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Asking the Right Questions

I would like to ask and discuss the following questions with our leadership team and ultimately all faculty.
Does our vision statement, mission statement, and curriculum support and promote these skills in ways to help our students become life-long learners that are valuable members of society?
How are we teaching and encouraging students to think beyond the test? 
How can we best train and equip our teachers to build and use these skills as part of the daily fabric of their classrooms?
I can honestly say that I don’t know the practical answers to these questions. I know what it may partially look like in my classroom, but I would love to brainstorm with our administrators as to the best way to make these skills the expectations of all teachers and students--make them a part of our culture. 

Wagner (2016) and Galinsky (2013) promote essential life skills that are similar. They both agree that students need to be able to effectively communicate, be able to think critically and problem solve, and think creatively. Both mention the importance of acknowledging other perspectives and both think we should all be curious and want to take on new challenges.There are a few differences in their essential skills, like Dr. Galinsky mentions making connections and having symbolic relationships is an essential skill. Dr. Wagner specifically address accessing and analyzing information. But ultimately, both believe that our students need to be well-rounded individuals who can contribute to their jobs, family, etc. Students need to become life-long learners so they can continue to be successful in this ever-changing world.  

Considering these skills is crucial to me as an educator. I am teaching the next generation. As I continue to build my lessons in my classroom, I need to keep these skills in mind to enhance learning. My students do not need a curriculum that is based off of test-prep expectations, but instead, a curriculum that encourages students to analyze data and other perspectives in order to solve problems and possibly predict potential problems. How can ensure that my students don’t just know how to write a formulaic answer, but actually convey the knowledge they have learned and applied it? Does my classroom require sustained focus to complete tasks and collaboration to utilize others’ strengths and perceptions? Or can learning be easily assessed with a computer program that spits out right and wrong percentages? All of these things need to be considered in my classroom, but also from the top down in our school. I need to also consider these skills when looking at what my expectations are of my Action Research Plan and the impact I want it to make. Am I looking for ways to simply increase my scores? I’m should be looking for ways to support my students in learning the content while developing their essential skills as well.

Galinsky, Ellen (2013). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/SdIkQnTy6jA

Wagner, Tony (2016). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/NS2PqTTxFFc
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