Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Technological Fluency
Pat Bassett, the President of the National Association of Independent Schools recently wrote about the need for students to master three fluencies in order to communicate effectively in the 21st Century.[1] These are fluency with technology, writing and speaking.
Today I want to focus on Technological Fluency.
I regularly see students with powerful smart phones in their hands. Talk about connected! Phone, email, texts, Facebook and Twitter, plus the ability to touch any hyperlink or look up any topic or word, at the dinner table! (I don’t recommend excessive phone use during meals. As my wife Pru reminds me, it’s important to be present with your dinner companions.) The powerful upside of fingertip access to Internet access at any time is that you no longer need to argue incessantly about things no one present can prove without an outside resource. Simply look up the answer!
So, if our kids are already digital natives, where does school come in? Well, in the digital world it is possible to leave a “long tail” of compromising posts, tweets, photos, etc. Some kids seem determined to do this, because – well - they are kids. Sadly so do adults, and Pat cites former Congressman Weiner as an example. Developing and tending your digital footprint is a necessity in this world. It is your calling card. Similarly, almost all knowledge and information, or close to it, is now available online. Yet there are false sources out there. Good critical skills thinking for finding it and discerning its accuracy and weight are priceless.
The online world will test our student’s character, critical thinking, and creativity, as much or more as the part of the world they inhabit off-line. I’ll come back to Pat’s thinking about writing and speaking in future blogs, but students today will get hired for jobs tomorrow based on their digital portfolios. This may include Power Point presentations, short, or long, videos, Prezis, and so on. (Look up Prezi on your smart phone if you’ve never made or seen one!) You could also ask T. Joseph to share an 8th Grader’s Power Point portfolio project with you if you want to see what the beginnings of a digital portfolio can look like.
While Friends School will continue to focus incessantly on developing student strength in written and verbal communication we are also increasing our focus on technological fluency. That’s why next year we will have in place a 1:1 iPad program for all Middle School students and teachers. Each student will have an iPad available throughout the day to use in a myriad of ways across the curriculum. This way our work with students in this important realm will mirror their experiences in real life, and we can work to offer appropriate experiences for each of them to learn how to tend to their own digital footprint, shape their own digital portfolio, and gather accurate information at the touch of their fingers on the screen of a handheld device. I’ll report more on what this will look like later this spring.
[1] Bassett, Patrick F., Bassett Blog – On Communication, Feb. 7, 2012, updated, Feb. 9, 2012, http://www.nais.org/about/article.cfm?ItemNumber=156192&sn.ItemNumber=4181&tn.ItemNumber=147271
Thursday, March 1, 2012
"Physical" Education
At Friends School educating the whole child means creating a strong program for development of the mind, spirit and body. Last week I missed the boat. I got a "0" in Phys. Ed. because I forgot my sneakers and shorts so I could not play basketball with teachers and parents against the Middle School boys' and girls' basketball teams. I missed out on the fun. This annual ritual is the capstone to our MS basketball season. The kids, teachers, and Jessica Coleman still had a great time.
On Saturday, we held our previously annual 3–on–3 Basketball Tournament. We had teams from some of our youngest students, through Middle School, plus young alumni and adults! I hope were able to see the action if you didn't get to play yourself. I mean, what’s not to like? A chance to play basketball with young people!
It seems easy to list the reasons we include inter-scholastic competitive sports as part of our program. Kids learn to practice teamwork, persistence, drive, humility and leadership, just to name a few things. They learn lifelong skills, like doing your best and winning and losing with equal grace. This becomes real, however, when you watch the tenacious defense of the girls' basketball team. They trigger a LOT of jump balls just contesting disputed possessions. Size is irrelevant. Even the physically smallest members of the team have learned to contest and play large. And throughout the game, as toughly contested as it may be, they cheer their teammates and consistently show respect to their opponents.
We are also working on fun ways to build teamwork, collaboration and empathy that are less competitive. T. Shaner has done a lot of research during the last year on “Adventure Learning.” Think physical group and individual challenges on a low “ropes” or “challenge” course in the school’s wooded lot behind the houses across from the main campus on High Street. The school has already invested in the first three elements and the 8th Grade students spent a big part of their February Service Day clearing the ground for the course and a path to the course. Here teams of students will face seemingly insurmountable challenges, which, when tackled together creatively, are simply fun obstacles! This year the “Paddle Raise” at the Spring Auction will fund additional elements for the course, to be ready for the fall.
So, get outside with your students and children. Run, jump, play games. You’ve probably noticed, but may have forgotten, that the word “recreation,” when broken down, contains within it “re-creation.” Make yourself new again. Help your child learn how to make themselves “new” again too. Get out, use your body, play a game and have fun!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Critical Thinking and Clear Expression May Be the Key!
Not that it should come as a huge surprise, but it is always important to test what we know anecdotally with research. Last month the Social Science Research Council released data confirming that even college seniors who were liberal arts majors fared substantially better in the employment market when they tested high for reasoning and writing on a standardized measure. As graduates, these young people were far more successful in the employment market, arguably due to their demonstrated ability to think critically, reason analytically and write effectively. They were three times less likely to be unemployed (3.1% vs. 9.6%) and half as likely to be living with their parents (18% vs. 35%). (USA Today – Liberal Arts Education Lends an Edge in Down Economy)
At Friends School it is far too early to push a student toward any particular career path. Our delight comes in helping students find their own strengths. What are their passions? What subjects or activities make each individual student light up? We know that one key to success is following your passion. It’s a lot easier to do well and excel for a student who is fully engaged. Therefore one of our key goals is providing a safe community where each child can be the best “them” possible. Still, we know, and this research affirms, that strong core skills in critical thinking and clear written and verbal expression remain critical for student success, in high school, college, and the workplace. That’s why the Language Arts Committee refocused our LA curriculum two years ago and why every teacher in every classroom emphasizes lessons that provide for critical thinking and critical feedback. You will see some of it on display in March. First on March 8 when Middle School students share their Science Fair projects with the entire community and again on Pi Day (March 14th or 3.14) when we celebrate the fun you can have with math. Core skills linked with passion and self-knowledge is a winning combination. Come to the State of the School presentation on February 16 where we will highlight of how some of our graduates are doing with this formula!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Science Fair is Coming!
As Middle School parents know, our 6th to 8th graders have started on their science fair projects. I hope ALL of our families, regardless of whether your student is in Pre-K or 8th grade, will come see the students present their projects and findings on March 8th, either in the morning or the evening.
Why do we continue with this tradition of Science Fairs that became popular in American schools after WWII? Because, as the President recently reminded us in the State of the Union Speech, teaching to the test is not enough. We want all of our students to develop skills and a comfort level with hands-on application of the scientific process. This requires them to develop an idea or hypothesis (asking a question about how the world works), to develop a scheme to test their idea, then gather and evaluate evidence to form a conclusion. They may reach an answer, or they may learn that an answer is elusive. Either way, they learn how to think critically and express themselves clearly, two key skills that they will need regardless of their future careers. They also get their hands dirty, so to speak, not just reading about or watching a video of someone else doing research, but learning that they can do their own.
“Science fairs develop skills that reach down to everybody’s lives, whether you want to be a scientist or not,” explains Michele Glidden, a director at the Society for Science & the Public. The beauty of being an independent school like Friends School is that we are not overwhelmed by standardized testing. We have room to teach both content and critical skills and processes that students will need in high school, college and beyond. The Middle School Science Fair is a great example of hands-on project-based learning in action.
Monday, January 16, 2012
7th Grade Trip to PEEC - Fall 2011
Thursday, January 5, 2012
An Invitation
Seeking the Still Small Voice Within:
An Invitation to Visit Mullica Hill Friends Meeting on Sunday, January 22nd
An Invitation to Visit Mullica Hill Friends Meeting on Sunday, January 22nd
If you have wondered what your children experience when they participate in Meeting for Worship at school each Thursday, or want to learn more about Friends, or, informally, Quakers, Mullica Hill Meeting invites you to join its members and attenders for Meeting for Worship on Sunday, January 22, 2012. Meeting will begin at 11 am and usually lasts until about noon. Childcare will be provided. This is a chance for interested Friends School families to meet members of the meeting and experience Meeting for Worship for themselves. I’ll be there and would love to welcome you too.
At its core, Quaker worship involves inward reflection and listening. When worship is over Quakers then work to lead their daily lives in the world guided or “led” by the Truth that they have gleaned during the shared silent reflection or worship. Friends are unique in engaging in collective silent reflection or worship. Buddhism, for example, encourages individual reflection or meditation, but does not emphasize the increased value of shared worship of a group of people.
So, what are Quakers listening for when they sit together in silence? “’The still small voice’ that dwells within each of us – the voice of God that speaks to us and that we express to others through our deeds.”[1] George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, traveled through England. He preached “there is that of God in every man.” This profoundly optimistic message held and still holds that each person, regardless of race, gender, or status in life, has within the inherent capacity to listen for and know God’s will, and be guided toward goodness and the best within themselves if they would only stop regularly to listen for God’s voice.
Every person’s experience in Meeting for Worship is different, every time. For myself, sometimes I experience restlessness and have trouble sitting still or preventing my mind from racing to ponder the challenges of my day. On other occasions I settle into a profound stillness and can let my mind roam, finding what is most important for me that day, regardless of whether it was a topic I knew was important. Sometimes someone will rise and speak, and I find that their message speaks to what was on my mind. On other occasions I will fall upon an irresistible focus and energy that forces me to my feet, and I find myself speaking out loud with a message to share with others.
I can’t predict what you will find. I can promise that most likely you will find the experience refreshing and that the period of quiet may be a very welcome place to slow down, turn off your cell phone, and just experience the simple act of “being.” Come and experience it for yourselves!
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