Our First Mystery Skype!

Mystery Skype is a global guessing game that gets kids learning about geography, culture, and the similarities and differences of how children live all over the world.  It is, essentially, a 45-60 minute critical thinking challenge between our class and another class somewhere else in the world, where the goal is to guess the other school's location (country, state, city, school name) before they guess ours.  This is done by asking yes or no questions.  

Students are assigned specific roles (or jobs) to be performed during their Mystery Skype, such as Greeters, Researchers, Google Mappers, Questioners, Liaisons and Closers just to name a few.  These sessions are expected to run like a well-oiled machine, with everyone performing their jobs and contributing to the goal of identifying the absolute location of the other school.  While the challenge is designed for students to apply their understanding of geography and enhance their understanding of world cultures, it also promotes the development of important 21st Century skills, including but not limited to: 

• Communicate clearly
• Collaborate with others
• Think interdependently
• Think creatively
• Implement innovations
• Apply past knowledge to new situations
• Think critically
• Solve problems
• Metacognition (thinking about our thinking)
• Adapt to change
• Think and learn flexibly
• Manage goals and time
• Self-directed learning
• Guide and lead others
• Analyze media and manage information
• Use technology effectively 
• Produce results
• Determination and persistence

Despite some connectivity issues, students persevered and were able to pinpoint a relative location (state of Kansas) of the other school.  Though we ran out of time and were not able to complete the challenge, we were able to create a new global partnership for a future project. That's a win in my book!  😀

Dystopian Literature Circles

This week, students participated in their first round of literature circles related to our dystopian novel unit.  Just why are kids so drawn to dystopian novels and why are literature circles the perfect forum for book discussions?

The draw of dystopian literature: Dystopias are known for possessing qualities and themes such as an imaginary future world or society, tightly controlled inhabitants, conformity as good and individuality as bad, and a main character who is frustrated by the controls and acts in spite of them.  Hmmm… Perhaps this genre resonates with kids so strongly because, to some extent, they are experiencing some of the same challenges as the novels’ characters, albeit on a smaller scale - their struggles against unfair "authoritarian regimes” with little control over their own lives.

As a teacher, I love dystopian novels for their prevailing theme of HOPE.  This genre inspires students to consider their own world beyond the book.  Maybe it's the idea that our world or society can change and that anyone, including young people, have the power to change it. What's more, is that these novels promote the development of empathy and analytical thinking skills - sure signs of maturing minds.

Top 3 Reasons Why Students LOVE Literature Circles:

1.They’re fun.

It’s a social learning experience. Students help each other understand a text and make sense of it. They use each other as resources and become independent learners. Students are expected to talk A LOT; to debate and argue their ideas. Students are invited to bring their experiences and feelings into the classroom and to share them. Reading has to be fun some of the time; if we don't make the experience enjoyable, our students are not likely to continue it once they're released from our grip.

2. They involve choice.  

Students are given the opportunity to select one of several books (in this case, a selection of seven dystopian novels) that they'd like to read. Choice leads to deeper engagement, increased intrinsic motivation, and an opportunity for guided decision-making.

3. Connections are made.  

When students experience joy and pleasure in the classroom, they feel more connected to school, which can lead to more positive academic interactions with their classmates and teachers and overall increased academic success.

Aguilar, Elena. “The Power of Literature Circles in the Classroom.” Edutopia, 30 Nov. 2010

Literature Circles: an opportunity for developing social and emotional growth.

Now boarding!

Having way too much fun with geography.

Mission accomplished: A rich and immersive learning experience that went far beyond the classroom walls… and no passport required!

In social studies, students embarked on a series of virtual field trips around Northern Europe this week.  The objective was two-fold:

1. To develop an understanding of global cultures
2. To investigate how people adapt to various climates and physical features in their quest to create adequate living conditions (aka human adaptation).

Why is understanding global cultures so important?

The world is becoming increasingly diverse and includes people of many religions, languages, economic groups, and other cultural groups. If we are to build partnerships with other communities to help improve conditions and resolve global problems (i.e. achieving the Global Goals for Sustainable Development), we need to understand and appreciate different cultures, establish relationships with people from cultures other than our own, and build strong alliances with different cultural groups. Here’s why:

• In order to build partnerships with other communities that are powerful enough to achieve significant change and work towards achieving the Global Goals, we need large numbers of people working together. If cultural groups join forces, they will be more effective in reaching common goals, than if each group operates in isolation.

• Each cultural group has unique strengths and perspectives that the larger community can benefit from. We need a wide range of ideas, customs, and wisdom to solve problems and enrich community life to provide fresh perspectives and shed new light on tough problems.

• Understanding cultures will help us overcome and prevent racial and ethnic divisions. Racial and ethnic divisions result in misunderstandings, loss of opportunities, and sometimes violence. Racial and ethnic conflicts drain communities of financial and human resources; they distract cultural groups from resolving the key issues they have in common (i.e. sustainable development).

• People from different cultures have to be included in decision-making processes in order for programs or policies to be effective. The people affected by a decision have to be involved in formulating solutions--it's a basic democratic principle. Without the input and support of all the groups involved, decision-making, implementation, and follow through are much less likely to occur.

• An appreciation of cultural diversity goes hand-in-hand with a just and equitable society.

Getting young students to envision the kind of sustainable world we want to live in is the first step toward change. Couple that with engaging students in learning activities that foster global awareness, and we’ve positioned ourselves to help prepare them for life in the 21st century and a sustainable future.

Section 1. Understanding Culture and Diversity in Building Communities.” Chapter 27. Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World | Section 1. Understanding Culture and Diversity in Building Communities | Main Section | Community Tool Box, ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/main.