1. Professional Development Day
21st Century Education

2. Objectives
• Education is changing; we need to change
with it
• Inquiry-based approach – it works
• Not all students learn the same
• Importance of technology
• ECIS & IB DP Reports
• Theory into practice!

4. The 5 senses of education
If I walked into your class……..
• What would it smell like?
• What would it taste like?
• What would it feel like?
• What would it look like?
• What would it sound like?
You have 5 minutes, and no copying!
(metaphorically speaking…)

6. A study done at the University of Texas found
that people remember (Metcalf 1997):
• 10 percent of what they read;
• 20 percent of what they hear;
• 30 percent of what they see;
• 50 percent of what they see and hear;
• 70 percent of what they say; and
• 90 percent of what they do and say

7. "What I hear I forget,
what I see I remember,
what I do I understand."
…….what took the Texans years and billions of $ to do,
Confucius figured out 2500 years previously!

8. It’s OK to let go!
Research shows that the amount of student learning that occurs in a
classroom is directly proportional to the quality and quantity of
student involvement in the educational program (Cooper and Prescott
1989).
Yet research studies indicate that teachers typically dominate
classroom conversation, consuming nearly 70% of classroom time.
How accurate is this of your teaching style? What would I see if I
walked into your classroom? How does your answer compare with the
five senses activity?
Inquiry-based instructional approaches reverse this trend, placing
students at the helm of the learning process and teachers in the role of
learning facilitator, coach, and modeler.

9. Bloom’s Taxonomy…in a nutshell

10. Inquiry Based Approach
• Inquiry-based learning is a constructivist
approach, in which students have ownership of
their learning. It starts with exploration and
questioning and leads to investigation into a
worthy question, issue, problem or idea.
• It involves asking questions, gathering and
analysing information, generating solutions,
making decisions, justifying conclusions and
taking action.
• The question is the key……….

11. Finding that question
Good questions are at the heart of good inquiry.
They should be higher-order, rich, worthy, essential
and/or fertile. They are often open-ended (have no
right or wrong answer) but are backed by subsidiary
questions which are usually closed. Get the initial
question right and the rest of the inquiry flows well.
Activity: write down three questions that you can
use for an upcoming unit, or a unit that you plan to
do next year. Does it fit all the above criteria?

12. The Benefits of Inquiry-Based Instruction
• teaches problem-solving, critical thinking skills, and disciplinary content
• promotes the transfer of concepts to new problem questions
• teaches students how to learn and builds self-directed learning skills
• develops student ownership of their inquiry and enhances student interest in the subject
matter
• encourages higher level thinking skills; does not restrict
• promotes learning at different levels

13. Different learners
• Auditory
• Visual
• Kinesthetic

14. So how does this work in practice with
a Form 1 – 3 class?
(this example comes courtesy of my
wife!)
What do they already know?
If I am going to teach students about cells, I would
first try to find out what they already know. Have a
general class discussion with them kind of "leading"
it. I would try to make a note of which kids have a
good general knowledge and which ones really
need some extra guidance. This info can also be
used when grouping students...

15. Visual & Auditory Learners
I would draw a diagram on the board of an animal
cell, and explain it. I would draw and label the main
parts and have students take notes. This drawing
and labeling activity can be enhanced with
technology by the use of a Promethean or any type
of INTERACTIVE BOARD. In addition, there are
LOADS of lesson plans on Promethean Planet (these
can be utilized regardless of whether you have a
"Promethean board" or any kind of Interactive
white board.) Again, this helps the students who
are visual learners. A super cool website that has
some great cell (plant and animal) animations is
: http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/cell_model.htm

16. Kinesthetic Learners
Next, I might assign an activity where students have
to create their own cells with a partner out of basic
supplies like styrofoam balls, etc. Or, to make it
more fun, you can open it up to a homework
assignment where the kids can make the cell out of
anything they want. As long as it is an animal cell
and all the major parts are labeled properly. I once
had a kid make a CAKE into a cell, then we ate it at
the end of class. Funny, but most kids remember
the parts of the cell after these activities. A lot
better than just reading about it in a book. Now, we
have also helped those students who are
kinesthetic learners (hands-on).

17. Finally, closer to the end of the unit, I assign a
bigger project where each student (or they can
work in pairs) in the class has to create a project on
"How a School is Like a Cell". This requires much
more higher level thinking skills and once again
reaches all types of learners. Now, if kids work in
pairs/groups, it is important to make sure they
complete not only a self-evaluation form at the end,
but they also need to complete group evaluation
forms as well. This gives the teacher a much better
understanding of who did what to complete the
project and if someone in the group didn't do their
work.

18. And finally…..
At the end of the unit, students should present their
projects to the class. Expressing their knowledge to
others not only helps their public speaking skills,
but also helps them retain the information needed
for the unit.
I would then create an end-of unit test to assess the
students’ retention of information.
Throughout, their textbook would be a resource
and a tool for their learning.

19. What about a DP class?
Topic: Origins of Cold War
How do allies become enemies?
Inquiry-based Q&A: what do you know, what do you want to know, and how will we know?
Approaches: Lecture-based approach; documentary/film; historiography study/debate; source-
work; group work (ability); essay writing; reading assignments; presentations
Formative assessment tasks:
• Source-work
• Short answer responses
• Debate
Summative assessment tasks:
• What were the origins of the Cold War?
• To what extent can the policies of the US be attributed to the development of the Cold War?
(Which question would you rather answer? Am I asking the same thing?)
Tie-ins
Role of Mauritius in Cold War
Impact of Cold War on society (literature, film, sport)
How origins impact us today

20. Be Honest…
In your current unit of work you are doing, do you:
• Cater to all student needs?
• Use an inquiry based approach?
• Assess continuously, using various methods, and
provide consistent and prompt feedback?
How much work would it take for you to include the
above? Do you think your students would benefit?

21. Take a 10
minute coffee
break!

22. Technology for the 21st Century
Teacher & Student

23. How can technology help students learn?
• Where LBIS is with their technology plan
• What is technology?
• How do the students use technology in your class?
• How do you use technology in your class?
• How would you like to use technology?
• What tools do you need to do this?
• What tools do your students need?
Take 15 minutes to answer these questions, keeping in mind
the following:
HOW DOES YOUR DEPARTMENT USE TECHNOLOGY? HOW
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE IT?

24. What IT applications and skills do we want our Form 5
students to have been exposed to after five years at
LBIS?
• Databases and spreadsheets
• Graph plotting software
• Dynamic geometry software
• Programming languages
• Subject content-specific software
• The use of graphic display calculators
• Use of internet search engines to source materials
• Researching using CD Roms
• Word processing of desktop publishing
• Graphic organizers
• Creating presentations
• Use of computer aided design
• Simulating stresses on bridge beams
• Virtual battle re-enactments
• Games as learning tools/facilitators
• Video and video editing
• Creating podcasts/MP3s/Audio files
• Video conferencing

25. Technology is just for Technology teachers, right….?
• Science – brainpop.com
• History – activehistory.co.uk
• English – ebooks
• French – Rosetta Stone
• PE – Nike workout app
• Maths – khanacademy.com
• Arts – painting app
• Technology – self explanatory
• Curriculum development – sharing
• Assessment

27. Technology and differentiated learning
using SAS Curriculum pathways (NC
teachers attest to it!)
Maths & Science Testimony
Navigating the site:
Science
English
Geography
History

28. Let me rephrase my questions?
• What is technology?
• How could students use technology in your
class?
• How could you use technology in your class?
• What tools do you need?
Present your finding to the rest of the group.
You have 15 minutes ladies and gentlemen!

29. Assessment as a learning tool
What is assessment?
Why do we assess?
How do you assess?
• Who can clap the best?
• Why feedback is essential
• Don’t give free marks
• Peer and self assessment

30. Theory to Practice
Choose a topic you are teaching now or one that you will be
teaching and design a unit making sure to address the
following:
• How will you ascertain prior understanding?
• How will it be an inquiry-based approach?
• What do you want the students to learn from the unit?
• How will you know if they have learned it?
• How will you cater for the different learning/ability types?
• What types of formative and summative assessment tasks
will you give?
• How will you/your students use technology in the unit and
how will this benefit their learning experience?

31. Group/Peer Assessment
How do you do this without worrying about
ramifications?!
Anonymity is a wonderful thing……
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KTD2ZNS
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you for your
attention.