ENGAGING STUDENT LEARNERS: CONNECTING CONTENT AND REALITY

Katie Anderson and Brandon Bailey PDK First Capital Pennsylvania Chapter 1557 Central York School District York, Pennsylvania

CURRENT THOUGHTS FROM THE FIELD

Symphony, as I call this aptitude, is the ability to put together the pieces. It is the capacity to synthesize rather than analyze, to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair.
- Dan Pink from A Whole New Mind

OUR GOALS ARE TO SHOW YOU

How to generate a broader field of vision leading to the mastery of specific skills How to completely redesign your mentality about school How to utilize materials and resources within current budget

Instruction is less about the CONTENT and more about the

ACTION

PURPOSE
Puts the text into the students context because they dont care and they dont have to careunless We need the text of our lives to be in

context - Robert Ornstein, The Right Mind:

Making Sense of the Hemispheres

ADVANCED PLACEMENT LIT AND COMP

2 All students will interpret and assess a variety of classic and contemporary literary works.
2.3 The students will evaluate the effectiveness of works which convey an archetypal human experience and determine why certain voices endure. 2.3.02 Identify and examine situations in which the individual recognizes personal culpability and moves toward selfactualization.

BILLY BUDD

Stanford Prison Experiment

I saw the ship as a floating prison and wanted to make the connection to discuss more deeply in class and papers

Commander Christopher Coats DEVGRU

Spending time at sea he is able to give us the insight to the actual life we see represented by Budd and Co. in the novella.

BILLY BUDD

Opened topics of papers and forced new synaptic fusion Drove the class commentary and discussion Provided another external position for thought process

PAPERS: SHIFT IN TOPICS FROM LARGELY CONCRETE BASED TO THEORETICAL/ABSTRACT

2010: Legality of Billy Budds Trial Contrast human justice and moral obligations Claggarts Death: Murder or Manslaughter 2011: Color and use in the story Color and use for character contrast Words used to emphasize characteristics or individual characters 2010: General Psych Psychology of Claggart Psychology of Naval life Suppression of emotion and morals due to societal pressure 2011: Hatred stems from lust and jealousy The Raping of Billy Budd: Symptoms of Guilt, hyper-sexualization, and psychological deterioration Is envy the cause of evil? Claggarts homosexuality and its effect on Billy

IN SIMPLE NUMBERS
2010 28 Concrete based essay topics 2011 16 Concrete based essay topics 2010 13 Theoretical/abstract topics 2011 28 Theoretical/abstract topics

FRANKENSTEIN AND BIOETHICS

Dr. Susan Walsh, Assistant Professor of Biology at Rollins College, Florida

Students were challenged to present questions as they pertain to Frankenstein, the medical field, and biology

Whats in greatest demand today isnt analysis but synthesis seeing the big picture, crossing boundaries, and being able to combine disparate pieces into an arresting new whole
Dan Pink From A Whole New Mind

The variable can be changed from bioethics to humanity, society, government, etc

The important concept to remember is that the students need to break free from the cycle and make it personal. Transfer the analysis to what the learning can mean for them as an individual, a member of society, a contributor in life.

THE SYNTHESIS ALLOWS THE STUDENTS TO:

Put the text into context because they dont care and they dont have to care that context allows them to access the information on a familiar and interesting level. AND When they do care, they work to make connections across texts, within society and within their own lives.

COMMON CORE
Here are some of our local standards. There is little here that states a particular materials are associated with mastering each particular skill. CYCCLA.1.4.9.A Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately. CYCCLA.1.4.9.B Write with a sharp distinct focus identifying topic, task, and audience. CYCCLA.1.5.9 Students present appropriately in formal speaking situations, listen critically, and respond intelligently as individuals or in group discussions. CYCCLA.1.4.9.W Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation. CYCCLA.1.5.9.E Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks. CYCCLA.1.5.9.F Make strategic use of digital media in presentations to add interest and enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence.

20 TIME = FUN FRIDAY!

Began

with 3M 15% time and then Google 20% time choice and

Student

discovery
Redefines

success for the student:

Failure, Risk, Reward
Empowers

the student to seek knowledge

ALL ABOUT THE STUDENT

What do you do that is obvious to you but amazing to others?

(Based on Derek Sivers childrens book)

What are you passionate about? What have you always wanted to do (physically or mentally)? How can you pursue your passion in the community, in college, or as a career?

REDEFINING WHAT CONSTITUTES SUCCESS

Not My Subject

AHA!

Fear of Unknown

Applicable knowledge for the future

PROCESS NOT PRODUCT

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit our website: aDynamicEducation.weebly.com Katie Anderson:

katienanderson@me.com Twitter: @TeacherGirl03

Brandon Bailey:
Brandon.e.bailey@gmail.com Twitter: @teachembailey