Thermostat or Thermometer Which Are You?

Thermostat or ThermometerWhich Are You?

Are you settingthe climate or simply reflecting it?

Characteristics of iY Generation • Born since 1990 • Low empathy • Slack-tivists • Technology is an appendage • Self-absorbed • Ambiguous about future (80% plan on moving home after college) • Postponed maturation (Desire privileges & responsibilities of growing up, but none of the consequences!)

SNL How well prepared are our students for college and life after college?

SCENE Their world is full of…. Consequently they assume: Slow is bad Hard is bad Boring is bad Risk is bad Labor is bad • Speed • Convenience • Entertainment • Nurture • Entitlement These characteristics build virtue

Greatest Needs • Emotional Intelligence (40% LESS empathetic than 20 years) • Self awareness (They are not as important as they’ve been told they are.) • Self management (Parents over manage.) • Social awareness (They fail to see how they impact those around them.) • Relationship management (It’s all about ME.) Face time is reduced (easy to be mean on FB & Text) Too much screen time (destroys empathy)

2. Character Development Use images to spur discussion and lessons 10% skills 90% character It’s what's under the water that sinks the ship

3. Strengths Discovery • Find ways to help them discover their primary strengths and gifts • Help them know their weaknesses and how to improve them. Everybody is NOT good at everything! Everybody should not get a trophy or an “A”, these are earned. You can’t just SHOW UP! It’s OK to say, “No”. It’s OK to fail. It’s how you recover from those failures that is important. If you do not turn in an assignment on time then there should be a penalty. As a school we need a plan. Life is full of consequences! The sooner they learn that, the more likely they are to grow up as responsible, healthy adults. School should be a safe place to experience failures and learn how to recover.

Leadership Perspective • “Leadership is about disposition and not position” (servant leadership) • Having a vision, prioritizing your agenda and seeing the big picture • Every grad NEEDS leadership skills.

Now that we know these are the needs, what is our role in helping to meet these needs? EPIC Teaching

EPIC Teaching • Experiential • learn through authentic experiences • Be the “guide on the side” not the “sage on the stage” • Participatory (They are used to thinking that their input is important) • Image Rich (They have been raised on images) • Use images to anchor content • It is the language of the 21st century • Connected • Group problem solving to satisfy their need to be connected socially and technologically (Use technology in a redemptive way; not just for technology's sake)

The Best Practice is to Put Them on ICE: • Images • Intentionally and thoughtfully select images that hook students • Use powerful and age appropriate images (Science can use discrepant events) (Remember kids are immune to shocking images) • Conversations • Images lead to the conversations about the content • Experiences • Conversations lead to the experiences

Best Practices • Problem-based learning • real life problems; authentic experiences • Student-driven learning • teacher is Webmaster not the downloader of information • Student determines/chooses path to the learning (Students have been raised being asked their opinion on family matters. Use this to your advantage.) • Experiential learning • create experiences, then reflection, then teaching (addresses “Why do I need to know this?”) • Right brain learning • innovation, skill-based creativity and critical thinking skills (future jobs)

Experiential Learning The four parts of learning are: Concrete Experience: An experience that involves emotions, perceptions, intellect and action. Reflective Observation: When you reflect on an experience to identify the principles. Abstract Conceptualization: When you are able to identify the rules or principles in an experience. Active Experimentation: Seeking further opportunities to repeat the experience in order to perfect learning.

Problem Based Learning • http://wveis.k12.wv.us/teach21/public/project/MainMenu.cfm?tsele1=2&tsele2=116 • http://www.mrsoshouse.com/pbl/pblin.html • http://pbl-online.org/ • http://www.learningreviews.com/Project-Based-Learning-Lesson-Plans.html • http://www.bie.org/ • http://projectfoundry.org/project-based-learning-explained/project-based-learning-lesson-plans.html • http://kidseducationalwebsites.blogspot.com/2011/01/pbl-examples-of-science-lesson-ideas.html (science) • http://www.ed.psu.edu/educ/news/news-items-folder/cell-phone-towers (math) • http://www.bie.org/project_search/results/search&project_search_channel=32&ps_search_one=79&ps_search_two=117&category=79&&117/ (LA) • http://www.bie.org/project_search/results/search&project_search_channel=32&ps_search_one=79&ps_search_two=117&category=79&&117/ (SS) • http://www.bie.org/project_search/results/search&project_search_channel=32&ps_search_one=127&category=127/ (FL) • http://www.bie.org/project_search/results/search&project_search_channel=32&ps_search_one=119&category=119/ (music/arts) • http://www.bie.org/project_search/results/search&project_search_channel=32&ps_search_one=155&category=155/ (health)

What are we already doing? With your grade level subject area for 2013-2014: • Discuss any problem based activities you already use • You may post these ideas on the Epic Teaching Wikispace

Thermostat or Thermometer Which Are You?