21st Century Learning

Communication as a 21st century learning skills means students are able to “communicate effectively, orally, in writing, and with a variety of digital tools” but also to “listening skills” (pg. 12)http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCenturyLearning/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf

There is an interdependence with science and technology as a way to understand the natural world, as well as to solve societal and environmental issues and problems. Science offers explanations for natural phenomena and aims to solve problems with technological advancements to deal with medical and health-related issues. Ex) Students examine a current technological or scientific development and assess its impact on individuals, society, and the environment. This can be done issues relating to stem cell research, organ transplantation, etc. -Teachers will activate students prior knowledge (ex) brainstorming, KWL chart, Listen-Draw-pair-share-Students will acquire knowledge by research-Students will apply their knowledge

The lessons are personalized to the students' cultural backgrounds, needs, strengths, and interests. The teacher would gather this information from the student profile sheet that would be used to create a more tailored unit that is inclusive and equitable.

Collaborative learning will provide students with:-a way to receive support as they work in small groups with peers within their ZPD-seek help from teachers and peers.-healthy discussions results and students may benefit in solving problem together-opportunities to articulate their ideas, listen to others ideas/perspectives, resolve differences, and manage themselves-opportunities to develop metacognitive skills like self-regulation and executive functioning Overall, it improves student communication skills, responsibility, organization, time management, initiation and self-regulation skills. Note - a successful collaborative learning task are open-ended, higher level tasks that must be "group-worthy tasks in which all must engage for the work to be successfully accomplished, support for students to learn to work together, and sophisticated questioning and scaffolding skills on the part of teachers." (Darling-Hammond et al, 2020)

Checklists:help students to learn how to self-evaluate. Checklists are assessment tools that set out specific criteria, that will be used to record the development of the skills, strategies, and attitudes/behaviours.helps to organize information about a student or group of students.helps to identify students' learning needs Ex) The criteria to keep notebook organized, how to dissect, laboratory preparation, etchttps://www.ldatschool.ca/checklists-achievement-charts/

Achievement Charts - are more specific than checklistsexplain what is expected of students by using a set criteria have a specific indicators of quality that students can help self-evaluate or receive peer feedback. They allow for a specific and comprehensive assessment of a student’s strengths, as well as areas of a skill or subject where there is room for improvement; https://www.ldatschool.ca/checklists-achievement-charts/

Co-create with students the: routines, policies, and procedures that are posted in the room for students to see and refer to throughout the year if issues arise. Ex) Being on time – what happens if the student is late or submitting assignments on time Ex) Procedure for missing a lab or test

Students need to brainstorm their plan when it comes to an assignment or project and explain how they will achieve their goals. It will allow me to assess their progress versus focusing only on their final product.

A lecture wrapper is used before and after an lesson, activity, or test. It will help students self-monitor and reflect on their learning. By the end of the lesson, students will identify the 3 main ideas from the class and they will compare it to my list. Assignment wrapper options:(i) students to reflect on the assignment. Students will evaluate the process they used when completing the assignment. (ii) students to provide a summary of their feedback and how will use the advice to improve on their learning in the future

Implementing guiding reading strategies will allow students to gather meaning from certain text and help compare it to my response as a reference. This can be done with an article analyzed by groups of students that can be discussed. Students will be encouraged to use key terminology as noted in expectation C2.1 and relate it to theory of evolution noted in C2.3 of Grade 11 (Strand C: Evolution) Ex) Grant Currin's (2019) article, "Why Haven't All Primates Evolved into Humans?"https://www.livescience.com/32503-why-havent-all-primates-evolved-into-humans.html

Explain my thinking process out loud as I go through certain steps or try to analyze a situation/problem.

Diagnostic assessments-valuable tool to determine the students' knowledge/understanding and skills at the beginning of the year or per unit. It can also be done at the beginning of each lesson. This will allow the teacher to determine the individual and classroom strengths and weaknesses. Ex) KWL Charts, surveys, pre-tests, journals,

Appropriate feedback does not mean, "good", "yes", "excellent", "no", "what were you thinking". It should be way to show students how to reach the conclusion (plan ideas to achieve the desire outcome).

If we want students to submit work in an expected time period, we should make the effort to return back in a timely manner. I try to hand work back within 1-7 days. If I will be taking longer, then I will explain to students what I am working on and the expected timeline they should expect their work back. I feel this helps me to stay accountable and it models to students the importance of organizing your work and time.

Diagnostic assessments-valuable tool to determine the students' knowledge/understanding and skills at the beginning of the year or per unit. It can also be done at the beginning of each lesson. This will allow the teacher to determine the individual and classroom strengths and weaknesses. Ex) KWL Charts, surveys, pre-tests, journals,

Collaboration as a 21st Century learning skill is for students being able to “work in teams, learn from and contribute to the learning of others, [use] social networking skills, [and demonstrate] empathy in working with diverse others”. This skill also requires "students to develop collective intelligence and to co-construct meaning, becoming creators of content as well as consumers." (pg. 13)http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCenturyLearning/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf

Teach intra-and interpersonal skills, empathy, responsibility, organization, initiative, collaboration, and conflict resolution at the beginning of the year. Throughout the year reinforce these learning skills, explain how they can achieve these skills since they are being assessed on the report cards. Ex) teaching organization - provide a checklist for students as a guide to organize their science notebooks and follow-up with checks throughout the school year.

Interpersonal skills are important in order to relate to others. Examples of interpersonal skills include listening, communicating, understanding and differentiating the meaning of the conversation in order to have a healthy and positive social interaction. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272715372_Teaching_Efficacy_Interpersonal_Intrapersonal_Skills_and_Teaching_Performance_in_the_Tertiary_School

Interpersonal intelligence involves having a sense of self. A person with interpersonal skills knows their personal limits, self-reflective, and independent. They are completely self-aware or can recognize and self-regulate their moods, emotions, and impulses. They are motivated to succeed and are goal-oriented.

The self-confidence in one's ability to execute behaviours, motivation, and social environment. This can be as simple as completing an organizational task or talking to a stranger.

Completed by students at the beginning of the year so they are aware of their learning style. It will help students with their metacognitive learning.

Offering opportunities for students to reflect on their habits, behaviours, and growth mindsets will activate new neural pathways that will lead to an improvement in cognitive thinking such as responsible decision making and problem solving.

Executive function is an important aspect of an individual because it represents the "set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control." Students require these skills in order to manage their lives and learn at school. Executive function is responsible for many skills, including:Paying attentionOrganizing, planning, and prioritizingStarting tasks and staying focused on them to completionUnderstanding different points of viewRegulating emotionsSelf-monitoring (keeping track of what you’re doing)https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/what-is-executive-function

Positive student behaviours examples:-honesty-respect-friendly-caring-integrity-truth-responsibility-organized

Fostering relationships and help students "talk out" their problems. Model how to communicate properly and resolve issues.

The tiered system will help teachers support students that will require either physical, mental, emotional, social, or spiritual supports. System of supports that enable healthy development, respond to student needs, and address learning barriers. In my school, we have a chain of command that we follow. Tier 1 (multi-leveled): Teachers must have professional knowledge to how to have universal designs for learning and knowledge of child development. Track student behaviour through observations and meet with student to discuss. We also speak to other teachers who have the same student and discuss with administration, guidance counselor, special education teacher, and parent(s)/guardians. Tier 2: Diagnostically identify additional services needed. The special education teacher will bring the student up to a SBST meeting. Tier 3: Provide intervention. Ex) Student has been formally identified or may require to see a social worker. A plan of action is created to help the student with possible transitions. "These include a multi-tiered system of academic, health, and social supports that provide personalized resources within and beyond the classroom to address and prevent developmentaldetours, including conditions of trauma and adversity." (Darling-Hammond et al, 2020)

My school has partnerships with various homeless shelters and addiction centres. As a part of school service students will serve food to the less fortunate. Other partnerships exist with other schools where mentoring programs have been put into place.

We have various ways to involve parents via parent-council. Parents speak about the issues within the school and offer suggestions to the administrators. They also help raise funds, create additional partnerships within the community, and support programs within the school. Ex) Graduation tea, Mother-daughter and Father-daughter tea, Music festivals hosted by our school band, etc.

My school has many different clubs and mentoring programs. Tutoring and mentoring is offered by teachers before and after school. After school programs run mostly after school. Ex) Volleyball, Basketball, Field Hockey, Hockey, Track & Field, Cross Country, Soccer, Baseball, Science Club, Environmental Club, etc.

Summer Learning Opportunities involve students volunteering to help learn from a teacher during the Summer School Transition Program. Students receive volunteer hours and can practice becoming a leader. Summer Cooperative Education Programs exists within the board too.

"Those who employ high-order thinking skills understand how to analyze and evaluate complex information, categorize, manipulate and connect facts, troubleshoot for solutions, understand concepts, connections and big picture thinking, problem solve, ideate and develop insightful reasoning."https://tophat.com/glossary/h/high-order-thinking-skills/

Differentiated instruction meets the individual needs (strengths, weaknesses, interests, etc) of all students by determining the appropriate instructional and assessment strategies.

Critical thinking is described as the “ability to design and manage projects, solve problems, and make effective decisions using a variety of tools and resources” (pg. 12)-Students will learn how to understand and develop solutions that will address local issues and real-world problem.Thinking critically requires students to “acquire, process, interpret, rationalize, and critically analyze large volumes of often conflicting information to the point of making an informed decision and taking action in a timely fashion” (pg. 12)http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCenturyLearning/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf

Each child has a unique set of: -personality traits-preferences-values-interests-attitudes-strengths-weaknessesThe teacher must learn what these are when creating a student profile in order to personalize learning. In essence, the teacher must look at the individual as a "whole person". This connects to a holistic approach of development in students.

Impacted greatly by family upbringing. Children learn about words and sentence formation from parents. Grammatical mistakes is easily passed on to the next generation unless corrected. Parents may not have the "know how" to fix the problem. Children will pickup sounds and speech patterns from those in their environment. Parents must recognize that the brain develops rapidly and it needs stimulation. Parents should read to children at a very early age, even when inside the womb.

It is important for children to also develop their hand-eye coordination, sensory capabilities, and balancing. Learning how to control the body is important. Fine motor skills like writing is challenging for some individuals. These skills need to be introduced at an early age such as holding a fork or spoon.

Emotions must be regulated. Learning to understand and express one's emotions is very critical for emotional development.

Building of relationships that occurs -Social skills in the classroom:-follows directions or requests-helps when needed-greets the teacher-actively listens-communicates understandingSocial skills with peers:-introduces himself/herself-takes turns-asks permission to use something-shares with others-invites others-listens to others & relates-controls behaviours and impulses-uses appropriate language

Technology can stimulate creativity and innovation. However, it is important that other activities without the use of technology can stimulate the mind of a child. This can be performing a play, creating a song, creating various art pieces, or building an object.

21st Century Competencies: Towards Defining 21st Century Competencies for Ontario. Phase 1. Foundation Document for Discussion. Ministry of Education. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/21stCenturyLearning/21CL_21stCenturyCompetencies.pdf21st Century Learning. Toronto Catholic District School Board. Appendix A. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:https://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices/SchoolProgramsK12/AcademicICT/21st%20Century%20Learning%20Conference/TCDSB21C%20-%2021st%20Century%20Learning%20Plan%20Placemat.pdfAngeles, M.P. (2012) Teaching Efficacy, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal Skills, and Teaching Performance in the Tertiary School. IAMURE International Journal. Vol 2. 10.7718/ijss.v2i1.8. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272715372_Teaching_Efficacy_Interpersonal_Intrapersonal_Skills_and_Teaching_Performance_in_the_Tertiary_SchoolLauzon, N. (2020). Checklists and Achievement Charts. Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario. Retrieved on May 24th, 2020 from website:https://www.ldatschool.ca/checklists-achievement-charts/Linda Darling-Hammond et al. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development, Applied Developmental Science, 24:2, 97-140, DOI:10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791Kapur, R. (2015). Approaches and Strategies for Holistic Social Development. Arts Social Science Journal. Vol 6(3): DOI: 10.4172/2151-6200.1000119Lyons, J. (unknown year). Teaching Metacognitive Skills. Creative Commons. Retrieved on May 24th, 2020 from website:https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/metacognitiveModell, H. et all. (2009). In pursuit of a holistic learning environment: the impact of music in the medical physiology classroom, Adv Physiol Educ 33: 37–45, 2009;https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.90149.2008Sarkar, D. (2020). Holistic development for Students: Meaning & Importance. Retrieved on May 26th, 2020 from website:https://idreamcareer.com/blog/holistic-development/Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment. General Learning Outcome B. Pg. 15-24. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/science/found/c_topics30s/glo_b.pdfTop ten team building games. (2020). Youth Group Games. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:https://youthgroupgames.com.au/collection/top-ten-team-building-games/Unknown author. 21st Century Teaching and Learning – New Pedagogies for Deeper Learning. What Research Tells Us. Volume 3: Pg. 1-2. Retrieved on May 21st, 2020 from website: http://www.edugains.ca/resources21CL/SystemLeader/Capacity/WhatResearchTellsNewPedagogies_Jan26_2015.pdfUnknown author. Classroom Behavioral Strategies and Interventions. Pg. 5.1-5.36. Retrieved on May 26th, 2020 from website:https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/specedu/fas/pdf/5.pdfUnknown author. (2002). Instructional Strategies. Health and Life Skills Guide to Implementation (K-9). Alberta Learning. Retrieved on May 25th, 2020 from website:https://education.alberta.ca/media/482311/is.pdfUnknown author. (2020). Relational Trust in Schools. EL Education. Retrieved on May 26th, 2020 from website:https://eleducation.org/resources/relational-trust-in-schoolsUnknown author. (2020). Instructional Strategies for Students with Cognitive Disabilities. TTAC Online All Rights Reserved. Retrieved on May 24th, 2020 from websitehttps://ttaconline.org/instructional-strategies-students-with-cognitive-disabilitiesUnknown author. (2018). What is Executive Function? Understood for All, Inc. Retrieved May 25th, 2020 from website:https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/executive-functioning-issues/what-is-executive-functionUnknown author. What is High-Order Thinking Skills. Top Hat. Retrieved on May 26th, 2020 from website:https://tophat.com/glossary/h/high-order-thinking-skills/Unknown author. (2018). What is Executive Function? Understood for All, Inc. Retrieved May 25th, 2020 from website:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYi2EzPkErs#action=shareVogel, S.& Schwabe, L. (2016). Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom. Npj Science of Learning 1. Article retrieved on May 24th, 2020 from website:https://www.nature.com/articles/npjscilearn201611Winkler, S. (2020). What is the zone of proximal development? How Stuff Works. Retrieved on May 24, 2020 from website:https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/parenting/parenting-tips/zone-proximal2.htm