Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011 Page: 50
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ment, I would have a school full of
excited teachers. Okay, I have to
be honest. I viewed this process
like cooking frogs. If I threw them
in a pot of hot water, then they
would jump and run. But, if I
slowly change things, before they
know it, we would be done.
As the teachers eagerly, but cau-
tiously, examined a list of possible
skills, their excitement level slow-
ly increased. As they researched
the various 21st century skills on
the list, they began to discuss how
they could replace this or change
that without much time or effort
on their part. Despite the teachers'
hesitations, they realized the im-
portance and the need to educate
and prepare the current students in
a method that will prepare them
with the skills and knowledge for a
world that is unknown to the cur-
rent teacher. At the conclusion of
the summer work days, the teach-
ers were required to turn in a plan
that explains what assessments
will be replaced and what skill will
be introduced over the course of
the first year. This plan was incor-
porated with their annual improve-
ment plan for guiding their profes-
sional development needs for the
school year.
In the short months of the 2010-
2011 school year, I saw amazing
strides taken by the entire staff and
individual teachers to drive this
school into the new century. Dur-
ing these months, I participated in
class blogs with the 1st graders on
the importance of citizenship in
local communities. I helped edit a
documentary short film over cyber
bullying with the 6t graders. I
monitored the research, evaluation,
and even the beginning stages of
construction on a scaled model of
a 100+ year old suspension bridgelocated in Bluff Dale in hopes to
spark some interest to raise funds
to renovate the bridge. I sat in on
discussions with teachers finaliz-
ing the plans for a collaborative
project with a 3rd grade class in
New Mexico through the skype
technologies. I approved with var-
ious teachers the purchase of spe-
cific apps and podcasts for the
school Ipod touch and Ipads in
order to provide information or
learning experiences on specific
projects. However, the most im-
portant thing that I witnessed was
the transition in the students desire
to learn. I observed that students
began asking why things did not
go correctly and initiated the pro-
cess to figure a solution. I wit-
nessed students excited and proud
to demonstrate what they have
learned. Students began taking
ownership of their learning and
held themselves accountable for
their success and failures. Please
do not misunderstand me. Tech-
nology plays a vital role in the 21st
century learning, but it is the effec-
tive instruction through problem-
based lessons followed by an au-
thentic means of assessment/
demonstration that provide the
benefits to the students.
Before proceeding, I think it is
important to stress the point of
singularity. I would love to say
that I have all the answers and
could provide you with a treasure
map to the 21st century's lost city
of gold. But I can't. The reason is
that every district and every school
is different because each deals
with the individual needs of cities,
communities, and people. So, what
I can offer you is a glimpse at
Bluff Dale School's road map to
the 21st century in hopes that you
gain some benefit from our suc-
cess and failures.Students began taking
ownership of their
learning and held
themselves accountable
for their success
and failures.50
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 18, 2011, periodical, 2011; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201694/m1/54/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.