Presenter background information:
17 years at Soka University
22 years in Japan
Leading the Global Citizenship program at Soka University
The Soka University Global Citizenship Program is:
- University-wide
- Competitive admissions
- Addition to required courses
For success in the professional sphere, students will need:
- English skill
- Content knowledge specific to the chosen professional field
- International experience
Scaffolding is a key element in achievement of goals set in class
Change in Mindset required
- Classroom environment
- Academic expectations
- Teacher-student interactions
- Support through a systematic, step-by-step approach
Emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving
Everyday Skills:
A requirement for satisfying Global Citizenship Goals:
- Agree with all the choices you make as a teacher
- Everything done in class should be purposeful
- Start where students are, everything else in secondary
- Everyone works within the same constraints
21st century skills
- Critical thinking and problem solving ~ based on Bloom’s Taxonomy
- Media Literacy
- Adapt content for students that is thematically appropriated
- Push students to higher level, critical thinking skills
- Scaffold content but leave framework for critical thinking applied
- Push learners to answer higher order questions
- Alway ask, ‘Why?’ ~ express support and belief in students’ ability to answer
- Never ask a question students can’t answer
- push students to answer
- Give students a chance to answer
How to Process Information
- Learners are different generation to generation
- Teaching methods should develop accordingly
- Learners know where to find the information they are looking for
* Go beyond with technology, not just wikispaces and google look-ups
Don’t fight with students, use student goals and objectives
- Rather than the instructor setting all the class’ goals
- Ask students to learn the classroom
Learners will use technology
- Go beyond typical materials
- Don’t forbid technology in the classroom
Collaboration & Teamwork
- Work well with others
- Flexibility and willing to make compromises
- Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work
Focus on Task, Project-based, or Inquiry-based Learning
- Student choice = key
- Is it relevant?
Round Robin (given as a example)
- Four stations with different learning goals for each station monitored by an instructor for facilitating purposes
Student Centered Learning
- Learners are active participants in their own learning
- Topics are relevant
- Learners make decisions about topics, etc.
Important to balance Teacher-centered and Student-centered learning in a class
- Focus on process of learning and developing critical thinking over the final product
English works best in ‘3s’
- Examples, paragraphs for essays, etc.
- Building confidence requires challenge
- Also success
Learning MUST work together
- Facilitate as much as possible
Creativity and Innovation
- Create a space for people to express their ideas
Work with Others
- Brainstorming
- Evaluate ideas created in the brainstorm
- open & responsive
- Be original
- Failure is an option to learn
Safe Environment
- Express ideas without fear of rejection
- Facilitate, not just direct teach
Resources
- British Council, Creativity and Innovation
- https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/creativity-language-classroom
- The Penn State Teacher II (a bit dated, but still valuable)
- https://www.schreyerinstitute.psu.edu/pdf/PennStateTeacherII.pdf
