Preparing Students for the Real World - A Summary of Chapter 9 in Eric Sheninger's "Digital Leadership"

As school systems prepare teachers to educate students, the focus of student learning must move from what is scored on a test. Education must prepare students for what they will face beyond the school walls. Schools must begin to make changes so that experiences in real life are reflected inside the school walls.

Twenty-first Century Skills, or Essential Skills as Mr. Sheninger calls them, must be part of every teacher's toolkit for lesson activities to meet the diverse needs of each student. Incorporating activities that allow students to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and use their creativity to present new knowledge will help build these skills so that they can be productive outside of school. In addition, teaching students entrepreneurism through artifacts of learning, as well as global awareness through connections with their own peers around the world enable students to use these same skills in the workforce. And finally, lesson activities must be developed so that technology proficiencies, digital media literacy, and digital responsibility are part of the learning environment. Allowing students to solve real world problems with real work tools is the key to making sure our students our ready to tackle the world in front of them.

With this vision in mind, CISD has devoted itself to becoming a 1:1 school district. This next school year, every 7th-12th grade student will be issued their own netbook/notebook to use in class. Providing students with the technology is a key step that allows teachers to begin to make the changes necessary to fully integrate technology in their classrooms. A change in pedgogy is difficult for many teachers. However, when the teacher begins to move from the giver of all knowledge to the facilitator of student-centered learning, students become more engaged in their own learning and they begin to seek answers to their own questions instead of waiting on the teacher for those answers. When we engage the students in their own learning, their learning is enhanced.

References

Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. Corwin Press.