Getting There

Even though it was 16 degrees outside, participants were hot with effective and innovative ideas for integrating the Big6 and higher level thinking skills into their Idaho science standards. Groups of librarian and science teachers from around the state participated in a 2.5 day seminar: Critical Learning Skills in the 21st Century:Collaborating for Student Success sponsored by the Idaho Commision on Libraries. Julie Walker and Keith Curry Lance started the session Sunday night and Bob Berkowitz took over Monday with the Big6. On Tuesday, he led the group, with me assisting, through a writing session wit the parties collaborating to integrate the state’s databases into the science curriculum using the Big6 as the framework. In the afternoon, I facilitated their sharing session and closure. The dynamics of the teacher/librarian teams brought the best minds together to design units of instruction for middle and high school students. Questions they had to ask themselves as they planned were:

Does this instructional unit:

• help students master Idaho science standards?
• promote quality learning experiences?
• promote knowledge use, creation, and production?
• promote guided inquiry?
• incorporates higher order thinking skills?
• help students build knowledge?
• move students beyond access & location to construction and assessment?
• keeps student engaged with ideas?
• gives students life-long learning intellectual tools?
• teaches students to be good researchers?
• help students manage information?

Those are good questions we can ask ourselves when we collaborate with teachers to integrate those 21st century skills and attitudes into their curriculum. And, a high level of engagement in the planning process should transfer to enthusiastic instructional delivery.