21st Century Learning with the Middle Ages

While studying about the Middle Ages, Jason Weaver's seventh grade social studies class made learning authentic by focusing on an essential question, "What makes someone successful?"  As students studied the different peoples and events of the middle ages, they searched to find examples and information  that demonstrate what it takes to be a success.  This study was also tied with the counselor's visits to enroll for the next school year by practically looking at what it would take to succeed in 8th grade and why that was important.

Students applied what was learned about success in the culminating project - an interview with themselves.  The project titled "Interviews with Success" asked students to imagine themselves 15 years in the future and picture what it is they'd like to be successful at by then.  Then, drawing on the lessons learned from their study of the Middle Ages, students "interviewed" their future selves by reflecting on what things would have contributed to their success.  The final interviews were shared in newspaper article style or with radio interviews, which were saved as podcasts.

This project incorporates all four pieces of the eMINTS Instructional Model of High Quality Lesson Design, Inquiry Based Learning, Classroom Community, and Technology.  Research shows that designing instruction with thinking skills intertwined with traditional core subjects allows the students to learn more than with a content-only curriculum.  In addition to this, when students see the connection between what they are learning and the real world, both their motivation and learning soar.

Click here to see an example of student projects.

Cooperative Learning

Today's learning experiences differ greatly for our students when compared to the past.  Today's work environments require employees to not only utilize critical thinking skills and innovation, but to work as a team.  This means that our students need to be self-directed and demonstrate social skills that are appropriate for the workplace, such as recognizing when to speak, to value others' ideas, and to conduct their learning in a professional, respectable manner.

Social skills such as these are being taught in eMINTS classrooms right along with content information.  The eMINTS Instructional Model consists of four areas:

1. High quality lesson design
2. Inquiry based learning
3. Classroom Community
4. Powered by Technology

For these four aspects to gel together into one, enriching learning experience for all students, cooperative learning must take place.  Cooperative learning is not just group work.  When utilized appropriately, cooperative learning demonstrates positive interdependence, individual accountability, and group processing to work towards one end goal.  Students need to accept the idea that one student's success is not a classroom success. Instead, a classroom success is shared by all.  Reflection after cooperative group activities is key to ensure students recognize the bonds and connections that each student contributes to the whole group.

As any facilitator in any classroom knows, setting up cooperative learning is not any small task.  Before utilizing cooperative learning in a classroom setting, teachers might need to teach collaborative skills such as leadership, trust-building, decision-making, and communication. All this effort is worth it, though, as research shows that students learning in a cooperative environment outperform others learning in a traditional environment. 

As eMINTS teachers, cooperative learning is used within a variety of strategies.  Some of these strategies include using jigsaws, paired sharings, and numbered heads together.  Integration of cooperative learning in the core curriculum can encourage student engagement and also allow for students to take leadership roles.  On her website, Laura Candler lists many cooperative learning structures and provides several resources for teachers interested in using cooperative learning.

Johnson, Johnson, and Holubec have found that cooperative learning, when compared to individual and competitive learning, results in greater effort to achieve by all students and more positive relationships between classmates.  In a classroom designed around constructivist teaching practices, teachers begin to realize how much socialization occurs in the learning process.  This socialization is not necessarily "off task."  Students are typically discussing ideas, defending hypotheses, and collaborating about alternative solutions.  Cooperative structures are critical in these environments to ensure students contribute appropriately and value others' ideas.

Using cooperative learning strategies is perhaps the first step in developing a generation ready for today's workplace.  It creates the structure needed for equality and engagement.  For more resources on cooperative learning strategies to implement in classrooms, visit eMINTS eThemes:
General resources
Secondary resources

Show Me TechKnowledge

As our world and society changes, real life and practical skills are being integrated into the classroom.  Now the "what" we teach includes collaboration with others, flexibility, information literacy, and even time management. Part of what Joplin teachers learn in Technology Leadership Academy incorporates lifelong skills such as these in conjunction with Knowledge standards.

Jordan Lofting, seventh grade communication arts teacher at South Middle School, recognizes and  utilizes these 21st Century Learning Skills with her students. As students research critical issues in her class, her objectives are not only that they will recognize how to effectively communicate on paper, but that they will learn to work together, compromise on issues they care deeply about, and determine what influences people. As students complete this research project, they use iMovie software to create a public service announcements that will be showcased on Mrs. Lofting's website.

Mrs. Lofting's website is not the only avenue in which these students have the chance to show their technology skills, however. On January 19th, four students had the opportunity to exhibit their public service announcements at the Third Floor Rotunda of the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. This exhibit was part of Show Me TechKnowledge Day, which provides schools with the opportunity to  demonstrate to legislators, educators, students, and others statewide how technology is currently being used in Missouri schools to enhance learning and improve student achievement. Teachers are selected  through a competitive application process and can bring a select number of  students with them to the exhibit. Students that represented Joplin were Alyssa Brown, Holly Hughes, Madi Frost, and Darian Parker. They were greeted by Senator Gary Nodler and were introduced to the Senate as the session was called to order.
Please join us in congratulating these students, their teacher, and their administrators for the commitment they have made and dedication they have shown to our schools!

Socially Speaking

Welcome to the LimeLounge, where you can learn, laugh, and play in the limelight of your center stage.

This is the forum for Justin Crawford's freshman students.  Justin created The LimeLounge after learning about social networks and their benefits to students in eMINTS studies and technology workshops.

We've probably all heard of social networks before, and typically, they are thought of as unhealthy for students.  A social network is an online site for individuals to message, email, chat, and share resources.  Social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, are mediums students are not just familiar with, in fact, they could be considered experts.  Many students socialize outside of school with friends using a variety of sites such as these.

This fact alone is the benefit of using a social network with students.  Students are already using sites at home to collaborate with peers.  This is a way of meeting the students where they are.  Mr. Crawford has seen an increase in student engagement since introducing social networking to his students and integrating it into his curriculum.  He says, "Students used to come in my class and wait for me to get the class going.  Now they come in before the bell rings and immediately sign in to the lounge.  They're staying engaged longer and are more focused.  It has improved classroom management and student involvement."

The lounge, as he and his students call it, is something Mr. Crawford has spent a great deal of time developing using an online social network called grou.ps.  This site has allowed him to customize information and permissions for his students.  They can add resources for each other, such as notes or websites, get assistance from the teacher or A+ tutors, and even turn in their work if they are absent.  Other users can rate resources so students can evaluate the credibility or usefulness of a post.  This puts students in charge of their learning and provides them with "ownership" that is sometimes needed as motivation.

The inclusion of social networking or other Web 2.0 tools into the curriculum demonstrates motivation of students to become more engaged in readings, to think critically, and therefore, to submit higher quality work.  Because comments and posts are quickly published, student reflections provide for almost instant feedback.  The educational tool is also a benefit to students through responses of fellow classmates.  Those struggling students can identify new connections through the comments provided by others in the class.

Not only can the use of social networking incorporate learning across social, cultural, and physical barriers, but can also provide for an extended school day or expanded classroom walls.  Such as in Mr. Crawford's class, students, experts, mentors, observers, and even the teacher can create posts or comments after school hours, which allows others to build upon their present knowledge through collaboration.

Students in any of Mr. Crawford's classes can communicate with others, whether they are enrolled in the same hour or not.  This has enhanced another piece of the eMINTS Instructional Model, A Community of Learners.  One student says, "In my own class in the beginning of school I didn't know anyone... but the LimeLounge has helped me make friends and know names better."  It is common to see the students giving assistance to each other, chatting about school topics, and sharing resources in the lounge.  Collaboration such as this is also identified as one of the top skills employers prefer in job applicants.

Security is something that we all are concerned with when we think about students on the Internet.  Mr. Crawford's students have signed a Classroom User Policy in addition to the Joplin schools' Acceptable User Policy for computer use.  This policy states what students can and can't do when using sites such as The LimeLounge in his class.  Parents are aware that their students are using this site and both have been made aware of consequences of abusing privileges.  Students can only be added as writers to this site with teacher or administrative approval, so outsiders cannot get in and see what the students are doing.  All posts are emailed to the teacher so any inappropriate information will not be posted.

As technology advances, so does our everyday life.  It has been stated that the jobs our students will have tomorrow currently don't even exist.  The use of technology as a collaboration tool is something that is shaping not only our world, but also education.  As one student states, "It has changed learning.  I have learned about what people think from our discussions on the LimeLounge.  By interacting with each other, it makes us talk, get more involved, and consider other peoples' opinions."

Inquiry Based Learning

The dictionary defines a pumpkin as a large, round fruit of the gourd family.  Although many people would agree,  students in Brandi Landis and Zach Holden's 3rd grade classes at Kelsey Norman might also define it as a learning tool.  One day each fall, the teachers facilitate learning with one subject - a pumpkin.

Along with the teachers, the students brainstorm approximately thirty different learning activities using a pumpkin.  From that list, students choose activities that will meet criteria in math, science, and communication arts.

Some of the ideas students brainstormed this year included writing a story about, or a letter to, a pumpkin, writing their own story problems, finding density,  and determining the distance a pumpkin travels when it is rolled.

For science and math activities, the third grade students made predictions about what would happen to their pumpkin and then adapted their theories after performing the tasks. They also used Excel to graph the distance their pumpkin traveled during the pumpkin roll and compared that to others in their groups.

Students are learning with a constructivist approach during these lessons.  Some characteristics of this lesson design and the eMINTS Instructional Model include student choice, gathering information, adapting prior knowledge based on experiences, and collaboration between peers.

A Chinese proverb states,  “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.”  Lessons such as the ones taking place in this eMINTS classroom are keeping students engaged at higher levels of thinking.  Giving students the choice of activities provides an ownership of learning and using a problem based approach in lessons allows students to identify the resources necessary for achievement.  This combined with collaboration between students can provide a higher level of engagement that leads to successful learners.

When using an inquiry based approach such as this, student questioning is encouraged, conclusions are drawn, and learning is active, deeper, and reflective.  Differentiation comes easily because students are working at a pace that is comfortable for them.  The teacher acts as a facilitator, questioning, providing scaffolds, and offering varied viewpoints for student consideration.


So maybe pumpkins can magically turn into a glittering carriage.  All you need is a little student choice and inquiry, and you'll have complete engagement.

Questioning Strategies

What is a higher order question?  How do our students use questioning strategies in their classes?

Questioning as a type of inquiry in classrooms is more difficult than it seems.  To encourage students to ask higher order questions, teachers must first model the process, then encourage students to ask questions.  Research has shown that children ask more than half of all questions.  Anyone having experience with toddlers could concur with that statement.  However, that same research also shows that the amount of questions students ask significantly drops with each year.  This places yet another great responsibility on teachers.

Questioning from students is critical to enable students in problem solving and decision making.  However, questioning in itself is not enough.  Questions with one right answer fail to grasp the deep understanding students have or need regarding subject matter.  Higher order thinking, such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis provide our students with a deeper understanding of material, the ability to transfer knowledge to real life experiences, and to also make connections.

eMINTS teachers have been studying not only what type of questions their students are asking, but what type of answers have been elicited from these questions.  Through discussion and modeling by teachers, students are recognizing the difference between simple questions and those that are more complex.

Students in Gala Moss' 5th grade class have been using questioning strategies within their science classes.  When students have questions regarding their study, the question is written on Post it notes.  These questions are posted to a bulletin board and are available for other students to answer in an area that works similar to a work station or center.  Students sort the questions as they realize that some require more understanding than those with simple, "only one right" answer.

Mrs. Mwangi's 5th Grade at West Central

The first few weeks of school are a very important time in an eMINTS classroom.  Not only do students need to learn procedures and get back into the swing of things, but they must develop classroom and teambuilding skills that will create a community of learners that depend on each other. Sarah Mwangi's 5th graders are doing just that.

Mrs. Mwangi's students are using the theme of "safari" this year with the long journey they'll be taking in 5th grade.  To identify with each student's unique responsibility in the classroom, they pieced together a 100 piece, 4 foot puzzle, but weren't allowed to talk during the activity.  After completing the puzzle, the kids talked about how each student represented a puzzle piece. For it to look right, everyone had to be involved (i.e. all puzzle pieces there).  This went on to a discussion about teamwork and cooperation.

















Also last week, the students used various materials to make parachutes.  They attached "a parachuter" and were judged on the longest hangtime as well as the most creative parachute.  Additionally, each team voted for the Most Valuable Player, who was able to keep the team parachute.

The winning team had a hangtime of 4.19 seconds after dropped from the top of the playground equipment, which was approximately ten feet.  The winning team in the creativity portion was chosen because they tried to use all the materials in creating something unique.  The kids had fun and did a great job. 

With these activities, Mrs. Mwangi's students were introduced to the eMINTS instructional model of High Quality Lesson Design, Inquiry-Based Learning, Powered by Technology, and Classroom Community.  Rather than giving students directions to create their parachute, they were given materials.  Students chose how they wanted their parachute designed and problem solved how their design could be carried out.  Reflection after each activity provides a learning experience for students.


To learn more about Mrs. Mwangi's class, visit her website at http://mwangi.weebly.com.