Last Friday, several staff members from Austin (and teachers from all over Coppell) were able to take part in a half day of professional learning with Eric Jensen (of Teaching With Poverty In Mind fame). Check out this quick video for a brief overview of what Jensen speaks about. One of the things that stuck in my mind and kept popping up later was something that he said about our role as teachers. "Kids no longer need us for our content. Google replaced us there years ago." I think that really struck home to what we are trying to do now as 21st century teachers.
No longer will it suffice for us to teach our students "something" and then test them on it. Chances are, that "something" is readily available already at the click of a button. Instead, our focus should be on the skills and talents that will help them be successful in a global setting.
What were some other "take-aways" that some of you left with?