4 C the Future: Lesson Design That Empowers

Purpose & objective

International, national, and statewide standards call for student-centered learning design in which learners are called upon to think critically, collaborate, create and communicate. In order to empower students within these standards, teachers must design lessons that go beyond the textbook. The importance of innovative lesson design and planning with a 4 C’s lens cannot be understated. Design and planning time for teachers as well as student mastery of tools and skills are paramount for success in a student-centered, Common Core classroom. Google Apps and Chromebooks now being used in more than half of schools in America. It is a necessity that teachers and students develop skills to effectively and creatively use these tools. Not only are the 4 Cs explicitly required for future ready students , they also prepare students to college and career ready in accordance to new accountability standards. As teachers and administrators are called upon to develop and implement College-Career Readiness as an indicator of success, the 4 Cs must be reflected in all classrooms. Fortune 500 companies cite the following skills as desirable for new hires in the 21st century: 1) Teamwork 2) Problem Solving 3) Interpersonal Communication 4) Oral Communication 5) Listening 6) Personal Career Development 7) Creative Thinking. As such, students who engage in the 4 Cs as they work to meet standards based learning goals will develop these 21st Century skills that are necessary for college and career readiness. As teachers struggle to ensure their lessons include alignment to standards, technology integration, and 21st century skills, simplicity is key to effective implementation. Rather than seeing technology and the 4 Cs as “one more thing” to include, we coach teachers to design lessons that begin with the 4 Cs. During this session, learn how to infuse the 4 Cs into lesson design, in alignment to standards and 21st century skills. If we plan with the 4 Cs in mind, the technology will take care of itself. This professional learning experience will engage you in lesson planning activities to empower you to plan with the 4 Cs immediately. Customizable lesson design templates will be provided, with the opportunity to redesign a lesson of your choice.

In our current work (county office consultant for educational technology and integrated studies, district technology integration coach), we coach districts and teachers in implementing 4 Cs lesson design as a method of integrating technology and future ready skills. We have been featured on a local news segment regarding effective coaching and lesson design to support teachers in our county. This lesson design format is featured in our book "The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Supporting Digital Learning", published by Dave Burgess Publishing Company. Our certifications include: Google Certified Innovator, Google Certified Trainer, Microsoft Innovative Educator, PBLCore Certified County Lead, and have presented on the topic of innovative lesson design at ISTE, California League of Schools Conferences, numerous CUE affiliate events including CUE Rockstar, and local and regional ACSA events. We have contributed to the CUE blog, maintain personal, blogs www.wonderexplorelearn.com and www.techcoachjuarez.com, and are active contributors on social media. We believe in the power of collaboration and regularly facilitate professional learning via connected networks by moderating www.cvtechtalk.org, #CVTechTalk Twitter chat, Voxer groups, and Facebook groups.

Outline

Agenda for this session includes -
Pedagogical Context of Standards ISTE Standards for Students (5 minutes)
Future Ready Requirements Future Ready Framework (5 minutes)
Work Based Skills Discussion with interactive digital backchannel (10 minutes)
Empowering Students - Pedagogical Shift Introduction of 4 Cs (5 minutes)
Lesson Design Templates Lesson Design Challenge (Participants create a lesson on the spot) (15 minutes)
Collaborative, hands-on lesson design activities (20 minutes)
Crowdsourcing/Collaborative Learning Time (15 minutes)
Sandbox Time (15 minutes)

Supporting research

Fortune 500 companies cite the following skills as desirable for new hires in the 21st century: 1) Teamwork 2) Problem Solving 3) Interpersonal Communication 4) Oral Communication 5) Listening 6) Personal Career Development 7) Creative Thinking. As such, students who engage in the 4 Cs as they work to meet standards based learning goals will develop these 21st Century skills that are necessary for college and career readiness. As teachers struggle to ensure their lessons include alignment to standards, technology integration, and 21st century skills, simplicity is key to effective implementation. Rather than seeing technology and the 4 Cs as “one more thing” to include, we coach teachers to design lessons that begin with the 4 Cs.