Give an example of an educational skill (just ONE) that students in K-12 need to or might want to be fluent (quick and accurate) in doing. What are the sub-skills needed to be fluent in the skill you identified? Why is this a skill that needs to be fluent? What problems could it cause if the student is not fluent in the skill. (Select a skill other than math facts.)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Give an example of an educational skill (just ONE) that students in K-12 need to or might want to be fluent (quick and accurate) in doing. What are the sub-skills needed to be fluent in the skill you identified? Why is this a skill that needs to be fluent? What problems could it cause if the student is not fluent in the skill. (Select a skill other than math facts.)
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A skill that I believe is important to be fluent in is creativity. The Creative Education Foundation dissects this skill into two major categories, divergence and convergence. To diverge is to explore options, to consider all possibilities, to extend in different directions often while departing from the norm. To converge is to critically evaluate options, to move toward a common conclusion, to reach agreement, to make a choice or decision. Most people naturally converge before diverging. The goal is to teach divergence before convergence.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these 2 major creativity categories have sub-skills. Fluency is also necessary in sub-skills which include: brainstorming, tolerance for ambiguity, flexibility in the ability to see diverse and unusual relationships, lateral thinking, problem solving skills, as well as many others.
As the old saying goes, “Use it or lose it!” Even if you make it through school without it, creative thinking is crucial to success in law, medicine, business, politics, computing, finance — the list goes on and on.
It is very important for students to be fluent in typing. This skill has been necessary since I was young; however, many older teachers may not consider fluency in typing a necessary skill since they did not have the same technology when they were young that we have today. Sub-skills necessary for being fluent at typing is being an accurate speller, knowing the placement of keys, and being able to type without looking at your hands constantly. Typing is a skill that needs to be fluent because it is important in every class in college and career. Technology has become so important in our lives that most jobs expect potential employers to be fluent in typing. If students cannot type fluently then they can often be left behind and may not be able to keep up on class or get a job. Students do not necessarily have to start really being fluent in typing until around 6th grade, but when the time comes it is vital that they pick up the skill.
ReplyDeleteA skill that I feel is very important to be fluent in is writing, particularly being able to visualize what someone has said in either single words or phrases and writing what was said in whole word or phrase chunks instead of syllable by syllable. It is important to be able to write fluidly, without struggling over each sound or syllable in a word. The sub-skills necessary to be fluent in are to have a good sight word vocabulary, a mostly fluent sight word vocabulary where they can quickly recall a word in their mind and be able to write it quickly, good/decent fine motor and visual motor skills where writing is not a struggle but a skill that is easily completed, and an understanding of sentence structure such as spacing, punctuation, and capitalization for writing phrases and sentences. Being a fluent writer is a very important skill as students progress through school. Students need to be able to quickly write words, phrases and sentences to develop an understanding that writing communicates ideas and thoughts, develop creative writing skills as they improve in fluent writing, and (as they progress through school) fluent writing helps them to quickly write down notes, assignments, to do lists, schedules, lecture notes, write research papers, complete homework assignments, write letters to friends, teachers, or family, fill out job applications, write checks, keep journals, and so many other important skills. Looking at the list of why it is important for a student to be fluent in writing one can see that not being a fluent writer could affect a persons ability to keep up with homework, complete assignments, take tests (in a timely manner), write lecture notes, fill out a job application, keep up with "to do" lists.
ReplyDeleteA skill that i believe students need to be fluent in is typing. This is a very necessary skill especially in today's society. When I was in grade school I was put through typing classes and they significantlly helped me. I don't think that they put students these days through typing classes and it is a necessity. With more and more classrooms and teachers upgrading technology more teachers want there homework done on a computer, the more typing skills are fluent the faster and more effiecent there homework will be accomplished. Sub-skills that are needed to be a fluent typer are having accurate spelling and grammar and knowing where all of the keys are on the keyboard. This is extremely important to learn when these students are young because once they are in college everything they turn in will have to be done on a computer and this will significantlly shorten the length of there homework time if they can fluently type.
ReplyDeleteOne skill that I believe a student needs to be fluent in is reading. This is very necessary to excel in any other skill in school. Reading is used in every subject in school and is needed in daily life. Reading is something that becomes natural to students once they are fluent in it. Sub-skills that are needed to be fluent in reading is spelling, grammar, and the sounds of the letters. This is very important to learn when the students are younger because it will be used in the rest of their school career.
ReplyDeleteOne educational skill that students in K-12 might need to be or want to be fluent in is typing. As we progress into the 21st Century, we rely on the use of computer technology more and more. Businesses, schools, hospitals, etc., are relying on computer based technology and typing is a skill that is utilized in all of these fields. More importantly, schools are using more technology and are using computers to access educational material. As schools begin to become more technologically advanced it is extremely important for students to become fluent in typing. More frequently assignments are required to be typed, completed online, or completed on a computer using programs such as PowerPoint. For a student, being fluent in typing increases both efficiency and productivity when completing an assignment using technology. The sub-skills needed to be/become fluent in typing include the ability to manipulate the keys on the keyboard including knowing where they are located on the keyboard, the ability to use correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and the background knowledge of what all of the keys functions are such as caps lock, shift, enter, etc.. This skills needs to be fluent because we are increasingly becoming more reliant on the ability to communicate, transfer and access information through technology. Without being fluent in typing students would not be able to accurately access information, turn in assignments, etc. This skill seems very basic for some students but for those who are not fluent in typing there is a great chance that their education will be lacking in the future because of their non-fluency in typing. Because the ultimate goal of an education is to learn if we continue to rely on technology as a means of teaching or using it as a tool for instruction it is extremely important for students and teachers to be fluent in typing.
ReplyDeleteThis is just an after thought but we have to be fluent in typing to do this assignment so it is a useful skill to become or want to become fluent in...
DeleteI definately agree with Morgan. Reading is one of the most important skills that a student needs to be fluent and accurate in. Reading is definately tied into every subject. For example, I was watching my Dad grade 9th grade math exams and he was working on this one that really seemed to be all wrong, so I asked him if the kid just didn't care or didn't know the material. He repliied with "No, he is one of my best students but he just can't read. He usually asks for more time or help but I am not sure what happened". This is a good example of when reading is very important. We don't always think that you have to be able to read to do math but we forget about the word problems and the fact that problems have to be read in a certain order for it to work. I am a firm believer that you need to be able to read fluently and accurately to make your way through school and life.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an educational skill that i believe students need to be fluent in is using a smart board. In schools today i've seen the use of smart boards grow. Students need to be able to use these because more and more teachers are using them in their classrooms. These are great tools for students to learn. I've seen students play educational games such as learning all the ways you can get 4 through addition. Technology is invading schools and the smart board is a great example. Being fluent in using a smart board could really come into play in the near future.
ReplyDeleteAn example of an educational skill that I believe a student in k-12 needs would be "critical thinking skills". This is true because when recieving an education a student must be able to exemplify critical thinking skills in every subjuct. Some sub-skills that you need to be fluent in critical thinking skills would be organization, interpretation/analysis, and being able to question assumptions. This skill is something that a student needs to be fluent in because it is something that you need to use in everyday life in the school system. For example when taking tests a students needs to be able to use their critical thinking skills in order to correctly answer specific questions. Some problems that may be caused if this skill is not fluent would bee poor grades, and difficulty in reading/english. Therefore, a skill that I believe a k-12 student should be fluent in would be "critical thinking skills".
ReplyDeleteAn educational skill in which all students need to be fluent is writing. Sub-skills needed to be fluent in writing are spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and the organizations of one's thoughts. I have always been told that writing is a skill you will use for the rest of your life, and I have found that statement to be true in college. In every subject in school, and all areas of life, it is important to know how to write. Writing is used to communicate your thoughts, opinions, reasoning, results, and evidence. This is a skill needed in all subject areas of school. Students need to know how to write out their evidence and results in science lab results. They have to know how to explain the steps of their work for math problems. They have to be able to show what they have learned and what they know about a book they have read in English class. They have to be able to express their opinion about various issues that may come up. The list could go on and on. Every teacher does not have time to sit down each of his or her students and make sure they are understanding the curriculum being taught. Every teacher does not have time to sit down with each of his or her students and ask their opinion about a certain issue. If students are not fluent in writing, they may not have a voice in their school. If students are not fluent in writing, they may not be able to continue into higher education because they are unable to communicate what they know.
DeleteAn educational skill that I think a student in K-12 would need to be fluent in, is reading. I believe that if you are an efficient reader it only helps other aspects of your learning get better. If a student can read at the grade level they are in or higher, then they can properly learn and complete the curriculums assigned. For example if directions are given on a worksheet and the student reads them incorrectly they may do the assignment wrong. Or even if reading in a book is given and they cannot understand the words in the reading then they would have a hard time with comprehension or pronunciation. Reading is a huge skill that students should be fluent in to help their overall learning process and ability to continue through their education with clarity and understanding.
ReplyDeleteAn Educational skill I believe students need to be fluent in is reading comprehension. You can read all you want but if you dont understand what is on the page it doesnt matter. This applies not just to k-12 but also life after school. When it comes to work or other things related you need to be able to understand what is on the page to know what is expected of you, etc.
ReplyDeleteAn educational skill that I believe students should be fluent in for learning in the 21st century is that of empathy. As teachers of children we have to foster this uniquely human characteristic, the ability to be aware of and have concern for the challenges and trials of others. Some of the sub skill's necessary would be to teach the knowledge of other cultures to your students, give students the ability to speak multiple languages and truly create an environment that is sensitive to the traditions of other cultures. In an ever changing cultural landscape, the diversity in the school rooms is reaching an all-time high. We must take this into consideration and begin to expose our students to the different cultures at a young age. Teach them to recognize the differences and to be able to identify the issues that others are facing and to be open to it. This is a vital educational life skill and to be without it in such an ethically rich culture and school environment will create difficulties for the student as they continue their education throughout their life.
ReplyDeleteA skill I think students K-12 need to be fluent in is reading. I think this is a skill a student needs to be fluent in because every assignment and test a student will receive in school will involve at least a little reading. A student who can't read can't keep up with the rest of the class or even read directions on an assignment. Without being able to read a student will run in to many problems in both the present and future. As I said before a student who can't read will not only fall behind in school but will also fail tests without the skill of reading. In the future a person who can't read will have issues applying and finding a job where they don't have to read everyday. Reading is a very important skill that needs to be taught with fluency early in a person's life to ensure their success in the future.
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