Curriculum 21 Podcast Curriculum 21

Interview with PV

I am a superintendent in Illinois Southwest Cook County. I attended a training session last week with my administrative team that focused on 21st century learning presented by world-renowned educational researcher Heidi Hayes Jacobs. At the presentation she revealed the curriculum21 site and the available resources. During her presentation she clearly demonstrated the need to teach kids in a manner that is relevant to the nature of how they learn. She acknowledged that kids clearly learn differently than their parents and in most cases their teachers. She suggested technology as one primary means of creating classroom and learning experiences that are collaborative (opposed to teacher directed), non-threatening in terms of proving each student an opportunity to contribute and participate without fear, and relevant to our students. She demonstrated how digital tools are necessary component to create 21st century classrooms and learning experiences that allow students to be more responsible for their learning in and out of school and made the clear distinction that technology occurs learning to occur 24/7. I visited the site and listened to the PV interview. I truly enjoyed learning about how he uses technology to enhance and engage students in their learning. Philip clearly explains how technology provides a vehicle to address the living dynamic continually growing and changing world we are preparing kids to live in, and achieve this in a manner that is more akin to students interests. With the mandate for all IL public school to adopt and implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), we have an entry point to begin the transformation to a true 21st century approach which use a pedagogy that focuses on critical thinking and problem solving, written and oral communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation, with technology as a significant tool to accomplish this goal. This gives us an opportunity to create learning environments that begin to make school/learning more and more irresistible to our students. I appreciated hearing about how the transition that occurred in Phillips classroom and I am eager to facilitate the same transition in my school district.