Understanding 21st Century Skills in English Language Classrooms Essay Example for Free

Understanding 21st Century Skills in English Language Classrooms Essay In an increasingly complex, demanding and competitive world, students need to go beyond the traditional 3Rs and embrace the 4Cs – communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. This is the view of the 21st century Skills movement which is helping to redefine the goals of general education for today’s world. 21st Century Skills† is commonly refers to a growing global movement for redefining the goals of education, to transform every day teaching and learning practices, and to expand the range of measures that are being implemented for student achievement, all in order to meet the new demands of the 21st Century. In other words the main thrust of this movement is to make learners a productive contributors to upcoming society, for this it is necessary for the teachers to enable the learners to quickly learn the core content of a field of knowledge while also mastering a broad portfolio of essentials in learning, innovation, technology, and careers skills needed for work and life. Through multimodal activities, students will explore key elements of design such as color, shape, size, texture, density, and layout to understand and appreciate how these elements combine to convey the meaning. The demands of 21st century skills compel teachers to learn new technologies and discover ways to integrate them into their classrooms. Students are competing in a global economy, and their ability to think critically and apply knowledge at higher levels requires teachers to evaluate what and how they teach. Students and teachers are using technology to communicate, assemble and analyze information based on the demands of a changing workforce. We are no longer in an educational system that solely trains students to operate technology. Students must be able to critically think and develop the skills for lifelong learning. Teachers are focusing more on developing students’ personal dependability, perseverance, reflection, flexibility and self-discipline using 21st century strategies. Students are gathering and evaluating data, identifying viewpoints, making broad connections, considering alternatives, and making informed decisions. Teachers are creating opportunities for students to interact with each other in authentic learning experiences providing connections that are critical to developing students’ engagement, motivation, and attitudes about learning. Classrooms are beginning to reflect the media environment that students immerse themselves in on a daily basis. Using art and digital media, they will then create their own designs to express meaning for setting, character relationships, and plot. Students will realize how to use design elements to read images and how meaning in picture books is equally conveyed in both words and images. The term â€Å"learning environment† covers not only place and space (e. g. Home, a school, a classroom, a library, an online learning community), but the relationships that create a supportive environment for every child’s development. In the 21st century, learning environments should be seen as the support systems that organize the condition in which humans learn best–systems that accommodate the unique needs of every learner and support the positive human relationships needed for effective learning. Learning environments are the structures, tools and communities that inspire students and educators to attain the knowledge and skills the 21st century demands of us all. Teachers must utilize a variety of methods for the children to build their own understanding through real world applications interactions with their peers in many cooperative group activities. Life is a multimedia event, and the meanings that we secure from life are not simply contained in text; they yield their content through a wide variety of forms. The students need to have a deep understanding for the real world in order to become successful individuals and be more technologically enhanced. Students need to become more globally literate because many jobs are now more focused on those issues. Students need to know more about the world, think outside of the box, develop better people skills, and become smarter about selecting news sources. To do this it is important for teachers to keep up with the times and create a modern curriculum. One of the best ways to achieve global literacy is through communication, collaborative learning, research, and problem solving. Technology helps tremendously in these areas, so it is a great tool to use in the classroom. Not only that, but it will help the students to find more relevance in school as well. Today teachers need to prepare students for the jobs that have to be created, for the new products that have to be invented, and for the new skills required for bringing in creativity and innovation. In today’s classroom, the students have diverse backgrounds, a variety of achievement levels, and different learning styles which will all affect their ability to acquire knowledge. Teachers need to move away from the traditional methods of teaching and bring into the classroom new and innovating approaches to teach the content and lifelong skills. It is important to utilize a variety of techniques for the children to build their own understanding through real world applications and interactions with their peers in group activities. As the proponents of 21st century learning have propounded a set of educational goals, as in the learning framework the experts advocates for the integration of 4 C skills (Communication, Collaboration Critical thinking with problem solving and Creativity,) into the teaching of language skills such as English, reading or language arts, world languages. Teachers can cater to variation in the nature of their students’ aptitude by adopting a flexible teaching approach involving a variety of learning activities. They can also make use of simple learner-training materials designed to make students more aware of their own approaches to learning and to develop awareness of alternative approaches. Studies of good language learners suggest that successful language learning requires a flexible approach to learning. Thus, increasing the range of learning strategies at learners’ disposal is one way in which teachers can help them to learn. Such strategy training needs to foster an understanding that language learning requires both an experiential and an analytical approach. School-based students often tend to adopt an analytical approach to learning, even if this does not accord with their natural aptitude, as this is the kind of approach generally fostered in schools. They may have greater difficulty in adopting the kind of experiential approach required by task-based language teaching. Some learner training, therefore, may be essential if learners are to perform tasks effectively. Using the 21st Century Learning Methods to teach ESL or English as a second language is a natural fit. By using the English language learner’s personal strengths, we can quickly and easily reach them with critical information, in collaboration with structure and grammar while instilling communicative skills with creativity this in turn helps for inculcating. Nowadays, the newest model is the flipped classroom, where the student is required to watch an instructional video or lecture at home and then complete associated tasks or projects in the classroom. While students work through assignments in class, teachers can better identify and target each student’s needs and facilitate differentiated instruction. Another objective of this individualized approach is to empower students to direct their own learning by coming to class prepared to ask questions and problem solve with their peers after viewing the subject matter on their own. Authentic learning learning from real world problems and questions Students become balanced individuals who can function as members of their culture. Classroom activities based on authentic learning foster deep understanding about the subject matter it also guides the students for how does one lead a good life? Involve the community, parents, family, and guest speakers. New standards relate to the concept of performance-based assessment. Connect it to your personal life, make choices with regard to it, and reflect on it. Many schools have adopted standards in which students are asked to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways, including essays, oral presentations and/or a portfolio of student work. Research a thesis, and catalogue and organize his or her information using the internet connected computer in the library media center. This brings perhaps the most important advantage for ELLs.

The brain :: essays research papers

Occipital, Frontal, and Temporal Lobes The occipital lobes are the center of our visual perception system. They are not particularly vulnerable to injury because of their location at the back of the brain, although any significant trauma to the brain could produce subtle changes to our visual-perceptual system, such as visual field defects and scotomas. The Peristriate region of the occipital lobe is involved in visuospatial processing, discrimination of movement and color discrimination (Westmoreland et al., 1994). Damage to one side of the occipital lobe causes homonomous loss of vision with exactly the same "field cut" in both eyes. Disorders of the occipital lobe can cause visual hallucinations and illusions. Visual hallucinations (visual images with no external stimuli) can be caused by lesions to the occipital region or temporal lobe seizures. Visual illusions (distorted perceptions) can take the form of objects appearing larger or smaller than they actually are, objects lacking color or objects having abn ormal coloring. Lesions in the parietal-temporal-occipital association area can cause word blindness with writing impairments (alexia and agraphia) (Kandel, Schwartz & Jessell, 1991). Frontal Lobe The Frontal Lobe is responsible for cognition and memory. The prefrontal area gives one the ability to concentrate, judgment and inhibition as well as personality and emotional traits. The premotor area is responsible for storage of voluntary activities and motor patterns. The motor area provides voluntary motor activity. Language is a motor speech. Temporal Lobe Location of the temporal lobe is near the temples just above the ear canal. Functions of the temporal lobe are to: Control hearing; from birth a baby can hear completely. The temporal lobe in the brain is fully developed before the baby is born. Language use; talking is very closely linked to hearing, and since people can hear they react by using language as means of communication. Emotions, especially fear plays a part in this role. Some complex aspects of vision, including the ability to see patterns such as faces. When the temporal lobe is damaged it causes:  · Deficits or limitations in understanding and comprehending spoken words  · May cause a lack of fear if the emotional responses are no longer working (a person seeing a snake may not be afraid because they don’t understand what the object even is)

Elizabeth Keckley

English 248 12 December 2009 Elizabeth Keckley: Is She a Pioneer of Womanism? Keckley was born a slave in Virginia. She was an excellent seamstress and dressmaker. Using her skill and contacts she bought her freedom in 1855. After she was freed, she made her way to Washington, D. C. Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907), seamstress and dressmaker to the wives of many political movers and shakers of that day. Her client list included Varina Davis, of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Mary Todd Lincoln, of President Abraham Lincoln. She sewed and tailored dresses for the daughters and ladies of the most prominent families. As her reputation mounted, she came to the attention of Mary Todd Lincoln, and soon became her dressmaker. Keckley’s soon became a companion to Mary Todd. When Mary Todd fell under financial strain after the assassination of her husband, Keckley helped Mary Todd auction off her clothing in New York. This effort proved to be futile and only served to bring negative attention to Mary Todd. In another attempt to generate funds for Todd as well as her, Keckley published her diaries in 1868: Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. [pic] Mary Todd hated her portrayal in the book, to the point where her oldest son had it removed from publication. Because of the controversy, Keckley was treated like an outcast and her business declined. Throughout her experiences Keckley maintained an air of dignity and self respected. When Keckley and Mary Todd went their separate ways, Keckley did not deign to speak ill of Mary Todd. This was indicative of the strength of character that Keckley possessed. According to the African American Registry, â€Å"From 1892 to 1893, she left Washington to teach domestic science at Wilberforce University in Ohio. She returned soon after to spend the rest of her days at the Home for Destitute Women and Children in Washington, which she had helped to establish. She died there from a stroke May 26, 1907. †(1) There is a body of thought that subscribes to the idea that African American women have developed mindset to cope and prosper in American society. This mindset has been named Womanism. Womanism should in no way be confused with Feminism. Feminism is the belief that women are equal to and some ways superior to men. Because of this feminist proscribe to the notion the women station in American society should be equalized by any means short of violence. In her book Sisters in the Wilderness, Delores Williams defines womanism in the following way: â€Å"Womanist theology is a prophetic voice concerned about the well-being of the entire African American community, male and female, adults and children. Womanist theology attempts to help black women see, affirm, and have confidence in the importance of their experience and faith for determining the character of the Christian religion in the African American community. Womanist theology challenges all oppressive forces impeding black women's struggle for survival and for the development of a positive, productive quality of life conducive to women’s and the family’s freedom and well-being. Womanist theology opposes all oppression based on race, sex, class, sexual preference, physical ability, and caste† (67). 2) Throughout her life Keckley was a subscriber of Womanism. Keckley opposed three aspects of oppression-sexual, race and caste. Keckley proved to be an advocate for her family life as well as others. Keckley at all times strived to be a productive member of American and African American society. Born a slave and female, it was inevitable that Keckley would face sexual oppression at some time. It can be argued that perhaps the Keck ley’s mistress sensed her husband’s interest in Keckley. Because of this Keckley received undeserved beatings. â€Å"My words seem to exasperate him. He seized the rope, caught me roughly, and tried to tie me. I resisted with all my strength, but he was the stronger of the two and, after a hard struggle, succeeded in binding my hands and tearing my dress from my back. Then he picked up a rawhide, and began to ply it freely over my shoulder. With steady hand and practiced eye he would raise the instrument of torture and nerve himself for a blow and with fearful force the rawhide descended upon the quivering flesh. It cut the skin, raised great welts, and the blood trickled down my back† (20-21). This particular beating was requesting by the mistress. Keckley was never given a reason for it. The tearing off the dress is a form of sexual humiliation. Even slave women had a sense of self-respect about nudity â€Å"Oh God! I can feel the torture-now the terrible, excruciating agony of those moments. I did not scream; I was too proud to let my tormentor know what I was suffering. I closed my lips firmly, that not even a groan might escape from them, and I stood like a statute while the keen lash cut into my flesh† (20-21). This may have also been the first time that Keckley shows some type of resistance to her oppressor. Not allowing her tormentors to know how much she was suffering could only cause more suffering. Knowing that a lifetime of slavery would lead to only more unjustified persecution served as an impetus for Keckley to escape slavery. It is amazing that Keckley persevered to leave slavery considering that even her parents thought that only death would set them free. Her father wrote â€Å"†¦In glory there weel meet to part no more forever. So dear wife I hope to meet you In paradase to prase god forever†(15). Casting off her bonds of slavery and sexual repression was the first big step in Keckley becoming a paradigm of womanism. While Keckley was still in slavery she married a man whom she thought was a freeman. She found out later that was not the case. †Mr. Keckley-let me speak kindly of his faults-proved dissipated, and a burden instead of a helpmate. More than all, I learned that he was a slave instead of a free man, as he represented himself to be. With the simple explanation that I lived with him for eight years, I will charity draw around him a mantle of silence† (32). It is rumored that Mr. Keckley was an alcoholic. Keckley refused to have a child of her free will while still a slave. †¦for I could not bear the thought of bringing children into slavery† (29). (3) In explaining how Keckley believed in the development of a positive, productive quality of life conducive to women Xiomara Santamarina writes â€Å"The author was a popular dressmaker, and according to her, work was not simply about the material conditions of production but, more importantly, about the emotions of res pect and attachment the production process entailed†(4). Keckleys ability as a dressmaker turned out to be not only an economic tool but indeed the means by which she achieved status as a socialite on the D. C. scene. The respect afforded Keckley by Washingtonians was seldom given any African Americans at the time. Keckley was well known in religious circles as well as the social scene. She was a devout member of the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church. . Alice Walker wrote about womanism as â€Å"challenging inherited traditions for their collusion with androcentric patriarchy as well as a catalyst in overcoming oppressive situations through revolutionary acts of rebellion†(5). It is fitting that a new concept of thought has been attributed to African American women. After all what other segment of American society has dealt with the drawbacks of enslavement, racism, sexual abuse, classism and sexism? The African American woman’s journey to find their place in America has taken them through waters uncharted and untraveled by anyone else. There should be no surprise when their rudder is lifted from the turbulent water for inspection it is of a unique design. Strong, true, dependable, righteous without being self-righteous and always challenging what is to progress to what can be. This rudder may be defined as womanism. Elizabeth Keckley was indeed a pioneer of womanism. Works Cited (1)Reference: Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave. Jennifer Fleischner, New York: Broadway Books. 2003 (2)Sisters in the Wilderness: Delores S. Williams. Orbis, 287 pp (3)Behind the Scenes or Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Elizabeth Keckley, New York: G. W. Carleton. 268 pp. 1868 (4)Xiomara Santamarina Feminist Studies 28, no. 3 (fall 2002) In Search of Our (5)Mother’s Garden: Womanist Prose, Alice Walker

Racial Profiling And African Americans Essay - 1706 Words

The word niggeris the most inapporiate racial slur according to dictionary.com, which has meant to belittle African Americans. Leaving many individuals to be beat, lynched, or even the victim of arson based upon racially motivated attacks within black communities; for instance â€Å"the reaction towards the news of Booker T. Washington dining in White House, Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina predicted (Kennedy, pg 15), â€Å"The action of President Roosevelt in entertaining that nigger will necessitate our killing a thousand niggers in the South before they will learn their place again†(Kennedy, pg 77). Allowing countless features of the slur within countless jokes, cartoons, and the performing arts; which reflects stereotypes and encourages the downing of Afro-Americans. Essentially the signature phrase of racial prejudice, specifically in racial identified court cases of black individuals. Leaving the United States to accept the public display of inhumane actions and verbal usage; for instance, Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which ruled â€Å"that African Americans were permanently ineligible for federal citizenship†(Kenned, pg 63). These decisions and lack of appeals surrounding the cases allowed for racial insult and oppression of a national policy that make a specific race â€Å"inferior†. However, like most words the context for the derogatory word is in the moment of reclaimed by the black community and beyond. Although, the lack of evidence when the itself termShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling And African Americans1128 Words   |  5 Pagestargeting African Americans. Every few months there seems to be another shooting, another protest. Your men are here to protect and serve New York City but now the NYPD is looking like the bad guys. In order to have peace in the city, the racial profiling needs to stop. This memo is to inform you on the discrimination happenings that occur against African Americans, which ta ke place right the New York City’s streets. This letter also contains evidence and ways to stop the racial profiling among theRead MoreRacial Profiling And African Americans1897 Words   |  8 Pagestreatment of African Americans. The protesting has called attention to the ghastly reality that African Americans still face an ongoing struggle and receive inferior treatment. Violent events occurring years after the 1960 s Civil Rights Movement—from the beating of Rodney King to the homicide of Trayvon Martin and the countless crimes in between—all reveal evidence of how African Americans are victims of injustices. While substantial progress has occurred in obtaining equality for African Americans duringRead MoreRacial Profiling Against African Americans1614 Words   |  7 PagesIs Racial Profiling Justified Racial Profiling Against African Americans Racial profiling is simply, â€Å"the unlawful police practice of using race, color, or ethnic background, as the reason for conducting a traffic stop on an individual.† (Michigan Civil Rights Commission) This definition can be extended to any kind of discrimination mainly based on myths and stereotypes towards a certain race or ethnicity. However, the term racial profiling is commonly used when a police officer or anyRead MoreRacial Profiling and the African American Male1808 Words   |  8 PagesRacial Profiling and Male African Americans Tanika Williams SOC/120 March 4, 2012 Renisha Gibbs Racial Profiling and Male African Americans What comes to your mind when you think of an interaction an authoritative figure (police, teacher, principal)? In the African American community it is usually fear and anxiety of the motive of the authoritative figure, especially if you are a male. The intersection of race and gender for the African American male provides a basis for premature judgmentRead MoreRacial Profiling and Male African Americans1945 Words   |  8 PagesRacial Profiling and Male African Americans Racial profiling has been and will continue to be a problem in the United States. Many believe that racial profiling is more prevalent in today’s society; however, this issue has been a part of our society since slavery. Moreover, African American males are mostly the targets of racial profiling, especially in larger cities like New York City and Los Angeles. Racial profiling is becoming a huge problem within the police departments. Police officers areRead MoreRacial Profiling And The African American Community Essay2673 Words   |  11 PagesThe African-American community has endured a notable amount of troublesome tribulations, primarily in cultural identity. The wide array of challenges that minorities undergo when classifying a specific race is illogical, and rather insane. The struggle, hassle, and strain placed on minorities for embracing their identity will continuously be stereotyped or judged by a non-oppressed individual, or better yet our modern society. The ongoi ng list of imperfections a minority is labeled with when classifyingRead MoreRacial Profiling And The African American Community937 Words   |  4 PagesWhen it comes to the African American community in the United States, the identifying term Nigger is one that has many meanings, but no matter the meaning, its use is usually met with controversy (The Racial Slur Database Nigger). Kaffir is a South African identifying term that also refers to those of African descent, and of a darker skin tone, and is filled with the same social controversy (The Racial Slur Database Kaffir). Two articles found on the internet, one from Florida and one from SouthRead MoreRacial Profiling : A Survey Of African American Police Officers1536 Words   |  7 PagesRead the article: Racial Profiling: A Survey of African American Police Officers(Barlow Barlow, 2002). Using concepts from chapters 1-6 as the basis for your analysis, in a narrative format of 750 or more words, summarize: †¨(a) the resea rch problem, †¨(b) the literature review, †¨(c) data-gathering strategy, †¨(d) any hypotheses, †¨(e) the dependent and independent variable in one of the cause-effect relationships tested by the researchers, †¨(f) how the dependent and independent variable were operationalizedRead MoreRacial Profiling : The National Institute Of Justice Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pages Racial Profiling in U.S History Selyna Copeland Professor Dora Leal Social Science 180 10 November, 2016 The National Institute of Justice (â€Å"Racial Profiling†) stated that racial profiling, which is a form of discrimination, racism, and stereotypes is when law enforcement, based on a person’s race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion targets a person for suspicion of crimes. Today people can turn on their television, go online, and even listen to their radios and they will hear aboutRead MoreProfessional Racism and Discrimination1117 Words   |  5 PagesDepartment has a reputation for using race as a basis to catch criminals. Racial profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for believing an individual is suspicious of committing a crime. Discriminatory or abusive behavior towards people of color affects the justice system and violates people’s human rights. The LAPD continues to use racial profiling against mostly African-Americans and Latinos. The use of racial profiling by the LAPD prevents the police from serving the whole community. Because