January 2021

 

A NEW YEAR

A new year has begun and with it a sense of renewal, renovation, a feeling of closure on what was one of the most challenging and difficult years affecting everyone across the world.

No doubt the effects of 2020 will dissipate into 2021.  I hope it is possible for the world, as a whole, to be better prepared to meet the adversities of the year that was.

CHANGE OR CONTINUATION?

It is imperative that changes be made and implemented as the new year begins rather that continue on with policies that were implemented as emergency measures and temporary fixes.

Education must take the lead as it is such a fundamental part of how communities function and operate.

Education is the original social network.

With an array of established networks education helps societies navigate through uncertain times and ensure that students and their families: have access to communication, receive instruction, develop knowledge, refine skills, and build confidence.

TRANSITION INTO ANEW

How should schools go about with the implementation of such new changes?  Should schools impose drastic changes immediately?  Should schools gradually implement new measures? Perhaps a combination of both?

What ever approach the school decides to implement, the first step should always be planning.

Create a school reopening transition plan that incorporates the latest safety measures and adapts to many possible changes.  Communicate clearly the intent of the plan and how it will be implemented, assign roles and responsibilities, provide support for all staff members, and maintain the student's education the guiding beacon.

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2021.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Hike Up

Hiking Up

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

We have sprung into action, seek council, set goals, done path planning, and now it is time to hike up, toward our goal and back.  It is now time to take our place on the road.  It is now time to begin our journey toward that educational goal that we have set and plan to reach.  It is now time to take action, and hike.

As we hike we can begin to see if the path we have planned is  clear and defined.  We can begin to see how good our road-map is.  It is now when the obstacles and challenges that we have and have not prepared for may appear.  We must do what we can to continue hiking up to our goal.

One last chance is presented to us just prior to setting off on a hike.  Do we go?  If we are ready, and we are sure, and we are confident that we have done all that we can to prepare, then we should go on with our hike and toward our goal.

Did we reach our goal?  Were we able to succeed in reaching the goals that we set and planned?  and if we did not, what can we do to reach our goal? do we need to seek more council? do we need to plan another path? As we go on with our hike, these are some of the concerns that we must maintain in mind.  There are many others that we may come across, and some that we cannot anticipate to accurately predict in the future.  But we must hike up to our goal, even if we need to stop.

If we were able to reach our goal, then we must also be able to return back safely to our place of origin, this will consist a successful hike.  We now evaluate our hike and learn from it.  We can now decide if the hike was indeed successful.  Was the hike a good path to reach our goal?  How was our hike? We learn from each individual experience, the experience of the whole, and what we learn, we share again in council, a council in which we can also decide if we are going to hike again, and if so, when.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

STEAM Education Lessons

Introduction to STEAM Education Lessons

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

What is a STEAM education lesson?

A lesson is a prepared presentation on an educational topic that is based on the principal strands of STEAM education.  The presentation that is prepared as a STEAM education  lesson should present information in the best educational format that allows for the students of the lesson to best learn the STEAM educational topic.

What is the objective of a STEAM education lesson?

The objective of the STEAM education lesson should be for the students to learn the educational topic of the lesson.  The educator can reach the objective by presenting the lesson by using one or a combination of various methods like lectures, textbooks and resources, research and projects, video and audio clips, letters, experiments and demonstrations, field trips, assignments, homework, guest speakers, and many more.

How is the success of a STEAM education lesson measured?

The success of the STEAM education lesson can be measured using a variety of scales and tools, however, once the measure for success has been established, it must be implemented uniformly to the students as a whole.  The measurement of success must also be fair and balanced, and allow, with in a reasonable time frame, for the possibility of reaching success by ways of reevaluation and/or reassessment.

How is a STEAM education lesson implemented?

The implementation of a STEAM education lesson is to be decided by the creator of the lesson, or the educator who has been trained on how to present such lesson.  When implementing a STEAM lesson, the following factors should be taken into consideration: the students, the classroom, knowledge level, supplies and materials, age, grade, learning skills and abilities of those whom we expect to be learning the STEAM lesson that is presented.

 

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.