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Welcome to what we hope will be an exciting school year for us all. We’re sure you couldn’t help but notice that your child will be part of an innovative 21st century classroom. Our look is different, one big classroom with two teachers and two class contents combined. Our time is different, one longer block of time. Our technology is different, a SMART Board and a networked bank of computers with Internet access. And most importantly, our methods will be different.
Our plan for this year is to incorporate the social studies concepts and the language arts skills using a project based learning (PBL) strategy with our students. “Doing projects” is something we all remember from our own educational careers, but what we propose to do is much more. According to the Buck Institute for Education, PBL is a teaching method that “engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process structured around complex, authentic questions and carefully designed products and tasks.” What this means for us is that we won’t be just tacking on projects at the end of our units, but rather the authentic, real-life project will be our unit, and through it we will teach our core concepts and skills.
All these things do not yet make this a real 21st century classroom. What takes us to the next level is the infusion of the 21st century content as identified by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills including such things as global awareness, entrepreneurial literacy and civic literacy to name a few. Learning and thinking skills that foster understanding of this content such as problem-solving skills, collaborating skills and communication skills will help our students make effective and innovative use of what they know. In addition, deliberate and strategic incorporation of life skills such as personal productivity, social responsibility, leadership and ethics will help prepare our students for the rigors and challenges that will face them in the workforce and in their lives as members of the 21st century.
Assessments in a 21st century classroom will also look different than traditional assessments. Just as the work the students do will be more authentic, the assessments that we use to judge their mastery will be authentic as well. As the year progresses, our students will have the opportunity to present strategic plans to corporate members of the community, argue merits of court cases in front of actual judges, complete presentations and exhibitions under the guidance of advertising specialists and much more.
If this sounds as exciting to you as it does to us, then we need your help. In order for all of our lofty plans to come to fruition, we need community support and that means you and your network of colleagues and friends. As your child’s teachers, we want to build a network of community members who will be willing to come in and be our “authentic” resources and share real-life experiences, challenges and successes. Opportunities for mentoring and all the rich give and take that goes with it will be there for the taking, and those who will benefit from our partnership will be those who matter most to all of us…our kids.
We look forward to meeting all of you on Tuesday, August 19, for Cross Middle School’s Open House. That night we will have a greater opportunity to further our discussion of our plans and goals for your child and opportunities for your participation.
Sincerely,
John Fife
Joan Vandertie
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