Breaking Down

Communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.  As we move through each day, we all tap into our abilities to communicate, collaborate, think critically and be creative. I'm thinking about my morning and reflecting on the use of each skill:

• Communication: successfully rousing my two children (5 and 8), touching base with friends across the country, and clearly laying out ideas about GAFE in a fifth grade meeting

• Collaboration: working with a fifth grade editor to complete our news show, planning agenda topics with a colleague, planning use of the mobile devices in our school for a grade level

• Critical Thinking:  answering all of my son's questions on the drive into school, writing this post

• Creativity: figuring out what to wear on this dreary spring day

And this was all with in the first 4 hours of my day.

Do we teach our students all the various was we use the 4C's in our everyday life?  Our use of the 4C's permeates our lives.  As we teach students how to be better communicators, ease their collaboration, challenge their critical thinking and magnifying their creativity, are we showing them our use of these skills? Pointing them out? Being transparent about our struggles and shortcomings as we strive to do all these things?  Are we breaking down the skills we want to see in our students?

I want my students to see me as a learner and coach.  I have not evolved to the perfect state as their teacher.  I am learning new things everyday.  Sometimes there are bumps in the road, but they are part of the messy beauty of learning.

Fifth grade students will be arriving to my door shortly.  We are working through some tough planning for the rest of their year with me.  As I attempt to teach them critical thinking and communication skills today, I do not want to be thinking "how am I preparing them for next year?".  I want to have in the forefront of my thinking, "how am I preparing them for today?"  Time to push the envelope of thinking!

Second Grade Experts

Second graders eagerly working on "expert" writing for News from the Nest segments. 

Students at my school are always excited to be featured on our news show.  Typically third, fourth and fifth graders create the content for News from the Nest.  However, this trimester, second graders are taking over.

It all started with a conversation about what the second graders knew, what they are experts on.  We listed ideas and then students organized into small groups around like ideas. In those small groups, students began to record their knowledge using a KWHLQA chart.  I the horizontal chart for my students. After groups determined what they knew, what they wanted to find out more about and how they would go about doing that, they started researching.  I have students use links at our only2clicks site.

After researching, the students began creating a plan of action for how they would present their expert information on News from the Nest.  Students are in the process of writing scripts.  We will begin filming in the next few classes.

I have to say that I love the thinking that is happening during the 40 minutes that the students are with me.  They are asking questions and challenging each other without even realizing it.  I feel like so much learning is taking place right under their noses!

Our work flow for writing scripts.