Supporting the Transition

K-12 education is in the process of transforming.  For the past twenty years we have been focused on No Child Left Behind as determined by standardized test scores that have students memorize information and then select the correct answer from a list of choices.  Certainly some good things came out of this push for accountability.  But there were also some collateral damage.  If you haven’t watched the You Tube video: 

Why We Need Common Core: “I Pick C”, 

 I would suggest you do and what you will see is the downside of memorization and multiple choice tests—lack of critical thinking (to say nothing of communication, creativity and true collaboration—not just working together to select the correct answer choice.)

Afterschool, with its youth development focus and its “learner-centric” approach is well-positioned to help the transition from test performance to authentic assessment.  Afterschool has used disguised learning strategies to bolster practice time in math and English Language Arts and project-based and service learning strategies to engage youth in hands-on, minds-on learning, that is meaningful and collaborative.  In this process skills are being developed and horizons broadened, and youth are being prepared to enter the 21^st Century Workforce.

Central to this work of afterschool is a well-trained staff.  Staff who are prepared to be a role model and mentor, and who have skills needed to facilitate learning.  This doesn’t happen by accident.  Please join Entrusted Legacy in supporting the staff development of these afterschool professionals.  Entrust your legacy with us.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org, by calling (661) 322-3437, or going on line at www.entrustedlegacy.org and donating now!

Bringing Will to the Table

A recent article was posted that shared a young man’s perspective that formal education had not served him well—in fact he didn’t believe that he had learned anything important at school.  He spoke about the influences outside of the school system and how he had capitalized on opportunities to learn on his own. 

This article brings two things to my mind.  One is a question for the young man and the second a question for the system.  For the young man I would ask, “What about the system kept you from bringing the “will to learn” to the table when it is clear that you weren’t “anti-learning” as you engaged in learning in out-of-school spaces?  An easy response is that the classes didn’t seem relevant (although he did attend school for quite a while), but I also wonder about the connections he did or did not make with the adults at the school.  We know how important relationships with a positive role model and mentor are for youth.  What relationships were in place during his school experience?  Finally, were the classes more than irrelevant?  Were they also lacking rigor or so challenging that this young man could not feel successful?  More questions than answers, but I am curious.  Certainly bringing “will” to the table is essential, but when that “will” is spent in other learning activities, the question becomes, why not here at school?

For the school system I would ask what efforts were made to build the non-cognitive skills (those that we know are predictors of success beyond academic achievement)?  Is there anything being done to consider all aspects of a young person—social, emotional, physical, as well as cognitive?  Did anyone get to know this young man and his hopes and dreams?  Did the 3 R’s—relationships, relevance, and rigor come into play?

Out-of-school time can offer the 3 R’s through staff that are positive role models for mentors and youth.  This is an essential ingredient to success.  To ensure that out-of-school time staff members are prepared for this essential role, Entrusted Legacy has partnered with Consult 4 Kids to provide a comprehensive staff development program tailored for their needs.  Join with us as we work to share this system with all out-of-school time providers.  Entrust your Legacy with us.  Make an investment in the future by going to our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org and clicking on the “donate” tab.

Making A Difference

The story I am going to share with you is a true story, although I will not name the heroine of this story.  This is a story of the difference that can be made in the life of a person when a mentor and positive role model enters the picture.  The success in this story began about twelve years ago, but before I get to that part, I think you need a little context.  A beautiful young teenager was unhappy at home.  She discovered an “older” boyfriend who could take her away from the less than supportive environment.  Soon she was pregnant with her first child.  She kept going to high school but soon got pregnant for a second time.  By the age of 16 she had two children and by 17 she had added a third.  Through this all she stuck to her guns and was able to get a high school diploma.  This accomplishment speaks to her tenacity and will. 

She applied for an opportunity to participate in AmeriCorps, an organized program that allows people to give back to the community.  For this young woman it also gave her a breather, provided her with a small monthly stipend, medical insurance for herself and child care for her children.  She elected to serve for two years.  During that time she connected to a role model and mentor who believed in her.  And slowly over that two years, she began to believe in herself.  After she completed her years of service she was hired to work in an afterschool program and she realized that she could be a mentor for middle school girls in a way that others could not.  She worked with the girls, shared with them the challenges of being a teenage parent, and as she helped them believe that each of them could succeed, she began to believe it for herself as well.  All the time, her mentor stood by her and encouraged her. 

She used her AmeriCorps Education Award to get a college education.  She has successfully changed not only her own life but the life of her four children (she had one more after AmeriCorps), and she has reached hundreds of people with her story and by becoming a role model and mentor to others.

It is not difficult to imagine how this competent and compassionate young woman could have ended up a negative statistic had she not found a person who was willing to invest in her, to spend time with her, to support her, and to believe in her.  You have the opportunity to contribute and help Entrusted Legacy create more stories with this happy ending.  People who work with youth need to be trained and mentored so they too can pay it forward.  Contact us at support@entrustedlegacy.org or check out our website at www.entrustedlegacy.org. 

Contributions of Online Education in Brazil

Education is a process that involves the acts of teaching and learning, involving the intellectual, physical, moral and social aspects of a person, which vary according to geographic region or set of values ​​and beliefs of a particular group or individual. Much like the society, education needs and policies change, and for this reason, it is necessary for professionals and students to walk in the direction of change and to respond to it accordingly. This educational process can occur in two places:

- At school: the learner has the opportunity to develop academic skills, and can develop reasoning, language, and science skills (important content for intellectual growth);

- In life: the student learns from life experiences, including: facts, issues or  situations that the learner can then take as lessons of daily life.

            With the changes in education, the way that we learn also changes. Education becomes more complex, because the world is becoming more complex. With this, the need and demand for courses and classes that meet the most diverse sections of the population in different geographical realities, become a constant.

The concept of education that was held just prior to acquisition settings and content now includes knowledge and skills development in affective and social areas.

Over time, educational strategies have encountered new scenarios, as it leaves the physical space of the classroom, to occupy virtual spaces, attendance, academics through professionals from miles away.

            The focus of learning ceases to be content to be the apprentice (and  what he actually learns). The knowledge that previously occurred individually, becomes what we know today as knowledge management and collaborative learning.

Information technology and communications are becoming increasingly cheap and accessible to the population and has the following benefits: education and new knowledge, gained anytime and anywhere.

The courses in Distance Learning, fit the profile and the needs of the students. School curricula have become more dynamic and flexible in time, in space, in the methodology, management and evaluation.

The online education today offers a world of possibilities, with varied pedagogical and technological solutions, and can combine: live classes, social networks, forums/chats and even games for educational purposes. The learning system, using a combination of various media, is a reality that is increasingly present in the scenario of online education in Brazil.

Currently, Brazil is investing in courses at a distance, where the student has the possibility to realize it virtually wherever they are at any time or region. These are courses with online lessons and activities, accompanying features like games, cases, animations and videos. The content of the lessons can be done in real time, or forwarded to the teacher by email. At the end of each course, the student completes an evaluation test in the field. This type of education is ideal for the student or professional who wants to develop academically or professionally, and has limited availability. There are also courses that start as the formation of small groups. The teaching modules are focused on materials and activities.

For some courses, the goal is to serve a larger number of participants. With this type of education, television is used as an effective teaching resource. These are programs produced by professional teams, supported by printed material and guidance of expert tutors.

Called “teleconference”, these are used for classes of up to 50 students, where a teacher transmits his class for classes across the country, accompanied by a local tutor. The classes take place live, and students have the opportunity to ask questions in real time.

The process of change in education is not easy, but it's not impossible. You need to make time to meet and acculturate to new processes and pathways taken by education. Some are prepared (and open) to the new, others not. It takes time and disposition to learn new concepts and ways of conceiving learning. For this reason, it is necessary not only access, but also the democratization of information, so we can be socially included subjects in a society that is constantly changing.

By Contributing Writer, Daniela Silva

Daniela is an Entrusted Legacy volunteer that puts her writing skills and educational background in Pedagogy to use researching and creating informative blog and scholarly articles for educational movements across the globe.  Daniela’s home base in Sao Paulo, Brazil gives her unique insight to educational trend and topics outside of the United States.