward individually and collectively to formulate next steps toward making student and adult partnerships a centerpiece in school transformation in Vermont.
Creating Content Curators
This workshop will look at technology in ways which build on Dr. Wagner's idea that "The world doesn't care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know."
Using broad brushstrokes, participants will look at the artistry of discovery, vetting, and connecting existing content to provide a frame for the creation of fresh ideas that when applied in new contexts allow for greater meaning and understanding. We will then add to our gallery by looking at how we teach our students to organize, exhibit, and share with others these innovative applications of information.
Leadership and Transformation: Experiences in Leading the Change
School Leaders in the midst of transformation discuss their experiences in a panel discussion. We will open the format to question and answer, sharing thoughts on staying true to the vision, building sustainable systems, being results focused, overcoming obstacles, sharing the responsibility and developing leadership capacity. School administrators and leaders are welcome to share their experiences.
Differentiated Instruction
Have you wondered just how, exactly, you are supposed to differentiate in your classroom? It is overwhelming to think of changing your lesson plan for students with different skills, interests, AND learning styles. This workshop will give participants specific activities that they can take home to their classrooms without having to make 25 lesson plans for a class of 25 students. This workshop is appropriate whether participants know nothing about differentiation or if they already understand the "nuts and bolts" of running a differentiated classroom. The workshop hosts have backgrounds in both math and humanities, giving insights into a variety of classrooms.
Personalized Learning: Performance-Based Assessment
Our primary goal is to share performance-based assessment processes using 21st century skill standards as the criteria for achievement. Our personal approach to learning, using this method of assessment, shows how students design, create projects, and improve their learning on an on-going basis. Tools used in this process are:
- Google site—Pathways Space
- Competency Rubrics—Personal Development and Self-Awareness: Independent Learning, Collaboration, Global Citizenship, Communication (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) and Critical Thinking
- Google site—Electronic portfolio/Personal Learning Plan (PLP)
- Project-based student work and performance evidence
We have designed an interactive process for participants to learn from a modeled practice and then practice the assessment process for themselves.
The Millenials
Some experts say we are now in the third "digital revolution." After the Internet Revolution and the Social Network Revolution, we are now experiencing the Mobile Revolution. Nearly one in three Americans go online with a tablet now-twice as many as last year, 25% of Smartphone owners use it as their primary device to go online, and 83% of Americans age 18-24 sleep with their cell phones. This workshop will examine the latest research on the "Millennials," also knows as Generation Y, and discuss what it portends for education in the years to come.
One Student at a Time: Carnegie Units to Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements
Proficiency-based graduation is based on students demonstrating what they have learned. In practice, it means that every student must show—by writing a paper, delivering a presentation, or completing a challenging project, for example—that they have acquired a minimum level of proficiency and competence when it comes to mastering the essential knowledge and skills they need to succeed in college, work and life. For more than a century, American high school students have earned "credits" for passing courses. When they accumulate enough credits, they receive a diploma. The problem with this approach is that credits do not always equal competency. Every year, students across the country graduate knowing calculus, while others struggle with basic arithmetic. Some leave with strong writing and research skills, while others are only minimally literate. This workshop will unpack what proficiency-based graduation requirements are, how they are being used, and how they can support flexible pathways for learning in our schools.
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