Photo by Tomasz Frankowski on Unsplash

Game of Thrones, The Rise of Skywalker and The Future

A glimpse into some of the ways White Bear Lake Area Schools is preparing students for the future

Our Innovation Team meets each week to talk about ways our district can continue to prepare students for their future. After we reconnect, and this week it was around Game of Thrones and Star Wars, we talk about how to coach innovation. I love our team and how we inspire and encourage each other to practice what we preach. I am constantly motivated by our conversations about what we’ve read and observed. I am by far the oldest of our team and yet the ability to connect keeps me excited about change and keeps me learning. My team also clarifies Game of Thrones and preps me for the newest Star Wars movie.

Another benefit of this team is to work for one of the coolest bosses you could ever have. He is innovative, wants you to succeed, leads from strength and plays music on his time off. Mark Garrison introduced me to the 4 C’s five years ago. He encouraged me to integrate them into my classroom. He listened to my ideas and did whatever he could to make them happen. He challenged me to think outside the box. My ideas about flexible seating became ideas about complete pedagogical change. He connected me with resources and became my cheerleader. This process was not only life changing for me but most importantly for my students. The 4 C’s and our standards became my curriculum.

Fast forward to today. Our team was starting to think the 4 C’s might be old news. Not so! Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Collaboration continue to be best practice from early childhood through higher education. The 4 C’s will benefit our students by giving them opportunities to use their gifts, abilities and choices as well as gain the skills they will need for their future.

What does the future look like for teachers and students? What is our district already doing with the 4 C’s and 21st Century Skills? Where can I read more? This blog post could have been ten pages long because there are so many awesome things happening. Here are just a few:

CREATIVITY

Canva Stock Image

• Lee McGrath and Rebecca Beyer are adding student agency into Math using the 4 C’s in a creative way. They are giving their students three choices for math during a three week period. Students in this 4th grade classroom have a choice between Build a Business, Coding or Escape Rooms. Math Standards are woven throughout each experience but to be honest, I think students will not even realize they are learning.
• Sandy Smacker, a music specialist, used the building makery (a makerspace supply cart ) and recyclables to encourage students to make instruments to demonstrate their learning.

COLLABORATION

• April Schneider and Mae Haley put all 48 of their students in one classroom for one hour a week so they could learn coding together with the Google’s CSfirst. As students learned they collaborated. They asked for help and encouraged each other. Many times they heard things like , “Has anyone coded a sprite disappearing?” “How did you add sound to the dragon?” “Where did you find that background?” Students moved around the room helping each other and learning together. Along with collaborating, students were engaged.
• The Blog Process: Innovate 624 Norms In Action

COMMUNICATION

Photo by Steve Asper

• Carrie Carlson’s class, along with Steve Asper, has continued an ongoing partnership with ANAC school in Haiti. Students planned a fundraiser and during “Donuts Drive Through” collected $1,000 for water in Haiti. Once a month her students do a google hangout with ANAC students. G- suite tools help them communicate.

CRITICAL THINKING

• Tech Depot happens at all of our secondary buildings. Students learn how to triage and fix Chromebooks as well as how to assist their peers and staff in learning about digital tools.
• The Tech club at North Campus is creating escape rooms that are used for fundraising and student engagement.

DESIGN THINKING

• Big Sleuth ideas are moving through the Design Thinking Process. Watch for more information soon.

Photo by Ryan Clark

• Central Middle School’s Student Innovation Team recently presented at Projects, Pedagogy and Play. Here is an article that recently appeared in the Community Newsletter.

Photo by David Lamwers

• David Lamwers put together a student team to work on finding an upcycle solution for the giant rice bags from Feed My Starving Children. High School students invited elementary students to participate in an idea fair to solve a real-world problem at FMSC. FMSC’s ingredients are brought to them in large, plastic, water-resistant bags capable of carrying 2,000 pounds. As of today, these bags are discarded after use. The goal of this design thinking process was to solve this waste problem.
• A group of students at South Campus is working to set up a coffee shop in the media center and are going through the Design Thinking process to prototype and come up with their product and design.
• Chemistry students in Cassie Lydon’s class design sustainable solutions with GrowBio materials. Students also make sustainable plastics, solving another real world problem.

STUDENT AGENCY

• Mary Liang and Jen Misgen, two kindergarten teachers, have discovered the power of student choice. A few weeks ago they decided to “KonMari” their classrooms. While they are waiting for summer to do the majority of the work, they decided to give their students more choice. The first step was flexible seating and letting students choose where they did their learning. Kindergartners love being able to sit, stand or lay down to read and learn. Student engagement was noticeable.
• Mark Thiessen, a first grade teacher, gives his students choices in their writing topics, the media they use to write on and how they share their work. His students have produced amazing writing and the improvement is their writing conventions is data worthy.
• Introducing Four Amazing Programs That Empower Students
• Real Talk Podcast
• Student Engagement

PROJECT BASED LEARNING

• Have you heard the buzz? Project based learning gives students the opportunity to explore real-world problems while applying their learning. Each challenge requires critical thinking, creativity, communication and often collaboration. Watch for more information in a future blog post.
• Middle School Makers

SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING

• Kari Thimjon has taught almost every elementary grade. She believes in creating a community in her classroom. She has experienced the power of community in classroom behavior, equity and social, emotional learning. Her students care for each other, make wise choices and know how to advocate for themselves. They know they are responsible for their learning and view Kari as their partner in that process.
• Anne Schwalbe gives her students fifteen minutes after lunch of quiet choice time. She plays quiet music, puts a fireplace video on her monitors and magic happens. Her students draw, read, relax and then fifteen minutes later they easily transition to their next class ready to learn.
• John Nachtsheim has facilitated a speaker series about mental health for #isd624 staff and community. Watch for the series to continue next school year.
• Pear Deck SEL Template

The 4C’s, student agency and 21st century skills are alive and well in White Bear Lake Area Schools. Game of Thrones will be over this season. Star Wars will go on forever. White Bear Lake Area Schools will continue preparing students for the future. Continue the conversation by letting us know what you see happening in our schools. How have you integrated the 4 C’s into your classroom? Share your story at #innovate 624 on Facebook or Twitter.