I do like the way the Five C's of Education put it all into a perspective that I can relate to.
The Five C's of Education
Critical Thinking
Creativity
Collaboration
Communication
Character/Citizenship/Civil Awareness
Critical Thinking:
What could be more important than teaching our students to think, rather than simply regurgitate information back at us? There is an old Chinese proverb that states, "Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself." It is certainly time for students to take more responsibility for their learning, and to think through problems, rather than simply give up.
Creativity
If we have our students think critically, then use their creativity to solve the problems that arise, we are empowering them to be the leaders of our future! And boy, are we going to need some good leadership!?! Oh yeah! I find that my students are so much more engaged, and buy in to the assignments or projects if they are allowed to express their own creativity. This is actually a hard one at first, as students are so used to being spoon fed, and are made to feel that their is only one correct "answer." But with a little time and practice, creativity soars!
Collaboration
So, once we have our students thinking critically and using their creativity, it is time to have them learn to share their ideas and listen to the ideas of others. Collaboration at its finest has us taking the best ideas from each of us and putting together a project that is better than any one of us could do alone. That's the goal, but of course we know that it rarely works that way. There are those students that are all too willing to sit back and let others do the work, and other students that cannot release any control and want things their own way. If we don't teach our students to get past these limitations, then collaboration is just an effort of futility rather than a valuable teaching experience. The problem is, if we don't help our overachievers to stop taking over, we will never get past this dilemma. The control freaks actually believe they are being better than anyone else in the group, and do not see their behavior as a problem. We must start there, or there is no hope for true collaboration. I will meet with these students, make them group leaders, and explain that their job is to be patient and make sure that the work of everyone is included. There grade will be based on their effectiveness as a leader, rather than solely on the final project. This frees them to be more open to the ideas of others, and more supportive of their peers. I find this is critical to building true collaboration in the classroom.
Communication
Once our students are thinking critically, using creativity, and working collaboratively we can begin to have them share their findings with the class. Speaking & Listening standards are a huge component of the Common Core Standards, and with good reason. It is not enough to know things if you can't share those thoughts effectively with others. Our students need to be able to share their ideas, listen to the ideas of others, and be able to differentiate between ideas that are well supported with facts, and unsupported propaganda or biased opinions.
Character
Finally, none of this is any good without good character and ethical behavior. Our students need to look beyond themselves, and care about others. At my school, we do an Empowerment Fair to help students find a way to improve their world. More important than what they actually do, is that they actually care! Students are allowed to choose their own cause, educate others about the problem, come up with a plan to make a positive difference, and actually work the plan. The results are amazing, and the students are SO proud!
I really believe that implementing the Five C's into our classrooms, will make a positive difference in our world! Not just our students should make a positive difference...we should too!
If you are interested in creating your own Empowerment Fair at your school, check out what we do:
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