3 Steps - A Closer Look at Step 2

As we strive to teach our student skills to prepare them for the 21st Century, many of us are still confronted with the lack of access to 21st Century technology tools. Very often, I hear from teachers that their students have minimal access to computers connected to the web and that sites like YouTube, TeacherTube and Flickr are blocked from their computers.

Even though our students may not have access to 21st Century tech tools, this doesn't have to stop us from preparing our students with the social skills needed for success. As you wait for the decision-makers in your school district to wake up and realize that the world has changed, follow Step 2 from my video, 3 Steps which states, "Teach students the skills of competition, cooperation, and collaboration."

Competition
It is a sad fact that more students are concerned with athletic rather than with academic competitions. Far too many of my students believe that they are going to grow up to become professional athletes. And even more spend countless hours consumed with watching sports on t.v. or playing video games where they pretend they are athletes. We must do something about this. These activities are not going to help most young people succeed. Kids should be designing video games not just playing them.

So what do we do? Why not incorporate creative, problem-solving competitions in your classroom. Odyssey of the Mind has a bunch of classroom activities described online that teach independent, critical thinking and problem solving skills. These are an engaging way to use competition in a fun and hands-on way as opposed to putting students "on-the-spot" with competitions like spelling bees. My sister is still scarred from her fifth grade spelling bee after spelling cowboy, "C-O-B-O-Y." Do you remember the word you spelled wrong? That wasn't fun, nor did it make you want to compete academically again.

Cooperation
During the first few days of school, many teachers do a few icebreakers and team building activities where students get to know each other and learn to cooperate with their classmates. Then, it all stops and teaching begins. I believe this is wrong, for I agree with Spencer Kagan in that team-building activities must continue throughout the school year. Cooperative Learning is wonderful, and the resources from Kagan Publishing on team building and Cooperative Learning structures are top-notch! Students need to be taught HOW to cooperate and the Kagan cooperative learning structures are a simple way to embed this into your teaching. Here are some team-building activities and free articles about cooperative learning.

Collaboration
Collaborative learning is similar to cooperative learning but it is not always as structured. With cooperative learning there are "structures" or protocols that students follow when completing a task, but with collaborative learning students are free to work together more openly and be innovative and creative as they reach some sort of a consensus. One way to encourage collaboration is to use design challenges to spark students innovative and creative spirits. There are SO many web tools that support and enhance collaborative learning. Although many teachers and students are blocked from using some of these sites, in my next post I'll explore the many tools and resources for online collaborative learning. Here is a sneak peak.