Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/698895
E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y M o n d a y, Ju n e 2 7 , 2 0 1 6 3 6 DEVELOPING HIGHER-ORDER THINKING By Sandra L. Love, Ed.D., Director of Education Insight and Research for Mentoring Minds Higher-order thinking skills are required of students as they transfer or apply knowledge to newly encountered situa- tions and problems. Students who learn to think critically can make informed decisions, reach reasonable solutions, analyze and evaluate evidence and much more. Because the standards expect that students are prepared to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, educators must plan engaging lessons that empha- size higher-order thinking so that stu- dents naturally and seamlessly apply these skills. A few strategies are suggest- ed for developing these thinking skills. What-If Thinking can lead to deeper thinking. Discuss what if an event hap- pened differently or had never occurred, then that would cause other changes. Allowing students to speculate about what they had previously learned helps them construct logical alternatives. As students research and answer what-if questions, they will choose one thing that would change and explore the resulting consequences that might exist in today's world. Incorporating what-if activities into topics across various content areas creates an awareness needed for innova- tive thinking and future success. Question Asking is a skill that is often overlooked. Teaching the differ- ence in literal and interpretive questions helps students learn to ask questions that probe deeper. Lead students to see that liter- al questions are those with answers readily available. The answers are right there, such as in the text, whereas interpretive questions are those they must think about. As students practice designing and ask- ing interpretive questions, they will gain the skill and see the value as it relates to their lives. After students know the dif- ference between the two types of ques- tions, ask: "Is it is important to ask inter- pretive questions. Why?" Numerous and varied activities using read-alouds, video clips, art and quotations associated with the content taught can provide the basis for interpretive and literal questions. This activity can jumpstart a search for other strategies that teach students how to develop thoughtful question- asking skills. Reflection can help stu- dents process their learning and develop thinking skills. Use questions that guide students to review and self-assess: What caused difficulty? What was confusing? What do you still not understand? What did you do that helped you develop meaning? Invite stu- dents to journal how to apply the learning to their lives. Provide prompts for sum- marizing: What are two key ideas you learned and why are they important? Use words and pictures to represent what you learned. For more information, call 800.585.5258, email info@mentoring minds.com, visit www.mentoring minds.com or stop by booth #2632. MESA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHOOSES SCHOOL ASSET MANAGER Mesa (AZ) Public Schools (MPS) is the 52nd largest public school district in the U.S. and the largest in Arizona, with more than 63,000 students populating 87 schools throughout the district. After uti- lizing a labor- and time-intensive asset management system in years past, administrators sought a more complete and overall cost-effective solution for its faculty and students for the 2015 to 2016 school year. MPS is in the process of issuing devices for all of its secondary school students in phases as part of its 1:1 initiative. Now, MPS can fully track device deployments in real time with no neces- sary backend work. The district has a centralized repair team now using SAM so when a device needs repair, the school scans it out to the technician and they scan it back in when returned. MPS also touts that now they can track any device in a school as well as when it is off school grounds, such as when a student takes it home, which is a cost savings from the district standpoint as par- ents are made responsible for the devices when they are issued to the students.. For more information, visit www.etroxell .com or www.schoolassetmanager.com or call 800.352.7912. Math) jobs pay more – and require more education – than non-STEM jobs. And STEM jobs are increasing at a much faster rate than non-STEM jobs. But today's students have a distinct advantage. They're able to learn and col- laborate with advanced technology like zSpace for Education, a cutting-edge, streamlined hardware and software plat- form that allows students from K-12 to medical school to explore thousands of STEM concepts, from building virtual V irtual R eality (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) circuitry to experimenting with gravity, like never before. Although it sounds like space-age technology, zSpace has been in schools since 2012. Since then, more than 150,000 students across the United States and in a dozen countries across the globe are already learning with zSpace. zSpace software includes more than 250 STEAM (science, technology, art and math) lesson plans for K-12 educators to use with their students. The activities offer a realistic learning environment and a personalized learning experience, aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core and state standards. Virtual-holographic images can be "lifted" from the screen and manipulated with a stylus. Some applications provide multi-sensory feed- back; for example, students working with a virtual heart can see it pumping, hear it and feel it beating. In addition to learning science con- cepts, zSpace learners can also create their own 3D objects. Recently, zSpace partnered with Leopoly, a 3D content provider and modeling platform that allows students to experiment, prototype and innovate with art and design and send their creations to a 3D printer. zSpace in the Real World The first district in Georgia to offer its students the power of learning with virtu- al reality, Cherokee County Schools, implemented zSpace in 2014. At Cherokee's Teasley Middle School, at Title I school, nearly 1,000 students learn in a zSpace STEM lab named the "Virtual Vortex." Each zSpace station accommodates two to three students. One student lifts, turns or takes apart virtual- holographic objects using an interactive stylus. The other students make observa- tions and record data. All students wear custom 3D glasses to create a communal virtual reality experience, unlike solo vir- tual reality technologies like Oculus Rift. Last fall, students at the district's Woodstock High School also began working in a new zSpace lab as part of the school's journey to becoming a state- certified STEM school. District Superintendent Bobby Blount said, "Students from all levels and back- grounds deserve to work with the latest technology. As zSpace continues to develop its product, I'll continue to look for funding to pay for it. It encourages collaboration, teamwork, reinforces good communication and at same time stu- dents are learning science." Learning and collaborating with vir- tual technology is the way of the future, and students today are already opening the door to future possibilities as they experi- ence, create and share using zSpace. For more information, call 877.977.2231, stop by booth #4114 or visit edu.zspace.com. Califone has been a leading innovator of audio technology in the classroom since its founding in 1946. Milestones including the first phonograph player for classroom use, the first portable public address sys- tem design for schools and more recently the first ed tech headset to offer a USB plug were all brought to you by Califone. Today, educators rely on Califone's core products, including headphones, headsets, PA systems and computer accessories to bring digital learning to life in the classroom. For example, using dig- ital games for learning is quickly becom- ing mainstream in K-12 classrooms. Games offer an engaging way to teach. C alifo ne (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) Sampling the variety of educational appli- cations available today shows why game- based learning has become an important part of the instructional tool kit. In response to this developing trend, Califone has recently introduced a line of headsets for gaming applications. The GH507 Headset, for example, is designed for comfort during extended usage sessions. It has advanced in-line audio features that can also be detached, so its 3.5mm plug can be connected directly to any smartphone, tablet or lap- top/desktop PC. The GH507 Gaming Headset along with the rest of Califone's products can be seen and heard in booth #4100.