Self-directed learning using Feedly

In my self-directed learning this week I discovered Michael Gorman. In his article titled "STEM in all Areas…. Ten Ideas to Transform STEM from Nouns to Verbs… and Facts to Thinking" he discusses how limiting STEM instruction to the four subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math leave much to be offered in teaching students skills they will need to be successful in the 21st century workplace. Gorman discusses the need to incorporate all subjects and help students to achieve these desired skills through assessment with rubrics. I have found that proper use of assessment in the classroom makes the world of difference in helping students understand what the expectations are as well as helping them to meet their own goals. Gorman discusses the mode for teaching STEM is often PBL but this is still not adequate in helping our students to think critically and develop skills that will serve them in the future. PBL is a great tool for helping my students understand how important their reading skills are in every subject they take in high school. I teach my students to use context clues to decipher the meaning of text they do not understand. If all else fails add some technology. Most students have a smart phone in the palm of their hand. Don’t know what a word means? Just google it. There is really no excuse anymore for not knowing the meaning of a word. https://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2016/09/26/stem-for-in-all-areas-ten-ideas-to-transform-stem-from-nouns-to-verbs-and-facts-to-thinking/ Another interesting read this week was "Suspending Students From School: Does it Work?" by Adam Gutierrez. I found the statistics stated quite depressing and even a bit reprehensible. According to research minority children are given out of school suspension at much higher rates than white students. Students who receive OSS are more likely to need to repeat a grade level and students who repeat a grade level are much more likely to drop out of school than those who do not repeat a grade level. One of the strange things is that research shows that OSS is ineffective, so why have we relied on it for so long? Gutierrez describes several research based alternatives to OSS. The goal is to help create a safe constructive learning environment for all students. One such method is Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports PBIS. My children's elementary school started using a PBIS protocol in their school last year. Teachers and staff praise positive behavior and provide signage to let students know what behavior is expected from them in each different type of environment in the school. In the hallways there are signs reminding students which side of the hallway to walk on and to be quite because learning is happening nearby. There are signs posted in the bathroom reminding students to use resources wisely and to always wash their hands. Overall the behavior issues at the school do seem to have minimized. I look forward to learning more about this program. http://www.edudemic.com/suspending-students