Strategy+08+Research+Findings

AASL Standards for 21st Century Learners Partnership for 21st Century Skills Common Core ELA Standards Common Core Math Standards ||< There is a huge amount of work to be done around these standards. We need to review all of them and see how they fit in HenHud. We also need to wait to see what NYS does with their standards. ||
 * **Research Questions** || **Researcher** ||< **Summary of Findings** || **Implications for Hendrick Hudson SD** ||
 * < What are the existing 21st Century standards (by grade or developmental age)? ||< Mathew Swerdloff ||< NETS for Students
 * < How do other schools incorporate 21st Century skills at each grade level? ||< Colleen Ruiz ||< ==== Many states are incorporating 21st century skills into revised standards especially for the COMMON CORE ==== ||< ==== We need to revise standards to include 21st century skills. ==== ||
 * < How do students take ownership of their learning? ||<  ||<   ||<   ||
 * < How do we encourage students to become self-reliant, creative, and engaged learners? ||< Sally Simon ||< Problem-Based Learning (as a teaching strategy) came up over and over in the research…then there are specifics….*Article #1—Students must be adept at social networking/collaboration using technology/Web 2.0/blogs etc.Article #2—is about relationship building. “Authentic learning relationships build participation.” Also, students needs to be known and appreciated for who they are and feel cared for in order to get them to participate. (NOTE: the article is based on education in England)Article #3—What 21st Century classes look like = differentiated to the learner, Education that goes from a common core to individualized learning. Personalized learning = student motivation.Article #4—is about assessments and student efficacy. Ongoing assessments that students have a say about—not a test as an end point, for example. Student set goals and checkpoints. Learning as fluid. Teachers give feedback, but students use that feedback to create goals and plans for themselves.Article #5—is a section from a book about engaging teens in learning. Active learning—cooperative learning experiences.Article #6 & 7--are about Habits of Mind—the website/organization says—“Our Vision = To create a more thought-full, cooperative, compassionate generation of people who are skillful in resolving social, environmental, economic, and political world problems”—sounds like 21st century to me.Article #8—Just a good article—read it. ||< 1) Find out more about Problem Based Learning as a Teaching Strategy2) Explore how social networking, global collaboration, blogs, etc =can be used more in the educational arena3) Revisit the individual learning goals strategy—does it meet the needs of also being a 21st century learner? How can goal setting, etc. be incorporated into school in an efficient way?4) How can assessments incorporate the student and student choice and be used in more of an on-going way—student portfolios? Online?5) Find out more about Habits of Mind and how/if they correspond to 21st century learning.NOTE: I find some of these implications to be pedagogical = teaching strategies, student goal setting, assessments, and some to be more about the “child” than academics—i.e. Habits of Mind= teaching the whole child not just content—this may be a paradigm shift. Technology is also a big part in the process for the students we teach (Digital Natives) and future jobs. ||
 * < How have other schools explained 21st Century skills to parents and how did they build community and parent support? ||< Susan Leiman ||<  ||<   ||
 * < What professional development opportunities exist currently? ||< Charlotte Brown

Alice Gottlieb ||< Research Question #1: What professional development opportunities exist currently? **__ Sources Used: __** 1. www.novemberlearning.com : a consulting company which offers workshops, consultations on 21st Century skills. Highlights are: · annual conference on Building Learning Communities. This year’s is in July 2011 in Boston. Cost will be about $700 (not including hotel or transportation) · podcasts of interviews with experts are available on website · publications such as //Empowering Students with Technology// and //Web Literacy for Educators// · online courses lasting 4-6 hours ($21 each) · articles such as //Students as Contributors: the Digital Learning Format, Teaching Zack to Think,// and //Creating a New Culture of Teaching and Learning// · information literacy resources · NL offers tailor-made workshops and mini-conferences for districts 2. www.21stcenturyschools.com : is an independent company (cited in the Heidi Hayes Jacobs book) that promotes itself as an agent of change. It offers: 3. __ [|www.howardgardner.com] __ : Howard Gardner’s latest book, __Five Minds of the Future__, in which he discusses the five minds (the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creating mind, the respectful mind, and the ethical mind) leaders will seek. Dr. Gardner is known for his theory of multiple intelligences, which has been an influence in teaching and learning for the past 25-30 years. 4. www.p21.org The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a national organization that promotes 21st century readiness for each child. The organization was founded in 2002 by the US Department of Education, various corporations and several individuals. 5. @http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/about/ : associated with the Friday Institute, an incubator of educators and business leaders. Has offered institutes on the following projects: Some institutes are free, but participants pay travel, lodging and meal costs. Others have $500 fee. While two were listed on the website for 2009, none were for 2010 or 2011. Also offers face-to-face and online workshops but has no information on website about dates or costs. 6. http://www.ascd.org : formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Motto is “learn. teach. lead” An educational leadership organization devoted to advancing best practices. Has staff who will come to district for professional development in 21st century skills, among other topics. Also has it in an online format. Hard to drill down for costs - it appeared I would need to be a member.
 * online courses on a variety of topics such as sustainability, 21st century curriculum, differentiated instruction and service learning to name a few ($90-$200)
 * will offer workshops to groups on various 21st century competencies
 * has essay on “What is 21st century education?” on website ( @http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/What_is_21st_Century_Education.htm )
 * It offers various tools in the form of online resources, publications, guest speakers and workshops to reinforce the 3 R’s, which “include: English, reading or language arts; mathematics; science; foreign languages; civics; government; economics; arts; history; and geography” and the four C’s, which include “critical thinking and problem solving; communication, collaboration; and creativity and innovation.”
 * The HHHD district could have two people trained who would then in turn train teachers within the district. The cost is $5000 which includes access to all the organizations resources.
 * NC 1:1 Learning Collaborative
 * Innovation Leaders Academy
 * MINDSET
 * North Carolina Integrated Mathematics Project
 * SMART for Teachers
 * Trajectory of Science Scholars (TOSS)
 * New Literacies  Collaborative
 * NC QUEST: The Science Scholars Academy
 * FIZZ (about students publishing work)

7. Various websites of colleges with graduate programs in education: reviewed Pace, Mercy, Teachers College and found courses in literacy, adolescent education, “Education in Today’s Schools”. The course descriptions were vague and guess that the courses are modified and tweaked as times change. I’m not sure these types of courses are the best options.

8. NCTE (national Council of Teachers of English, www.ncte.org ): The organization includes English language instructors from K to Higher Ed. 9. National Council of Mathematics Teachers (NCTM- http://www.nctm.org ). The organization offers: · Annual national conference and regional conferences · Resources for math teachers · Various articles and journals for math instructors 10. @http://www.intel.com/education/elements/ : offers free online professional development in areas such as //Collaboration in the Digital Classroom//, //Assessment in 21st Century Classrooms//, or //Project-based Approaches//. **__ Summary of Findings: __** There are a variety of professional development opportunities and resources available such as: In addition, perhaps opportunities could be set up whereby teachers job-shadow a community member at his/her job for a period of time (day, days, week) in order to gain a sense of what skills are used in the workplace. **__ Implications for Specific Action in Hendrick Hudson: __** Action Team Research Template
 * It offers webinars, e-workshops and resource kits on 21st century literacies, media literacy, and other areas.
 * It runs an annual conference, which offers sessions for English instructors of all levels of education as well as a summer institute for teachers. (The 2011 institute will be on //Teachers, Students and Families Together: Nurturing Literate Communities//.)
 * A webinar is $129 for non-members and $79 for members.
 * One of NCTE’s resource kits is the Pathways program, which focuses on 21st century literacies and adolescent literacy. @http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Pathways/21stPathwaysOverview.pdf
 * Graduate courses
 * Webinars
 * Consultants brought to the district
 * Train the trainer opportunities
 * Readings
 * Professional conferences
 * Online mini-courses and workshops
 * 1) A lot will depend on the budget and resources available for professional development.
 * 2) Perhaps the most effective modes would be ones that use 21st century skills to teach the teachers.
 * 3) Job shadowing for a day with a member of the community could be very useful in terms of giving the teacher hands-on learning opportunities that they could bring back to the classroom.

Researcher: Charlotte Brown

Research Question: How well do teachers understand 21st Century learning?

Sources Used:
 * 1)  [|www.21stcenturyskills.org/mileguide/] : teachers and administrators can do the assessment online to see where the greatest need for professional development is.

2. Other?

Summary of Findings:

Implications for Specific Action in Hendrick Hudson: The **MILE Guide** from the Partnership for 21C Skills includes self-assessments for teachers, administrators, policy makers - and also stresses the importance of self-assessment before beginning PD initiatives, so that PD can be differentiated. This guide and the self-assessments are available on our Resources page.

21st Century Professional Development

 * Highlights ways teachers can seize opportunities for integrating 21st century skills, tools and teaching strategies into their classroom practice — and help them identify what activities they can replace/de-emphasize
 * Balances direct instruction with project-oriented teaching methods
 * Illustrates how a deeper understanding of subject matter can actually enhance problem-solving, critical thinking, and other 21st century skills
 * Enables 21st century professional learning communities for teachers that model the kinds of classroom learning that best promotes 21st century skills for students
 * Cultivates teachers’ ability to identify students’ particular learning styles, intelligences, strengths and weaknesses
 * Helps teachers develop their abilities to use various strategies (such as formative assessments) to reach diverse students and create environments that support differentiated teaching and learning
 * Supports the continuous evaluation of students’ 21st century skills development
 * Encourages knowledge sharing among communities of practitioners, using face-to-face, virtual and blended communications
 * Uses a scaleable and sustainable model of professional development ||< The professionals in our district need to assess their own level of expertise in 21 C skills. This info should drive our PD efforts. ||
 * < How well do teachers understand 21st Century learning? ||< Adrienne Atwell ||< __Leadership__
 * Strategic thinking/ decision making: intelligent, informed, definitive, willing to take an informed stance
 * Ability to set clear direction- articulate goals and priorities
 * Personal integrity
 * Ability to appropriately influence behaviors
 * Enables and energizes others to achieve the highest standards
 * Strong collaborative skills
 * Takes responsibility for decisions and actions of team when in leadership position
 * Considers long term implications of decisions and actions taken

__Technical Competency__
 * Takes intelligent risks
 * Wide and deep knowledge of area of expertise
 * Ability to utilize technology efficiently and effectively to maximize results

__Business Knowledge:__
 * Strong financial understanding
 * Knows how to get things done
 * Solid understanding of business objectives

__External interactions__
 * Able to identify and penetrate new markets
 * Understands cultural differences and is able to work within different cultural settings effectively
 * Understands the global issues influencing markets around the world and the perspectives of individuals within those markets
 * Considers implications of decisions on global economy, markets and populations
 * Understands customer needs and how to meet those needs while meeting business objectives
 * Understands the competitive market and can respond to implications intelligently, creatively and innovatively

__Communications:__
 * Ability to articulate ideas in a concise manner
 * Listens to and understands what others are saying
 * Knows how to express ideas within a multicultural, diverse environment

__Teamwork:__
 * Establishes strong coalitions and networks both within and outside the organization
 * Ability to work with all levels and easily build new relationships
 * Ability to work as a team member effectively to accomplish mutually shared and agreed upon objectives (collaboration)

__Self Management:__ a. Key Values: Team Spirit, Integrity, Innovation, Realism, Professionalism b. Defining Roles: Who is leading? Where are resources coming from? Who are experts in subject matter? What are teams and how do they collaborate? Who supports who and in what fashion? c. Key Drivers and Competencies: BUILD TO GROW (Shared Vision, Building Capability), SHARE TO SUCCEED (Collaboration, Communication), FOCUS ON CUSTOMERS (Market and Customer Knowledge, Service Excellence), CATALYZE HIGH PERFORMANCE (Team Leadership, Change Leadership), LEAD THROUGH ACTION (Performance Driven, Exhibit Values) (2) Emotional Intelligence (EI) Factor a. EI as foundation for leadership and developing EI in youth and adolescents. b. The ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage behaviors and relationships. This could be an underlying foundation or initiative surrounding this action plan. c. One’s EI, or EQ, is the foundation for a host of critical skills: time management, assertiveness, empathy, decision making, change tolerance, stress tolerance, presentation skills, social skills, communication, anger management, accountability, customer service, trust, flexibility. d. EQ accounts for 58% of performance in all jobs. e. Lots of additional material at [] (3) Teaching Skills at Various Levels a. TONS of material and links on [|http://www.youthleadership.com] i. Site dedicated to providing current, creative, and dynamic youth leadership education information; and serving as a resource clearinghouse for individuals who work with youth leaders. ii. The approach values creating opportunities for youth to learn leadership skills without having to be perfect leaders (after all, name a perfect adult leader!). ||< (1) Define specific skill sets for each grade, creating a logical and reasonable progression (2) Define specific activities or projects that exhibits/requires understanding and use of one or more of the skills to be successful (3) Students will have varying levels of EI – Are there activities where we can bring out certain skills from students that already exhibit them? (4) Create courses or seminars that teach teachers about Emotional Intelligence and how it ties into teaching and learning 21st Century skills (5) This topic can be immensely ‘broad’ – perhaps we should determine focal points and design action plan around them (like teamwork, collaboration, leadership, problem solving, adaptability, tolerance). ||
 * Takes responsibility for decisions and actions
 * Manages own work, performance and development
 * Responds to needs of clients and organization with sense of urgency ||< The skills identified are not surprisingly within the categories we have previously defined although “leadership” keeps coming up. Interestingly, the definition of the term leadership seems to be evolving to include collaboration, integrity and enabling others. there was also an emphasis on intelligent, informed decision making. Strategic thinking was also important. ||
 * < What are the critical skills necessary for student success? ||< Brian Klimek ||< (1) Finance industry corporate perspective (GLOBAL):
 * < How do we apply these skills in the classroom? ||<  ||<   ||<   ||
 * < How are 21st Century skills measured/assessed? ||< Carolyn Almeida

Nina Levine

||< * Evaluation is an integral aspect of instructional design > to be incorporated into the process in the earliest stages > to ensure assessment of intended outcomes. > essential aspects of assessment. “Evaluation begins with a > commitment to being reflective.” > project management, decision-making, technology, etc.) occurs > with repeated opportunities to apply skills across a broad range of > experiences grounded in real world contexts. Therefore, growth > must be measured over time and across assignments and disciplines. > clearly defined, describe what competence looks and sounds like > at various levels of competence, and measure growth across time > and content. > to engage in complex thinking and problem solving resulting in a > gap between knowledge and the skills needed to succeed in a global workplace. > to evaluate students and schools. “ Test driven curriculum leaves > little room for teaching, learning and assessing 21st century skills. > on challenging tasks that evaluate standards of 21 st century learning.” ||< * The community will need to understand how 21st century skills are important, the changes that will result, and the value for their children.
 * “Self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-regulation” are
 * Transfer of process skills (research, cooperative learning,
 * Evidence of learning and growth can be gathered in a wide range of ways beyond testing, including observing student performance, conferring with students, engaging in reflection and self-evaluation experiences, rubrics, computer assisted analysis, etc.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Criteria for measuring skill acquisition and development should be
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Current standardized tests do not measure students’ abilities
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Assessment and accountability systems use multiple measures
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Assessments [should] include evidence of actual student performance
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A standards document will have to be developed and adopted by the district in which assessment will be referenced.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Measures, both formative and summative, will have to be developed to accurately gauge students’ 21st century skills for students in grades K-12. Assessments will be aligned with the curriculum and instruction
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Educators will need professional development experiences to understand, design and implement instruction that includes activities and tasks that emphasize process and performance as well as product. PD will be needed to inform and educate teachers about finding evidence of and measuring skill acquisition and growth over time for process skills in addition to assessing final products. ||
 * < How do we measure student growth/progress in this area? ||<  ||<   ||<   ||