"Teacher Talk" with Ken Newton
All about education in Elementary and Middle School for the 21st Century Student, Teacher, and Parent.
"Teacher Talk" with Ken Newton
Episode 3- "The 21st Century Student"
Prepare to unlock the secrets of 21st-century education as we chat with tomorrow's innovators who are already making waves with their creative minds and passionate hearts. You'll be inspired as we witness firsthand the thrill of learning through cutting-edge tools like math games and interactive platforms such as Kahoot and Gimkit, which are not only reshaping our classrooms but also preparing our students for a future where digital fluency is paramount. These are the voices of a generation poised to navigate the complex digital landscape with confidence and originality, a testament to the power of modern education.
Our journey doesn't stop at the classroom door. Take a deep dive into the blue as we address the pressing concern of ocean pollution through the actions and insights of students who are not just learning about environmental stewardship but actively living it. From simple yet impactful habits like picking up trash to larger initiatives like waste-free lunch programs, we reveal how empowering young minds leads to tangible change in our world. Tune in for a dose of hope and motivation, driven by the belief that each small step contributes to a healthier, more sustainable planet, and understand why nurturing the environmental consciousness of our youth is essential for the longevity of our oceans and the myriad of life they support.
Good. When I say. Right. I want it that way. Right. My students love the backstreet boys. Hey friends. Episode number three. The twenty first century students. So, hey, where do I begin? I'm surrounded by twenty first century students in my class, which is pretty awesome. They're a pretty amazing group of young people. So the twenty first century student, I I think you'd agree, kind of refers to a lot of different things such maybe, for example, collaboration, learning how to work together, go figure kinda novel concept, digital literacy, critical thinking, and really especially problem solving. Oh, teaching problem solving critical thinking to young people isn't that the truth. And quite honestly, a a life skill So the twenty first century student, I know in in my class, we do we do some cool things and really teaching twenty first century skills to my students. I think it's my job. This generation is the group in the digital age and using different programs and becoming proficient in different programs is super, super important for them, not only for them now, but for their future as well. So really, I think without these skills, these students are left to kind of memorize facts and kind of recalling things for worksheets and We want them to be not passive, but we want them be, you know, active, aggressive learners. So kind of interesting, all these concepts kinda really form a twenty first century student and really am that twenty first century learning model. Combines all these elements, you know, creating learners that take a risk, you know, fostering just different types of learning And most importantly, I'm kind of letting the school community know that everybody is always a learner. So hope you enjoyed today's episode and we have some cool things we wanna share with you about being a twenty first century learner. Alright. Hey. We are back the twenty first century student. My students liked that song. That was kinda cool to see. So, hey, we're we're here chatting about the twenty first century student I just asked a few of my students what they've enjoyed, how they enjoy learning. And I've asked one of my students how he enjoys learning. So Matt, do you wanna share with us? What's one way that you enjoy learning?
Speaker 2:One way I enjoy learning is by using, like, fun math games.
Speaker 1:So why do you why do you enjoy the learning game so much? Does it does it make it it fun? Is it easier to learn? Like, why does it why does it make it why does it make learning enjoyable?
Speaker 2:It makes learning enjoyable because because you could do, like, cool things after answering after answering, like, math questions
Speaker 1:Cool. Awesome. And then I'm gonna ask you something a little bit opposite. Is is there a way or is there something that we do that's maybe a little bit on the harder side or not as enjoyable as a learning game? No. Cool. So that's just one example, friends, of one way that we learn and learning games could be like Matthew said, Blocket or Kahoot, And and I found that the kids do really respond favorably to things like that. So I'd like to ask one more student how they'd like to learn and maybe it's a learning game or something else. So after this break, I'm gonna talk to you some students on how they enjoy learning. Alright, friends. So we are back after a short little break. I have my friend Tyler here, and I'm asking Tyler pretty much the same question on how does he enjoy learning? And it sounds like he enjoyed something pretty similar to Matthew. So Tyler thanks for the couple minutes. So how do you enjoy learning? What are some favorite things that we do?
Speaker 3:I love playing Kahoot and Gamkin. I think that they're just really fun to play. Like they And they also, like, help you learn, like like, I learned how to do, like, fractions off of that, and that was, like, really cool. It helped me out with my grades.
Speaker 1:So why you you just like the fun part of it, the the silly part of it, and like you said, you actually were learning something. So So that's what you kind of enjoy. Correct?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Cool. So last break, last segment is we're gonna talk about how we can save the environment friends and would love to hear from our twenty first century students. Awesome. My sitting off to my home with guy in love no feeling when we're in the zone. I Alright. Hey, can't stop the feeling. I always like it when I see my students moving and grooving that I picked the I picked the right song. So, hey, and we're in our last segment friends about the twenty first century student And one of my assignments I've given to my students is after reading what the United Nations said on ways we can save the planet, And I've asked them to to develop their own opinion on climate change. Do we have climate change? Do we not have climate change? And they've come up with some really great ideas after reading about what do you nine nations have said. Some ideas that other kids have brought up is some cool things that kids can do to save the earth. Start a recycling program at school. We happen to have one at our school. If you take your lunch to school, make it garbage free, take your sandwich and drink in usable container. When you order something like an Amazon, watch the type of packaging that you use, so it's not wasteful. Automobiles, you know, encourage your parents to go green by buying an electric car. You might, again, adopt a stream or a park. We talked about bringing your lunch to school in reusable containers or a lunchbox. So I'm gonna ask my students here. One thing that they thought of the MO method that that can help save the planet. So hey, Elyse. So what's one thing that would help keep the environment healthy?
Speaker 4:To save energy? Many people in the world do not save energy, and that's a big problem. Like, lots of people do not turn off the lights when they leave the room and leave it on for hours even though they do not use the light.
Speaker 1:I love it. That's great. I'm saving energy. So I'm gonna have my next student, mister Raiden, and Reagan, what is one way that you would help promote a healthy world, a healthy environment?
Speaker 2:You can help promote a healthy world by using public transportation. If if you need to go somewhere close-up, you you can use your bike. And if you if you if you need to go somewhere far, you can use a public bus or a train.
Speaker 1:I love it. That's great that the city we live friends. Used used in public transportation is hard, but some people do use it. We talked about in class when you live in a big city. It's a little bit easier to use public transportation. But what a great one? Lastly, mister Matthew, what is one thing that you would do to kind of promote a healthy environment, a healthy world?
Speaker 2:One thing I would do is to try to pick up any trash that is on the floor.
Speaker 1:So what's your take on, like, the ocean? Do you think our oceans are in big trouble? Or is there too much pollution in oceans? Or are oceans doing well? Like, what's your take?
Speaker 2:I think that there's too much pollution in the ocean because almost every year there is a lot of trash that goes into the ocean and it could be, like, toxic and kill lots of fish and probably extinct a certain species.
Speaker 1:Alright, friends. So there you have it. Some some takes from some students. To twenty first century students, and we we hope that they have an impact on the next, you know, their generation on our planet. And again, just creative, innovative, amazing young people, and it's always takes I'm always very prideful in teaching the twenty first century student and encourage them to use their necessary skills for their life. So I hope you enjoyed today's episode, and we'll see you again in episode four.