A new chapter in my reading life - "Teaching w/the Tools Kids Really Use," Take 1

I read kids books, newspapers and CD/album covers.  Apple’s Mac was being introduced to the world and dirt was still clean when I last cracked a textbook. But Chapter 1 of “Teaching with the Tools Kids Really Use” is behind me, and I leave it feeling optimistic about the pages yet to come. Yes, it’s got jargon and reads with only a bit more luster than, say, a manual to assemble a playpen. But no one expects a textbook read to be a nail-biter.  The redeeming reason to plow forward w/ “Teaching With the Tools…” is that it’s so relevant to our lives and will be useful in the toolbox we lug around as educators re-working a system built to accommodate Industrialization.

The author, a Ms. Susan Brooks-Young, is savvy enough to break down her chapters into short sub-sections for the A.D.D./raised on sound-bites/caffeinated-ferret-like generation we’ve become.  This adds to the book's readability, and I am grateful for it.

Brooks-Young advocates meshing 21^st century skills with some traditional core content to adequately prepare students for the digital age work place.  She suggests sites to visit, such as ISTE and Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. (I liked the assessment strategies page, called Route 21, and promptly sent it to my assistant superintendent, even though NH is not among those signed on as a 21^st Century State.)

The discussion points she tosses out at the end of the chapter are a nice touch. She tries to nurture the seeds she’s sown by asking questions such as, what are the most important new skills to teach?  While it seems counter intuitive to separate any from the pack, or create a pecking order, her query does promote the sharing of ideas. I’m a big fan of critical thinking, though viewing failure as an opportunity to learn (a part of creativity and innovation) is a great one as well. Anyone else out there got a favorite?