How much time do students spend on low-level facts rather than higher-order thinking skills? Are students learning how to be expert communicators and collaborators, critical thinkers, and problem solvers? What can be done to better equip students with these thinking skills that are so important today?
Iowa, Did You Know?
by Iowa Future
Thank you for your interest in showing Iowa, Did You Know? to your group.
http://www.iowafuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/IDYK-DIscussion-Guide.pdf
Iowa Future believes that every citizen in Iowa should see the video and discuss the shifts that our schools need to make. Possible settings for viewing and discussion include meetings of local service clubs (e.g., Rotary, Elks, Lions), gatherings of parents at schools, town halls with local politicians, open conversations with school board members, meetings at senior citizen or community centers, book clubs, informal neighborhood discussion groups, etc.
The video is made available under a Creative Commons copyright license, which means there are no restrictions on how you use it. We encourage you to share it broadly!
Suggested discussion questions:
1. What are your thoughts, questions and/or concerns after watching the video?
2. Do you feel that schools are preparing students for the next 50 years rather than the last 50 years? Why or why not?
3. How much time do students spend on low-level facts rather than higher-order thinking skills?
Are students learning how to be expert communicators and collaborators, critical thinkers, and problem solvers? What can be done to better equip students with these thinking skills that are so important today?
4. How much time do students spend in school using modern digital tools and services? Do they have rich and frequent opportunities to use technology in meaningful and powerful ways to further their learning? What disconnects do you see between how youth and adults use technology in their daily lives versus how students use technology in their classrooms?
5. If you asked them, what percentage of time would students say they were bored each school day? What can be done to better engage students so that they are excited to come to school to learn, not just be with their friends?
6. After watching, reflecting and discussing the video, what conversations do you need to have with your local school board? What does your local school district need to do?
7. After watching, reflecting and discussing the video, what conversations do you need to have with your state and federal politicians? What does your state legislator or federal Member of Congress need to do?
8. Inaction is not a choice if schools are to make the shifts we know they need to make. So what next? Where do you go from here?
Please contact us if you have any questions. More resources are available for you at the Iowa Future website, iowafuture.org.
Iowa Future
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Shift Happens
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