What I take away from David and A.J.'s words is that the future is uncertain. The jobs of today will not exist tomorrow, but individuals who will possess the skills to learn anything, be able to reflect, creatively problem solve, take risks, stay persistent, and bring innovative solutions to the marketplace, will indeed be successful, regardless of what the future brings.
They will own the future.
Out job descriptions don't say it, but this is our job. HELP OUR STUDENTS OWN THE FUTURE.
My theme for this year is helping my students focus on building life and work skills and self reflection. I teach chemistry and engineering; important subjects, but no more important than all other subjects, and definitely less important than skills that help students be successful in whatever they endeavor in.
So what am I doing differently?
For the first time, my students blog and reflect on life and learning. I challenge them to ask and answer tough questions regarding their motivation, persistence, and thinking.
I teach my subjects, but I intentionally stress Learning How To Learn.
I explain the physical processes that occur in the brain as we learn. Understanding how neural connections are made, how our brain uses information, and how to make sure concepts are understood and stored in long term memory provides students with the why that is necessary for intrinsic motivation. "Why am I learning this stuff?" and "How am I ever going to use it?" are valid questions not to be dismissed with "Because the standards say so."
We discuss how to become more creative. We work collaboratively, and use design thinking.
We talk about spaced repetition, recall, crushing tests, and mixing up how, when, and where we learn and study. I don't just tell students to do it. I explain how to do it and why it leads to deep learning.
We talk about focus and procrastination and we do pomodoro.
We reflect on our habits, such as sleep and why it is crucial to learning effectively, learn how to rewire our brains, and set goals to do so.
We learn actively.
So how am I doing it all?
I created a series of Brain Based Learning Infographics. I use them with my students in a digital form and I print them and post them in my room so students have constant reminders of the most effective ways to learn, study, understand, and acquire lifelong learning, productivity, and social skills.
And now, I created high resolution versions of many of them. Each one is a highly visual, easy to absorb and understand, PDF poster anyone can use to teach students skills they will need to be successful in the future. You can get almost all of them for FREE on my Products Page HERE.
