We will observe the following timetables for both days of the workshop.  We frequently finish a little early on the second day to allow for those who have to catch a plane, and for those who would like a little time to take advantage of the local sites before having to leave town.

Goal:  By the end of this two-day professional development experience the participants will have created a unit of curriculum designed specifically for their classroom and which incorporates the needs of their particular students and the resources of the local community.  This curriculum will be based upon their investigation of authentic education in the 21^st century.

Description:  Participants will spend two days working collaboratively as they examine critical attributes of the 21^st century and then apply their findings to the development of curriculum and instruction.  Throughout the two days participants will be actively involved in a variety of activities, groups and presentations.  They will not just hear about, but will experience, the 21^st century classroom!

Sessions in which participants will be working collaboratively and/or are involved in activities are marked with (P) at the end of the description of that section.  Very in-depth sessions are marked with ***. 

Day One

Introduction – participants will review the goals and agenda for the two-day workshop:

The 21^st Century – participants will examine and analyze critical attributes of the 21^st century, from demographic changes to the technological revolution, our media culture and more.

The Purpose of Schooling – a review of how and why curriculum and instruction were designed and delivered for the 20^th century and identification of changes required in the 21^st century.

Multiple Literacies for the 21^st Century – participants become familiar with the variety of literacies required for successful participation in the society of the 21^st century, including visual literacy, aural literacy, computer literacy, ecoliteracy, financial literacy, multiple media literacies and more. (P)

Restructuring Schooling in the 21^st Century – redefining of “learner”, “teacher” and “school”; characteristics of 21^st century schools.

The Global Classroom -  here participants will examine the characteristics of the global classroom, and will be presented with specific strategies to take their classroom global – literally.  They will receive a list of excellent resources for connecting with classroom projects or individual classrooms with whom to collaborate all over the world.  They will examine the potential of the use of the Internet and email, but also be aware of many other means by which to take their classroom global if the technology is not available.

*** The 21^st Century Classroom - what to look for in a classroom.  What is a quality classroom in the 21^st century?  Participants will be presented with characteristics of a quality classroom as well as specific steps to take in creating/designing a quality classroom for the 21^st century.  These include designing the physical environment, the emotional environment, academic expectations, and an in-depth examination of classroom management, organizational and learning strategies.

Day Two

***  Designing Curriculum for the 21^st Century Classroom – this session will include overviews of several sample units of curriculum at the elementary level.  Participants will analyze these units, then design units for their classroom using tools provided in this session and incorporating the information and strategies learned in previous sessions.  Participants will work collaboratively in grade-level groups to design an actual unit for their classroom. (P)

Culmination - Participants will present and explain their unit design to the whole group. (P)

For on-site, custom-designed workshops, the following topics may be included.  This will require more than a two-day workshop, or eliminating some of the areas listed above.

Critical Media Literacies for the 21^st Century – this session has a special focus on Media Analysis, Media Critique and Media Production as an integral part of curriculum, instruction and assessment. (P)

***  “That sounds great, but I have to do test prep for my kids, so I can’t do that.” - Standardized Testing vs. Authentic Education. Or “Standardized Testing Mania”.   In this session participants will have an opportunity to study and discuss several sources of recent research demonstrating that this type of curriculum actually results in higher levels of student learning and understanding, as well as higher scores on standardized tests.  This will include a review of what the research tells us about why certain groups of children regularly score low on standardized tests and what we can do about it. (P)

New Forms of Curriculum – participants will investigate several forms of curriculum including Project-Based, Problem-Based, Interdisciplinary, Thematic, as well as alternative modes to delivery of the curriculum such as Collaborative/Cooperative Learning; Videography and Filmmaking; Reflective Journals; Portfolios; Self-Directed, Independent and Interdependent Learning. Participants will also be introduced to critical pedagogy. (P)

Diversity in the Classroom - Profile of an Equitable Classroom:  tools for evaluating your classroom by the Physical Environment, Curriculum, Language, Teaching Methodology, Behavior Management, Evaluating Academic Performance, and Classroom Integration.

Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles – what they are and how to include them in every unit:  this session includes lesson plan ideas and activities are all styles.  (P)

***  Authentic Assessment vs. Testing – participants will learn the differences between the two, and then will learn several methods for designing and implementing authentic assessments such as performance-based assessment, portfolios and rubrics. (P)