Election Issues and Critical Thinking Resources

Can there be any other time when critical thinking is more needed than election time?  When we talk about critical thinking in schools, we are talking about getting kids to analyze their thoughts, to see and consider other perspectives.  You really need to look no further than the headlines to find great authentic topics for students to discuss, write persuasively, and learn their facts about!

Want a great unbiased resource for those hot topics?  Procon.org is a great place to start!  Procon.org has got a long list of “controversial” topics perfect for getting kids involved in real life research, reading and discussions!  Here are some examples of how critical thinking ties into your curriculum and can help your students to understand the importance of their vote!:

Social Studies

Procon.org has got a great section devoted to the elections.  Start with this great quiz, 2012 Presidential Quiz:  Find your Match, which asks students their opinions on issues and matches them to the candidates (including the Independents).  What a great way for students to see the issues!  You do not have to answer all the questions and you can see what candidate most closely aligns to your way of thinking.  It also points out how important it is to understand the issues before you vote!  There is another section which lists all the issues and where each candidate stands, in their own words.  There is even a “procon” on voting machines!   

Although social studies is the obvious place to start, there is not one subject area that we teach that does not tie into election issues.   What a great way to get students (and maybe even voters) to understand the relevance of what you teach!

Science

Take a look at the “procons” of the environmental issues that separate the candidates including the environment, energy, geneticially modified foods, etc.  A great answer as to “why do we have to know this?”   Have them discover how the laws and policies of our government depend on good science and impact your life.   There are “procons” for climate change, vaccines for kids, alternative energy vs fossil fuels, the safety of cell phones,and more. 

Health

Health care in general is always in the headlines.  Besides health care policies, there are “procons” on the drinking age, DARE, medical marijuana, obesity, and vaccines.  There are even some on sports – drug use, college football playoffs and whether golf is a sport. 

Math

Take a look at all the numbers in these facts on climate change!   Seems like there are tons of relevant math questions you could come up with based on those facts.  And think about it, they would be talking about real numbers, not just apples, oranges, and trains! 

Language arts:

There are some great topics for reading and writing:  Why not start with topics in education? They could not be any more relevant!  Check out the "procon" on “Are standardized tests improving education?”  Other hot topics include:  video games and violence, social networking, and immigration. They have some great Language Arts lessons plans that hit on the national standards.

The lesson plans they provide hit on national standards in a number of areas.  They even suggest using online discussion boards.  The SCAN online discussion tool at www.tregoed.org will not only allow students to discuss the issues, but it will guide them to clarify them, assess what’s important and come up with an action plan.  There are facts on over 43 controversial issues.  Looks like a SCAN session waiting to happen to me!  Now that’s critical thinking at its best!   Help your students understand the issues and understand the relevance of what they are learning in school.   After all “Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts."
- Daniel Patrick Moynihan, American sociologist and US Senator (D-NY)
(1927-2003)

Implementing BYOT: A Great Critical Thinking Activity

I love to visit classrooms this time of year. Both students and teachers are excited and hopeful about what they will be doing in the coming year. This year the Mt. Olive Middle School will be implementing a new BYOT program. Starting in November, students in grade 8 and 9 will be able to Bring in their Own Technology and use it in their core content area classrooms.

This of course brings up a number of issues from all kinds of perspectives. Melissa Blitzstein, teaching a new course called 8^th Grade Seminar (focusing on research and writing skills) and Cynthia Cassidy, Media Specialist (ultimately involved in the implementation) decided this was the perfect opportunity and high interest complex topic they were looking for to kick off student researching and writing! What a great way to involve students in authentic and relevant problem solving!

They recognized that successful implementation of a complex undertaking like BYOT, requires a true collaborative effort by parents, policy makers, IT personnel, curriculum specialists, teachers and administrators, each of which have different issues and concerns that need to be addressed. Although there is information about other districts' implementation, every district is different. Different demographics, budgets, staff members, etc. all play into the program’s success.

Why not let students take a crack at it?

Blistzstein and Cassidy developed a great activity based on these Key Points in English Language Arts from the Common Core Standards:

· The ability to write logical arguments based on substantive claims, sound reasoning, and relevant evidence is a cornerstone of the writing standards, with opinion writing—a basic form of argument—extending down into the earliest grades.

· Research—both short, focused projects (such as those commonly required in the workplace) and longer term in depth research —is emphasized throughout the standards but most prominently in the writing strand since a written analysis and presentation of findings is so often critical.

Students began the project by researching BYOT programs and their successful implementation then selected a perspective to represent in the collaboration. Roles included 8^th grade student, parent, teacher, and US Department of Education. Cassidy and Blitzstein posted the problem and perspectives in the SCAN tool at TregoEd. When I walked into the classroom, the students were highly engaged in the discussion using the private online discussion tool which walks them through SCAN (See the issues, Clarify the issues, Ask, what’s most important, and Now, what should be done?). Of course, you do not need the tool to have students go through the process, but it is a powerful way to get ALL students in on the conversation!

Students at work!

They had written logical arguments based on their perspective and were using sound reasoning and relevant evidence to support their claims. Their issues ranged from cheating and possible theft of devices to bandwidth and teacher training! Their research had added depth to their understanding of the situation – giving true authenticity to “Research –short focused projects (such as those commonly required in the workplace)” as this was precisely the work that had to be done “in the workplace.”

Developing a plan

As I circulated around the room, many were working on the last step where they were creating some great suggestions for policies and actions that will address the concerns that their classmates had brought up. They were talking about insurance policies, collecting IP addresses, classroom rules and board policies. They understood that they now had valid input in the district discussion and would have an understanding of both the “what and the why” of district policies that would be put in place. They had a plan! (We can only hope that those who were tackling this problem in the district were using the same process. District leaders trained in TregoED’s Situation Appraisal would find the process would result in great decisions and a sure fire implementation plan)

High interest=high engagement

It was exciting to see how engaged kids were in the research and the writing when given a high interest problem that touched their lives. They took their roles seriously as they knew their input would be heard through Ms. Blitzstein.

How have your students been involved in the success of your BYOD or BYOT programs? Do your students take part in school problem solving?

911 Memorial Activity Reaches the Common Core

Next week, I am going to the 911 Memorial in NYC.  Learning about the vision, debate, study, engineering and design of the memorial is a great opportunity for deeper learning for our students.  Just looking at the symbolism that is incorporated into the design – waterfalls into footprints that never fill, trees from the Flight 93 site in PA and the Pentagon, the Tridents from the original building, five buildings spiraling up like the torch of Lady Liberty- and how it comes together to complete the monumental task of healing this deep wound in the earth with a balance of awareness of the tragedy and hope for the future is a great lesson.  The question of what was to be done at the site brought about great debate and was only resolved when all parties perspectives were considered.  This is an example of great problem solving at its best with science, engineering, art, language arts and social studies content all rolled into the task.   

What a great opportunity to use the problem solving strategy...SCAN.  Imagine looking at the devastated site 11 years ago and trying to determine what should be done?  Imagine the perspectives that had to be considered.  Business leaders, families who lost loved ones, city workers, artistss and entrepreneurs all had unique perspectives on the best way to honor the victims, the heroes and American resilience.  What a great way to demonstrate how a simple strategy like SCAN (See the issues, Clarify the issues, Ask what's most important, and Now, what's the plan?) can help solve complex problems.

Reaching the Common Core

Why not have your students select a perspective and "write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence." (CCSS) The 911 Memorial website has wonderful resources where your students can find information and teachers can find a great diversity of lessons plans all linked to the Common Core Standards.  Lessons range from the historical impact to the making of memorials.  You can easily move them from stating their position to collaborating on their own solutions.

There is also a series of videos by the Discovery Channel about how the master plan for building the Memorial came about.  You can watch the video through teacher’s hub video writing prompts or directly though Discovery (with commercials).  I love this video about the building that is being designed around a wedge of light that will appear on 9/11 at precisely the time the second tower fell.  Think of all the science and engineering that had to go into the planning of that!   

September 11th is a great time to have your students "think historically" to gain an understanding of how this area has risen from the rubble to include the tallest and strongest building in American history and a memorial to honor those who were killed at the site.

Looking for more?

Other teacher and student resources for studying 911 can be found at the George Bush Library or the Edsitement Launchpad of activities.  

10 Great Resources for 9/11 Activities has been updated!

You can get kids looking at security issues that arose from 911 through different perspectives using the free online discussion lesson:  Patriot Act:  Security or Freedom at TregoED.

 

Lesson Failed: Do you have a Plan B?

For those of us starting school after Labor Day, August Anxiety is setting in.  Those nights where you are tossing and turning with new ideas, things you know you want to do differently and the anticipation of being “back to school.”  The week before school starts the idea pad next to my bed has all sorts of scribbles on it (some of which I cannot decipher!).    Planning is the key to a successful year.  Most people think that teachers’ time is split between classroom and grading papers.  The truth is, planning takes the most time. A good plan has a diversity of activities, movement, student interaction, hands-on, differentiation, accurate content, assessment, tech integration, etc.   Most people can’t even handle all the planning it takes to keep ten kids busy at a two hour birthday party.  What would they do with double the amount of children, a tight budget and grandiose learning objectives?

Getting Started

The first week of school is perhaps the most daunting as both yours and your students’ routines have to be established.  Not just school routines, but home routines as well, sleeping, dressing and eating changes drastically for everyone!  Throw in all those extra housekeeping tasks – class lists, gradebooks, sub plans, and for many of us real housekeeping tasks…. it can be overwhelming!

Step one:  Planning your room out

I know a lot of teachers who have gone back to the building to decorate their rooms.   I have to admit, that some of the rooms are a bit intimidating!  My advice is to keep it simple and let the student’s work be your décor.  My best bulletin board was a brick wall background and letters that said “Wall of Fame.” On day one, I described how you could get on the wall of fame (it was not easy) and when you achieved it, you could use whatever font you wanted, write your name, print it out and post it.  Kids loved getting on the wall!

Step Two:  Planning your lessons:  Expect the unexpected

There is no such thing as a perfect plan- there are just too many variables in schools – if you were working with widgets or robots, you might have a chance, but kids (adults too) and all the business (read busy-ness) of a school, always has the potential wrench to throw in the works.  Even if you teach the same lesson objectives 5 times in one day, you will see that what works with one class, student or time of day, will not work with another.  Be flexible.  All classes do not have to be in the exact same place at the exact same time.  And above all have a PLAN B.

Plan B

The most important lesson that I learned over the years was to always have a plan B.  I used a mini PBL that I introduced at the beginning of the year for students.  Each student had a folder with their challenge check list in it – they worked on this challenge when they had extra class time, when class was disrupted for assemblies, field trips, when a sub was in, etc.  They kept their work in the folder and the folder in the room.  My mini-challenge was all about inventions – I had computer games, links, patent info, Rube Goldberg activities, 20 ways to improve the pencil etc.  Much more than a folder full of worksheets.  Students could do the parts in any order.  All challenge activities led to them coming up with their own invention.  The grand finale was showing off their invention prototype and demonstrating it to the class.  We have had some great ones!

We all know the importance of a great plan A, but having a great plan B can insure that the learning continues no matter what the circumstances

What’s your favorite plan B?

Rules of Engagement

Well, this was puppy sitting week for me.  Somehow, I ended up with a 9 week old puppy, which has to be taught EVERYTHING.  My husband could not stress enough how important it is to “train him right.”  Sort of like what my principal used to say at the beginning of the year, “your first week of school sets the tone for the year.”  People had all sorts of advice for beginning teachers – “don’t smile until October” was one I remembered.  Those are the teachers that are all smiles on back to school night and parents can’t figure out why their child says they are mean!  But I digress…

Starting off Right!

I know a number of teachers that are planning on using online discussion platforms this year to get their kids talking and writing.  There are lots of platforms available, from the very simple Todaysmeet, Edistorm, and Edmodo, to the platforms that lend themselves to higher order thinking like Collaborize Classroom and the SCAN tool at TregoED.  I cannot stress enough how important it is to “train them right.”  Good digital citizenship does not just happen!

Practice Makes Perfect
Do you want your students to start practicing right off the bat?  There are a number of great icebreaker topics found in the Collaborize Classroom library.  Simply register at Collaborize Classroom and search for icebreakers in the Topic Library.  There are lots to choose from, including some with an Olympic theme.  TregoED has also added two new icebreaker lessons to their library.  Just register and go to your dashboard to set up your private classroom discussion. 

Get them “trained right”
I like to start by telling my students that I am so excited that the school is trusting us (both me and them) to use this great technology.  I make it clear that I know they are ready for it and remind them that the discussion they are going to have is a classroom discussion.  Just like any other discussions we have in class, we stay on topic and take it seriously.  One major difference to keep in mind is that the discussion, like any online discussion, can become permanent and can often be shared.

Digital Citizenship Rules of Engagement
Fortunately, you do not have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to finding online resources for digital conversations.  There are often good resources supplied by the online tool that you are using.   Catlin Tucker, an English Teacher in CA, has developed and shared a great document called the “Dos and Don’ts of Online Student Communication.”  As well as, a number of other student success resources to go with the Collaborize Classroom site.  Likewise, TregoED provides great resources to help teachers get started and student resources that include “Scan Discussion Guidelines,”  and a student “Jumpstart” page.
Now, back to that puppy…..

Lurk before you Leap

Lurking has taken on a whole new meaning.  Once meaning, according to Merriam-Webster, “to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose or b: to move furtively or inconspicuously.” 

It has now come to mean, according to the Urban Dictionary: 

“To read without commenting or contributing, therefore effectively invisible to the rest of the group or community. Generally recommended for joining any forum so that you can observe rules, attitudes and prominent personalities without jumping in and breaking a rule, making an ass of yourself, or asking a question about something obvious that you would have learned for yourself if you’d paid attention in the first place.
Online equivalent of attentive listening before speaking; potentially the solution to all Internet faux pas.” 

While a little unorthodox and a bit gruff, it certainly makes a point. While lurking sounds like it has a negative connotation, it is in fact a good way to gauge what is going on before you jump in to any online discussion group, twitter feed, etc.    I picture a child that is going to “jump in” to jump rope, watching the rope hit the ground a few times before entering.  There were a few times that I wished I had lurked a little longer, but sooner or later, you have to jump in – sink or swim.

Expect More out of Educators
That being said, in the classroom, there are some students who would prefer to lurk for the entire school year.  A good teacher will help them feel comfortable enough to contribute to the conversation.  In the same way, good digital citizens will also make lurkers feel safe enough to contribute, without fear of being chastised.   Good digital citizens will gently guide newbies to understand any nuances of the tool or group without humiliation, just as a good teacher will do in the classroom. 

While you cannot count on regular Joe’s who use newspaper blogs (or even the Urban Dictionary) to anonymously rip each other apart, you can expect that any decent educational twitter chat, blog, or discussion group will welcome your input, respond with encouragement and overlook any faux pas!

Getting Connected: A Few of My Favorite Nings

If you are reading this, you are probably already somewhat connected. You may also have heard that August is Connected Educator’s month. So where do you go to connect? Who are you connecting with?

There are literally hundreds of ways for educators to connect with each other. Many educators have ventured onto the big networks – Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. In addition to these, I love the networks that are more specialized. I am a regular contributing member on a number of Nings. These networks may focus on a subject area or level of education and then drill down deeper into special interest groups. You can even start your own group! Check out the blogs, post questions, share your experiences. Nings are a great way to become a more connected educator!

These are a few of my favorite nings (and yes, I have that Sound of Music song in my head)http://Englishcompanion.ning.com

"A place to ask questions and get help. A community dedicated to helping you enjoy your work. A cafe without walls or coffee: just friends."

Groups such as "Teach with Technology," Teaching Reading," "Teaching Writing," "Teaching Shakespeare," etc.

http://sschat.ning.com/

“This network is dedicated to connecting social studies educators everywhere.”

Groups: US History Educators, World History Educators, Middle School Social Studies, Social Studies Tools

ttp://mathematics24x7.ning.com/

“A network of Mathematics Enthusiasts... Just talking about Mathematics... What do you say?”

Groups: Problem Based Curriculum, Introducing Math Concepts, Developemental math

www.technologyintegrationineducation.com

“Facilitating the use of technology in the classroom.” This is for people interested in helping integrate technology into education in a seemless manner so that technology is a tool that enhances education and does not drive it.

Favorite groups: free for educators, collaborative projects, TIE

http://www.iste-community.org/
"A year round social network for ISTE members and affillitates and groups and Ed leaders"

http://flatclassrooms.ning.com/

“Fostering new ways of learning using Web 2.0 and global collaborative practices and providing a resource for educators to connect globally”

http://Teachvine.ning.com

A new kid-kid-on-the-block- described as “joint professional development better than a course.”

http://tregoed.ning.com

A network for educational leaders! Share your challenges, questions, and solutions with your colleagues.

Start your own group within your staff to increase collaboration!

Looking for more?

Cybraryman, Jerry Blumengarten has a list of other Nings as well as hundreds of other ways to connect!

Where are your favorite places to connect?