Shifting Minds Model

 I am currently working as a middle school teacher at an international school in Thailand. One reason I took this job is because this is the first year the school has had a middle school. For the past 30 years, it has just been kindergarten to grade 5. Since it is the first year of middle school, I have been given a lot of freedom in my lesson development. I am a one-person department, so I have made all the units and assessments for my two subjects: English Language and Literature and Individuals and Societies. The way I try to make my units mirrors several of the attributes of the shifting minds model. 

  One thing that resonates with me about the shifting minds model is that it seems to focus a lot on problem-solving. With technology changing so quickly, new and unforeseeable problems seem to spring up overnight. A huge challenge for today's world is dealing with these problems in a quick and effective way. Like the shifting minds model mentions, I also try to give students novel problems to solve as their assessments. If students are well prepared, they should be able to transfer prior knowledge to new situations. My goal is to get students to do this for authentic problems that they may encounter in the real world. 

  Another aspect of the shifting minds model that I try to do as often as possible is giving students personalized learning opportunities. I teach middle school at the moment, and I think students at this age are more than capable of having agency in their learning in a variety of ways. The first way I give student choice in my assessments is to give them a choice of product. As long as the student is showing understanding of the unit objectives, it really does not matter how they are presenting the information. I have had students write a paper, create a Google Slides presentation, draw a poster, and even perform a skit for the same project. By doing this, I am giving students a chance to produce something meaningful for them. This has been great in creating enthusiasm for assignments. Along with choice of product, I also let students choose their audience for assessments. If I want students to think about societal issues, for example, I will allow students to choose the issue they want to solve. Students could pick an issue that needs to be addressed by the school, their classmates, community members, family members, or whomever they want. They can then create a product that is aimed directly towards that audience. Again, the reason this helps engagement and effort is that it gives students more pride and control over their assignments. 

  Finally, I incorporate a lot of activities that deal with cultural diversity. My school here in Thailand has students from all over the world. I have students from Thailand, India, England, China, Ethiopia, and more all studying in my classes. In such an environment, it is very important that students understand the different cultures and traditions of their classmates. In addition, the students from elsewhere should gain an understanding and respect for the Thai culture. We talk a lot about cultures and traditions, especially in my social studies classes.

  As previously mentioned, I believe making my students problem solvers is extremely important. Part of this goal is getting students to be competent with technology. With social media and a constant stream of information coming to the students with their phones, it is more important than ever that students understand the pros and cons of technology. In order to create a legitimate solution to a problem, students must understand which sources are reliable and which are not.  More than that, students should be aware of the tools that exist that can help them solve problems more easily. The advancement of AI technologies, for example, should be used in a responsible manner in order to come up with suitable solutions. There are also a vast number of platforms where students can research about topics that they care about. Students must use this myriad of information so that they can be as informed about an issue as may be necessary.    

Comments

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