Workshop-Blog

What is rigor and relevance in a 21st century standards-based classroom?

Teachers are working hard to create classrooms where  students can take on the challenge of intellectual work. We all want school to be more rigorous, relevant and engaging to students. Schools should give students opportunities to learn how professionals approach their work - scientist, engineer, artist, historian, mathematician, writer, and musician. The challenge is turning that vision into a reality.

1. What's your working definition of rigor and relevance?
2. How is rigor connected to your expectations for students?
3. How are standards a part of a rigorous and relevant classroom?
4. How can you support relevance with more student-directed instructional experiences?
5. How do we get past the obstacles to create the effective and engaging classroom of the 21st century?

What is literacy in the 21st century?

“American teenagers can engage media material and create their own content in ways their parents could not. Today’s online teens live in a world filled with self-authored, customized, and on-demand content, much of which is easily replicated, manipulated, and redistributable. The internet and digital publishing technologies have given them the tools to create, remix, and share content on a scale that had previously only been accessible to the professional gatekeepers of broadcast, print, and recorded media outlets.”  Pew Internet & American Life Project  Download Report  (253 kb) pdf

The new information technologies have unleashed individual and collective creativity. We are now both the audience and the show. Digital technologies have created exciting new opportunities for interaction with people and information in ways that can revitalize teaching and learning.

1. What is literacy in the 21st century?
2. What implications does 21st century literacy have for teaching and learning?

“American teenagers can engage media material and create their own content in ways their parents could not. Today’s online teens live in a world filled with self-authored, customized, and on-demand content, much of which is easily replicated, manipulated, and redistributable. The internet and digital publishing technologies have given them the tools to create, remix, and share content on a scale that had previously only been accessible to the professional gatekeepers of broadcast, print, and recorded media outlets.”  Pew Internet & American Life Project  Download Report  (253 kb) pdf

The new information technologies have unleashed individual and collective creativity. We are now both the audience and the show. Digital technologies have created exciting new opportunities for interaction with people and information in ways that can revitalize teaching and learning.

1. What is literacy in the 21st century?
2. What implications does 21st century literacy have for teaching and learning?

In what ways does Extended Application (EA) exemplify the evolving nature of work, culture and creativity in the 21st century?

With presentations by:
Kim Kellogg, School to Careers Coordinator and Kathleen Walsh, Assistant Principal
Rex Putnam High School
Diane Parham, Career-Learning Coordinator, Colton School District

Extended application (EA) is the application of knowledge and skills in the context of the student’s personal and career interests and post-high school goals. Students use knowledge and skills to solve problems, create products, and make presentations in new and complex situations. Download EA  (60 kb) pdf  Download Resources-EA-literacy (132 kb) pdf

1. In what ways does EA exemplify the evolving nature of work, culture and creativity in the 21st century?
2. What opportunites and challenges does EA present to our students?
3. How do we prepare our middle and high school students for a rigorous, multi-faceted application of Knowledge and Skills?

With presentations by:
Kim Kellogg, School to Careers Coordinator and Kathleen Walsh, Assistant Principal
Rex Putnam High School
Diane Parham, Career-Learning Coordinator, Colton School District

Extended application (EA) is the application of knowledge and skills in the context of the student’s personal and career interests and post-high school goals. Students use knowledge and skills to solve problems, create products, and make presentations in new and complex situations. Download EA  (60 kb) pdf  Download Resources-EA-literacy (132 kb) pdf

1. In what ways does EA exemplify the evolving nature of work, culture and creativity in the 21st century?
2. What opportunites and challenges does EA present to our students?
3. How do we prepare our middle and high school students for a rigorous, multi-faceted application of Knowledge and Skills?

In what ways does a Continuous Improvement Plan model the rigorous, relevant and reflective thinking we hope to foster in our students?

A Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) communicates to educators, students and their families, business people, and community members, the process of achieving and measuring improvements in a school district’s performance. A CIP is based on district needs and is aligned to the six standards for district success--Curriculum, Instruction, District and School Culture and Norms, Family and Community Engagement, Leadership, and Integrated Systems and Structures.  Link to: Continuous Improvement Planning

A continuous improvement plan should answer the questions:

• Where are we now in helping students learn?
• What are our needs?
• Where do we want to be?
• How are we going to get there?
• How will we know when we get there?

In what ways does a Continuous Improvement Plan model the rigorous, relevant and reflective thinking we hope to foster in our students?

A Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) communicates to educators, students and their families, business people, and community members, the process of achieving and measuring improvements in a school district’s performance. A CIP is based on district needs and is aligned to the six standards for district success--Curriculum, Instruction, District and School Culture and Norms, Family and Community Engagement, Leadership, and Integrated Systems and Structures.  Link to: Continuous Improvement Planning

A continuous improvement plan should answer the questions:

• Where are we now in helping students learn?
• What are our needs?
• Where do we want to be?
• How are we going to get there?
• How will we know when we get there?

In what ways does a Continuous Improvement Plan model the rigorous, relevant and reflective thinking we hope to foster in our students?

Workshop Evaluations and Material

I've uploaded my presentation with TurningPoint audience response data. (3.5MB pdf) Here's the presentations by Rex Putnam High School and Colton School District (363kb pdf)

What is your response to the workshop - comments, strengths, weaknesses, topics for future sessions?