Supporting LASS High Schools Session # 8

1. Supporting LASS High Schools Session # 8 Suspended Curriculum & Learning Styles Lakeshore Alliance for Student Success, Inc Edward Schoenfelt, Executive Director 220 S. 13th Street, Chesterton, IN 46304-2104 Tuesday, October 26, 2010 9:00 a.m. – Noon CST

2. Suspended Curriculum Used in academies/grade level teams Divide subject by subject area/team Cover areas not in the curriculum: Assembly behavior Pep assembly behavior Meeting outside school guest behavior Dance expectations Hallway behavior Academy expectations Student handbook Picture day/Yearbook Data we pay attention too How the school is valued Traditions Decision Making Integrity College and Career Readiness AUP Mentoring School Clubs ISTEP No longer than two weeks!

3. Technical Writing Teach students to compare and contrast topics of global interest/to gain competitive rigor * Know how to use Chicago Manual of Style handbook http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html * Use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. See more information online at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ * Use American Psychological Association (APA) style scientific writing process http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx

4. Encourage teachers to use Project Based Learning Plan rigorous and relevant standards-focused projects that engage students in authentic learning activities, Teach 21st Century Skills, and demand demonstration of mastery. http://pbl-online.org/

5. Stay On Message LEADERSHIP

6. Learning Styles Active Learning is a term for teaching and learning strategies that engage and involve students in the learning process (learning styles). Research has shown that not everyone learns in the same way. Some of us are visual learners that need to see to understand; while others need to hear or verbalize information. Others are hands-on, kinesthetic learners. Some learners prefer to work alone, while some like to teach each other in small groups. Some need time to quietly reflect, while others need to move and be active.

7. Minds to Develop for the Future Schools change very slowly. That is good in many ways to discourage faddism and encourage teachers to build upon tried and true methods. When you observe a traditional classroom in a American high school you can see the same instruction occurring that did in the 1990s. Textbook driven instruction. Lecture, activity, study, test. Instructors asked if this is the best way to get results and their answers would be “We’ve been doing things this way for a long time and we know it is right.”. Most dramatic change occurs in education eras when fundamental change occurs. During the Renaissance print emerged. Within the US in the middle of the 19th century and the commitment in the middle of the 20th Century to educate all Americans, regardless. At these times, we started to consider whether fundamental changes may be in order. I believe that at the beginning of the 21st Century we live in such a time!

8. Globalization forces - Reliance on science and technology - Incredible connectivity that resulted - Vast amounts of information - Convergence of cultures in economics, cultural, and social terms. - Intimately connected to others of diverse backgrounds

9. Five Minds for the Future The Discipline Mind – basic literacy mastered (ten years to master one discipline + additional = premium) The Synthesizing Mind – searchlight or laser intelligence The Creative Mind – attempt new things, monitor whether they work, and keep trying The Respectful Mind – diversity is positive The Ethical Mind – admire good work and want to achieve it

10. The Disciplined Mind (Cognitive) An expert, acquired over time and study. One field may take 10 years to become an expert. Must continue to educate self into the future. (K-12 Math, Language, Science, Social Studies and one art form) Once basic literacy skills are achieved the burden of educational systems is the ensuring the acquisition of an ensemble of scholarly disciplines. The computer may offer the scaffolding to acquire another discipline quickly.

11. The Synthesizing Mind (Cognitive) A mind that can survey a wide range of sources and decide what is important and worth paying attention to. (Fetch it, Devour it & Evaluate it) Certain Individuals may be blessed with Searchlight intelligence Or Laser intelligence

12. The Creative Mind (Cognitive) These individuals forge new ground. The bid C Creators. Innovators In our society we have come to value those individuals who attempt new things, monitor whether they work, cast about continually for new ideas and practices, pick themselves up after an apparent failure, and so on.

13. Crisply Summarized Discipline Mind = Depth Synthesizing Mind = Breadth Creative Mind = Stretch Up until 10 years ago research would of stopped here. Because of social and political trends two more types were introduced after 15 years of additional study. I believe in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s assertion that “Character is higher than intellect”

14. The Respectful Mind (Human Sphere) Starts with the assumption that diversity is positive and that the world would be a better place if individuals sought to respect one another. Coming to respect others once feared, distrust, or disliked is not easy. Yet in this interconnected world the potential for growth is positive. No quick fixes, only genuine respect, nurtured and earned over the decades can reduce the appeal to violence / terrorism.

15. The Ethical Mind (Human Sphere) Most individuals admire good work and want to achieve it. Determining what is ethical is not always easy. What kind of professional do I want to be? What kind of worker do I want to be? What kind of person do I want to be? What kind of students do we want in our schools? Create an ethical environment for principals, teachers and students to learn in may be a starting point.

16. References • 21st Century Skills Rethinking how students learn, James Bellanca and Ron Brandt editors • Howard Gardner identifies five types of minds society should encourage in future generations. • Daniel Pink, (2006) A whole new mind: Why right brainers will rule the future. New York: Riverhead. • Hirschman A. O. (1970) Exit, voice and loyalty: responses to decline in firms, organizations, and states. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press • Mr. Edward Schoenfelt, Executive Director, LASS, Inc. Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties of North Indiana www.mvsc.k12.in.us/lass schoenfelteddeb@yahoo.com