The 6 C's of Education for the Future Infographic

The 6 C's of Education For The Future

During the first class meeting of my cohort for  a Masters in Educational Administration, I was introduced to a very unique idea for the focus of secondary education.  At least for me this may have been a unique idea.  The concept put forth to the class was simply that the focus of education at the secondary level needs to be centered upon three basic ideas: teaching students to think critically, work collaboratively and communicate effectively.  The premise is that through all subjects these “Three C’s” must be at the core of the education as it is these three concepts that will prepare students for their future.

The idea was, that in order for our current students to succeed in their future they needed to be adept in these three basic skill sets.  In a world where the only thing certain is that things change and where the future of the job market can no longer be mapped for fifty years as was once the case before the technological revolution.  It is almost impossible now to predict what the job market will look like five years from now let alone ten or twenty years down the line. It is imperative that students become problem solvers through the use of critical thinking skills.  In turn students must be capable of communicating effectively in that process and through the results of these problem solving efforts.  And, because there are very few jobs where there is only one employee, the ability to collaborate is an absolute must in the world today and in the future.

For me this was educational enlightenment even with twenty years of teaching on my resume.  This actually made sense to me.  I immediately started to plan and refocus my classroom to incorporate these three core ideas.  I read everything I could on critical thinking and how to incorporate more in depth problem solving into my science classes.  I looked for methods to improve the means of communication in the classroom focusing on the importance of all types of communication verbal, visual, written as well as through technology.  I have always encouraged student collaboration in my classroom, and this served to further my resolve to get students to become more active in their roles in the classroom. I was adamant that students work together in a variety of ways throughout each class period.

The last four years I have emphasized these three skill sets in each of my courses.  I have created more project based learning into all of my courses.  Requiring students to analyze research and present their findings.  I increased the amount and level of writing in the science curriculum through TEDitorials using TED videos to encourage students to defend or deny points made by the TED speakers.  I posted the Three C’s in my classroom and held periodic reviews to make sure students and I clearly understood how these ideas were being incorporated throughout the curriculum.  I encouraged student input in how to develop the “Three C’s” further in my classroom.

I was truly energized by this new focus.

Then I presented a professional development workshop on “Dynamic Teaching in the Block Schedule” at a charter high school in Los Angeles.  As part of that presentation I included the concept of the “Three C’s”.  The response was quite positive from all of the teachers in attendance.  The discussion was energetic and the ideas for their classrooms were flowing. And then the first suggestion came to amend the “Three C’s”.

“What about adding Make Connections?” the first suggestion came.

“How about Creativity and Culture?”

Obviously, there are going to be individuals who will feel the need more than three.  But, I was happy with my three and graciously agreed that each teacher could adapt the idea as they would need to for their classroom.

Then I saw two TED Talks by Sir Kenneth Robinson, “Bring on the Learning Revolution” and “Schools Kill Creativity.”  I followed that up with his book “The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.”  Then my daughter gave me the book “Imagine: How Creativity Works” by Jonah Lehrer.  That was quickly followed up by “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future”, by Daniel H. Pink.   And of course I viewed his TED, “The Puzzle of Motivation.” In between all of this I also saw Dan Meyer’s TED “Math Class Needs a Makeover,” and started to follow his work online about real life problem solving in math without using the text.

Each of these resources increased my focus on the “Three C’s” but also forced me to reconsider the idea of amending the list as had been suggested at the workshop.  In each of these TEDs and books the picture of the future is one of a constant state of flux.  A never ending series of changes that will leave the students of today useless if they cannot adapt.  The second point that is apparent in all of these sources is the idea that the job market in the United States will only continue to shrink as most jobs that require rote memory and programmed responses are being outsourced to the cheaper job markets of China and India where their unemployed workforce outnumbers the entire population of the united States.  Therefore, students of today must be on the cutting edge of creativity and design.  A skill set that must tap into imagination and creativity.  Which leads to the third idea to come out of my reading concerning the current push in education toward a STEM based curriculum.  While STEM is a good start to a transformation of our current model of education, it stops short of what our students will need for their futures.  The STEM model must be transformed to a STEAM model.  Science, Technology Engineering and Math are worthless in today’s world without the functionality and purpose of design that is a direct correlation to the Arts.

The last concept that these materials provided was the idea of purpose.  That today and in the future everything that we do, must be attached to some common good.  From Whole Foods to Avon, from NBA Cares to Clayton Kershaw and his wife, success in business must have a sense of purpose.  That, what we do and what we create and even the things we say must be in light of giving back in some way to those less fortunate than ourselves or to those who make our success possible.  This new generation of students are initiated into a framework that demands that they have the desire to give back in order to give their work and their success a sense purpose.

It is therefore that I will transform my original “Three C’s” and amend them to become The 6 C’s for the future of Education.  The new list includes: Think Critically, Communicate Cleary, Work Collaboratively, Embrace Culture, Develop Creativity and Utilize Connectivity.  

1. Critical Thinking allows the individual to manage information. Information presented in a multitude of forms from a variety of media. Information that must be filtered and analyzed, authenticated and processed, and eventually must be synthesized in a form that will be useful to the individual. 
2. Communication provides the means by which the individual can present information. Information presented in a multitude of means through a variety of media. Information that must be clear and concise, effective and engaging, and eventually be presented in a way that is meaningful to the individual and the audience.
3. Collaboration engages the individual in the world they share through association. Association, that is created to benefit an organization and as a means to conduct business. Association that includes partnership and teamwork, leadership and assistance, and alliance that serves to benefit the whole.
4. Culture encourages the individual to appreciate where we have come from, who we are now and how we can move into the future.  Culture associates the individual to all that surrounds them: art, drama, dance poetry, history, science, religion, written and unwritten language, technology and the individual themselves.
5. Creativity provides the avenue for expression.  The structure means nothing without function.  Therefore, the individual must be capable of creating something with the knowledge that they have worked so hard to obtain.  It is in creating that the individual gains purpose.
6. Connectivity places the individual in touch with their world.  In today’s existence that is increasingly through the technology that is rapidly changing the way they view their world.  Understanding that connections are personal no matter what the means of contact and that humanity must remain in light of how the technology may change for each individual.

Can this be done in a world that measures student success by their GPA, their Alphabet Test (STAR, CAHSEE, SAT ACT, LSAT, MCAT, GRE etc…) Scores, and the shopping list of college acceptance letters? Can education be transformed in such a way that these non-standardized concepts can be placed at the core of the educational process? 

As an educator, I will continue to make these the priority in my classroom and in my discussion on transforming education.  My students will leave my room each and every day, each and every week month and year, with the understanding that their future may just lie in the mastery of the “6 C’s of Education for the Future”.

Creating a Classroom Environment for Today's Learner

Collaborative Group Techniques

'A teacher cannot build a community of learners unless the voices and lives of the students are an integral part of the curriculum.'              

                                                    --  Peterson  --

Using collaborative groups can be very challenging.  The students must value the process of learning and understand that within the classroom environment they are responsible to each other and for each other as members of that learning community.  With that in mind, students must be accountable to the group, to be prepared and to share equally in the learning process.  Students should understand that collaborative groups are not an opportunity to socialize and most definitely not an opportunity to let others do all the work.  Each member of the group must pull their own weight in order for the success of everyone. 

Playing Teacher

Divide students into even groups of five or less. Give each student in a group a unique concept to learn. Then bring the group back together and let students teach each other what they have learned. Make sure that the entire group is learning about the same subject, just a different aspect of the subject. Test each group when the teaching session is completed within each group.

The Interview.

Divide students into groups with an even number of students in each group. Each member of a group chooses a partner. Have individuals interview their partner by asking them clarifying questions. Now let the partners switch roles. Lastly, let members of the entire group share their responses as a team.

Catch a Brainstorm.

Divide students into teams of 4 to 6, and appoint one student on each team to be the "secretary." Give each team a different question that can have many answers. Now give each team a chance to brainstorm answers to the question, with the "secretary" writing down the team's responses. Have the students work in a circle, each taking turns to give a response, instead of having all of the students shout out answers to the "secretary" at once.

Number Frenzy.

Divide students in groups of four. Label each student in a group as number 1, 2, 3, or 4. Ask the groups a common question. The group then works together to come up with the correct answer. Now you call out a number (between 1 and 4), and the person in a group that is assigned that number is to give you the answer to the question.

Group Grading.

After taking a test, divide your students into groups with an even number of people in each group. Let students trade their test papers, so they will be grading each other. Now give each group a few minutes to determine which answers are correct and to see which group members may have made mistakes. Allow the groups time to explain so that those members can see why their answer was wrong and what the correct answer should have been. Wrap up the groups and answer any dangling questions not addressed in the individual groups.

The Great Debate.

Cooperative learning can be used in any situation where you want students to debate the points of view of a concept being taught. For instance, when learning about the elections process, you can divide students into groups and have them hold a debate over what they would change about the elections process, what is working and not working with the current process, etc.

Listing Activity.

Divide students into groups of five or less. Ask each group to list words and/or phrases that describe what they are being taught, i.e., Energy, heat, potential, light, kinetic… Be sure that every response is written down that each individual gives. Have each group discuss their list and then come up with the words and/or phrases the entire group agrees on. Later each group can get up before the class and discuss why they chose the responses they did.

The One Minute Game.

Divide the class into teams of five or less. Have each group contemplate answers to these questions, giving them one minute to answer them:

What was the main thing you learned today?

Tell me two questions that you have remaining about this lesson.

What else would you like to know about this topic?

This is a great cooperative learning activity that helps students give you feedback about the lessons they learned.

Assigning Group Roles

Consider assigning each member of a group a role, so each member feels they are contributing to the group in a positive way. Roles could consist of:

Leader - The individual that makes sure everyone in the group has mastered the concepts being learned through the exercises.

Secretary - The person who records responses for the entire group.

Reporter - The person that speaks for the group when standing in front of the class.

Monitor - The person who keeps time for the group with timed assignments.

Manager - The person who fills in for any member of the group who is absent, and assists the leader of the group.

Roles can be switched within a group from time-to-time. Allow students to critique the performance of each member of the group.  This will hold them accountable to each other.  Read the critiques and provide feedback to let students know how their team members view there contributions.  

Ranking order.

Determine whom you will put into groups by using the following exercise.

1. Present your students with an issue that is pertinent to a lesson. Have the students rank this issue by how they feel about it with 1 being in strong agreement and 10 being in strong disagreement.

2. Place a rank-order line on your whiteboard and record the students' responses on the line.

3. Now form your groups by pulling out one person from each end of the ranking order, and then two people from the center of the line.

Aluminum Boats, Pennies and Archimedes

 Fact or Fiction?: Archimedes Coined the Term "Eureka!" in the Bath

  

A 10cm x 10cm piece of aluminum foil, 30cm x 1.9cm length of scotch tape and a handful of pennies, now figure out what makes a battleship float.

For five years now, I have utilized aluminum boat building as a means of having students discover he principles of buoyancy.  Students work collaboratively to create an aluminum foil boat that will float while supporting the greatest number of pennies without sinking.  Each students is given three 10cm x 10cm pieces of aluminum foil and three 30cm pieces of tape to design three boats.  Each boat will be placed in a tub of water.  Students will test the buoyancy of their design by adding pennies to the boat until the boat sinks.

Students collaborate to evaluate and critique each boat for the effectiveness as a penny cargo ship.  Typically students will work in lab groups of four or five members and will evaluate the buoyancy principles of as many as 15 different designs.  Students collect data on the mass of the boats, mass of the pennies, surface area of the boat and water displacement.  Utilizing this information they can work through what makes an object float and associate these concepts using Archimedes Principles.

Students experience research and design concepts in a very simple lab while applying the physics concepts for buoyancy that allow an air craft carrier or cruise ship to float.

Designing Games for the Three C's

One on the best projects I have found to incorporate all of the Three C's (Thinking Critically, Communicate Clearly and Work Collaboratively) is to have students work in groups to design a game to teach one of the topics we are learning.

I use this assignment primarily in my Anatomy and Environmental Science course, but it could be adapted for any subject.  In Anatomy I have students work in groups of three or four to create a game to teach the anatomy and physiology of the Digestive System from the mouth to the Anus and all of the organs and processes in between.  The Environmental Science students design games to teach a Cycle of Nature: water, carbon, nitrogen, food webs from various biomes.  I teach in a three block schedule of ninety five minunte classes.  I provide students with 30 minutes each day to work with their groups on their games.  Students typically have about three weeks to complete the games, about six class periods.   

Think Critically

Students are asked to design a game with specific rules and an ultimate goal of winning, while focusing on the development of a game that is a teaching and learning tool. Students need to understand the vocabulary, structures, inputs, processes and outcomes of the systems involved. The game must be fun to create a desire to play in order to create the repetition necessary for others to learn from the game play. Students must think critically about how to create a game that will be enjoyable so tha people will want to play it repetitively to increasethe effect of the game as a learning tool.  I encourage students to create games that have variations so that the game can be adapted for various levels of students as a means of introducing the subject, reinforcing learned material or in review for an exam.

Communicate Clearly

Students struggle with the creation of a clear and concise set of rules for their games. They need to communicate their vision for the game in directions and rules that must be prepared for an unknown audience. Most students have little difficulty in verbally explaining how to play a game, but ask them to write the rules and explanations out in a cohesive manner and this can be a cause for great angst for many students.

Working Collaboratively

Coming to a consensus on the game design, delegating responsibilities and producing a finished product demands nothing but a collaborative buy in from the members of the group. Then each student must trust that all aspects of the game come together on Game Day, board, cards, pieces and rules in class and on time.

Game day takes place in our dining hall.  Groups set up their own games and play them for 10 minutes to make sure  games are functional and everything is in place.  They then move about the room playing the other games and grading them.  Students grade the games based upon the effectiveness of the game itself, the effectiveness of the game as a learning tool, and the production quality of the game.  Once students begin playing other games, they are not allowed to return to their own game for any reason. I encourage students to play the games with members of the other groups to maintain perspective and avoid comparisons to only their own games. 

Students will play and score between four and six games during a one hour period.

During the debriefing at the end of the day, I am always amazed at how many students want to be given the opportunity to improve their own game after seeing what others have done and what they might have done to enhance their own.  That is when I see the real learning take place as students evaluate their own work against the work of the peers and demonstrate an honest desire to improve upon their end product.  I typically also see a more focused production quality of the work that is turned in following these projects in both courses.

The Three C’s

A quote from Alvin Toffler reads, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." 

The average individual in the United States will change careers three times and be employed in twelve different jobs before the age of forty.  How can today’s educator equip students with the skills necessary to succeed in a world where change seems to be the only constant?  How is it possible to train students for jobs that have not yet been imagined, to keep up with technology that has not yet been invented?

No longer can educators saddle themselves with the idea that competence in the 3 R’s (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic) will suffice as the guiding measure of academic and future success for the students entrusted to the educational system of today.  The classroom must therefore engage the students in processes that build upon the tools and skills that will allow them to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Therefore, the focus of secondary education should no longer be the 3 R’s but instead should be predicated on the 3 C’s, Critical Thinking, Clear Communication, and Collaboration.  It is these three skills that will provide a basis for success in a world where careers, technology, and socializing will be consistently changing with a rapidness that is exponential as opposed to the linear change that all generations witnessed prior to the first Apple One being placed in a classroom.

Critical thinking allows the individual to manage information. Information presented in a multitude of forms from a variety of media. Information that must be filtered and analyzed, authenticated and processed, and eventually must be synthesized in a form that will be useful to the individual. 

Communication provides the means by which the individual can present information. Information presented in a multitude of means through a variety of media. Information that must be clear and concise, effective and engaging, and eventually be presented in a way that is meaningful to the individual.

Collaboration engages the individual in the world they share through association. Association, that is created to benefit an organization and as a means to conduct business. Association that includes partnership and teamwork, leadership and assistance, and alliance that serves to benefit the whole.     

The educational process must engage the student in activities that provide for the honing of these three basic skills.  It is an injustice to today’s student for the educational process to be focused upon the solution rather than the process.  It is the obligation of the educator to provide curricular opportunities that engage students in the three C’s. 

Encourage students to travel outside their zones of comfort.  Don’t set the bar, for the bar may inadvertently be too low and discourage the expansion of ideas. Encourage mistakes for mistakes are windows to the possibilities of new processes. Devalue the answer and value the process.  For it is in the process, that these skills are built and where it is in finding the answer, that the process ends.                      

The 1940’s and 1950’s marked an educational era that necessitated the development of job skills. The majority of the population sought only to be job ready out of high school.  Careers were for the college bound. The choices were much simpler as high school graduation led to college to those who demonstrated the academic promise to prepare for a career or who had the family wealth to pursue college without such a focus. The second option was to take up a job in order to learn a trade.  While the third option was the military, where you could learn a trade and then pursue a job upon discharge.

The educational focus of the 60’s and 70’s found high schools preparing students for college in order to forge a career. The learning pedagogy involved skills necessary to succeed in a college setting.  Preparation for choosing a lifelong career path was the therefore the norm and the skills necessary were based upon getting to the next level on that path.

Today, however, it can no longer be assumed that the career of choice today will even be an option tomorrow.  The exponential growth of technology and the relative shrinking of the world through our connectivity and social media invariably makes it impossible to gauge the job skills that will be necessary in the future.

Therefore, the high school student of today must be equipped with the skills that will provide the ability to communicate ideas clearly and effectively, the ability to work independently or within a group dynamic and the ability to think both inside and outside the box. The three C’s must be the standards upon which the education provided to this generation of students is predicated.

Planting Mangoes

I found this story  many years ago.  I keep a copy over my desk as a reminder that I may never see nor experience the seeds of education I plant in the minds of my students each day, but I believe that what I do for them in my classroom is invaluable to their development into adults who think critically, communicate effectively and work collaboratively to make positive change in this world that we share.     

It was time for the monsoon rains to begin and a very old man was digging holes in his garden

“What are you doing?” his neighbor asked.

“Planting mango trees” was the reply.

“Do you expect to eat mangoes from those trees?”

 

“No, I won’t live long enough for that.  But others will. 

 It occurred to me the other day that all my life I have enjoyed mangoes planted by other people.  This is my way of showing them my gratitude.”