Students and the U.S. economy
My students are really understanding the economy and the effects on the local community. We start each class period in discussion groups and the daily newspaper. There are 6 groups, 3 will report good news and 3 will report bad news. They alternate days of which news they will report. They have 15 minutes to locate and summarize an article. They present to the class and they have created some interesting discussions and questions about their futures based on these current events. On Fridays, they do a journal entry on their future goals and what avenue they will take to be successful.
They are very concerned, as teenagers often are, about how things will affect them. Although, they see alot of scary things going on in the national news such as unemployment and homelessness, they are optimistic that their future is bright and that they will have to be diligent in how they will be successful.
Posted at 05:54PM Nov 22, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[1]
Career Fair
Our school has finally gotten a career fair together and we hosted over 50 career areas. This was a culmination of multiple efforts from the guidance and business departments and well worth the effort. Most students are unaware of some interesting career fields and never have the opportunity to talk to someone in that area. We received a lot of interest form the career professionals who were only to happy to come for a visit.
We arranged for the whole school to have the opportunity to at least visit the area and provided a map to where each person was set up so that although they couldn't visit everything they could at least talk to 3-5 people in the time allotted. This was very successful and the feedback that we received from students basically stated that they wish they could have more time to see more career fields.The students seemed to enjoy this opportunity and we also designated this as professional dress day, so they really represented well and looked very grown up. This was a good fit for the students and the industries that supported our efforts.
We are planning a college fair for next semester and so far response has been great.
Posted at 10:35AM Nov 11, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[4]
New 9 week grading period
What a day this has been! My students seemed to have shut off their brains. They want me to just screw off the top and add water, this will amazingly make them ready for the world. I have had more than enough of them tell me that they can't wait to get out of high school. I don't want to seem discouraging but I have lead them to believe that there is a harsh reality that they are ill-prepared for.The journal entry today was about their future goals and they had to trade papers with another student when it was finished. They had to rate each other on how realistic it was and suggest a path to take to reach the goal.
I did regain a new found sense of respect for my students when they honestly told each other that some of the goals were not realistic and based on media fantasy and TV. Things are looking up.
Posted at 07:59PM Oct 29, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[20]
Presidential Debates
Now, this has been a source for some real problem-solving activities. Most of the problems that concern our citizens have been outlined and batted back and forth by our candidates but have we seen any viable solutions come out of these debates.
In addition to the debates, I have my students write journals and at least once a week, the journals has to probe a local community or citywide issue.For example, how would you reduce the high school drop rate? How can we best help the homeless? I will take their suggestions and create a follow up topic without divulging the original writers name.
They really do a great job of tying their topics into discussions and it makes them more comfortable in participating because the ideas originated with them.
Posted at 08:20PM Oct 13, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[1]
Problems
We are talking about problem-solving in my BMA class. Basically,what businesses do to solve their problems but I have taken it a step further to include self-assessing and decision-making. We have started talking in class about the economy crisis and dissected its evolvement; from the Federal bailout down to the consumer responsibility so that not only is the discussion relevant and informative, it helps our my students know how this will affect them presently and generations to come. We have had some what-if analysis on whether or not the gevernment should step in and separated into grops to role play the government, business and consumer perspective. The students researched and defended their topics with vigor and I was surprised that they understood each role and were able to educate each other on a current event. This week has been a busy one but well worth it when I see even the quietest student have a comment towards our topic.
Posted at 08:09PM Sep 24, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[2]
ICT Literacy
The acronym stands for Information and Communication Technologies. This encompasses the skills and knowledge that future-ready students will need to be prepared to be readily employed and globally competitive. These skills will provide a fresh approach to education and will prepare today's students for a successful future. My discussion will focus on what we as educator's can provide to assist with the training of these skills. Can thinking, problem solving and the development of innovative ideas be taught?
Posted at 07:53PM Sep 16, 2008 by vilewis in General | Comments[4]