Here are some tools I think would be good for an English Curriculum for the 21st century student. I wanted to post it here on the blog for everyone to read and comment on.
What can I add to the list (because I know there is more)?
- Podcasts: Sometimes just listening to teachers isn’t enough! For example, rather than you, the teacher, control a read a loud session, have students record a podcast and act out character voices. My thought with this is it gets students engaged and provides them a better understanding of the material.
- Media: Rather than looking at these as a separate entity to the curriculum, blend it into the curriculum. Don’t look at movies or websites as a fun break from the textbook -- use them as a means of understanding the material, especially for those who are visual learners.
- Build Relationships: The article discussed the idea that our EQ is just as important as IQ in today’s workplace and I definitely agree. Instead of having students work alone in silence, pair them up for class projects. This will help them work with one another to solve problems and even learn from one another. This works virtually as well with something like Edmodo or Ning.
- Thinking Across Disciplines: I love the concept in the article about depth over breadth and leaping across disciplines. The example in the article was combining earth science, chemistry, business and design for develop a shoe for Nike. My idea, as an English teacher, would be to have students write a letter to the Pa. Department of Education (for example) outlining what they would like to see change in their school. At a middle school and high school level, this covers the writing portion, as well as a piece of social studies.
Here is an interesting site I found while looking around to see how school districts are implementing a 21st century curriculum: http://www.p21.org/documents/p21-stateimp_curriculuminstruction.pdf
