Creating a 21st Century Classroom

Exploring the Concepts of Critical Thinking and

Creativity

“The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution.”

–Albert Einsteinhttp://www.factsofworld.com/albert-einstein-facts

What we Valued: Then and Now

20th Century View

• Completing homework and class work correctly

• Mastering the basics must occur before students move to broader skills

• Educational Success = Reproducing Knowledge

21st Century View

• Generating and applying knowledge

• Using creative and critical approaches to problem-solving and decision-making

• Educational Success = Extrapolating from what we know and applying that knowledge to novel situations

A Generation Ago…

• Teachers could expect that what they taught would last students a lifetime.

• One of our greatest challenges was FINDING information.

• Our major task was to be able to RECALL it.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&tbnid=ffIgHt8bPXC-hM:&imgrefurl=http://etseq.law.harvard.edu/2011/09/calling-all-research-assistants/&docid=V1tM9aDn74BVyM&imgurl=http://etseq.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Card_Catalog_Student-401x600.jpg&w=401&h=600&ei=T1oQT4VPp-PRAZHw_KwD&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=305&sig=114730900127101918374&page=3&tbnh=132&tbnw=90&start=40&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:40&tx=14&ty=95

Now…

• Our world is experiencing rapid economic and social change

• Schools must prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented, and problems that we do not yet know will arise.

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And yet…

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Times have changed…So What?

• We need a way to engage students that represents the way learning occurs in the world outside the classroom.

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&tbnid=2AX0_OrJcZO2oM:&imgrefurl=http://ali.apple.com/acot2/&docid=lqzOlENpyfbTpM&imgurl=http://ali.apple.com/acot2/global/images/diagram_6_principles.jpg&w=340&h=340&ei=aIwQT9uoO4iftwfYxMDkAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=829&vpy=168&dur=4391&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=142&ty=117&sig=114730900127101918374&page=1&tbnh=125&tbnw=125&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0

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Support

Top: Core Content & Outcomes

21st Century Skills...Why?

By the end of this session participants will…

• Explore the concepts of critical thinking and creativity as 21st Century skills

• Engage with online tools to help foster critical thinking and creativity

• Review the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System standards to understand the role 21st Century skills play in professional growth

“Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st century and those who are not."

Principal's Evaluation Handbook (p. 13) citation)