Are we really preparing students for their future? Educators are tasked to teach state standards, but are we also teaching the skills that students really need to be successful in the “real world”? State standards and standardized tests often test rote memorization more than real world application. The struggle is real and how will they get a job when they can’t turn in homework on time?!?! is a common refrain in the staff room, but what are the real life skills we need to be teaching?

Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company recently put forth a report on the “56 foundational skills for the future of work” they refer to as: future-citizen skills. While meant for the business world to guide global leaders and captains of industry, Jake & Nathan explore how these skills are reflected in an educational environment. Does what we teach translate into real world outcomes in the lives of our students?

Stay to the end for tips on how you can start teaching these skills in your future-focused classroom! Using EduProtocols as a framework, our hosts consider the popular EduProtocols: Wicked Hydra (One of Jake’s own! From his upcoming book!), Iron Chef, and Sketch & Tell and align the classic pedagogical approaches embedded in these lesson frames to McKinsey & Company's 56 real-world, business-approved, future-citizen skills. You can build self-confidence and real-world-skills in students. Join us as we pull back the curtain on the “foundational skills” that are crucial to our students’ future success.

Resources Mentioned in the episode:

McKinsey & Company: Defining the skills citizens will need in the future world of work

EduProtocols

EduProtocols: ELA Edition by Jacob Carr COMING SOON! Sign up here for updates!

EduProtocols: Social Studies Edition by Dr. Scott Petri & Adam Moler

Find Adam Moler’s work at Moler's Musings

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Move into the weekend with an incredible, inspiring, hope-filled conversation about the immense cultural value teachers have as problem solvers and keepers of democratic ideals. Don't wait for acts of Congress, act with your conscience.

Dr. Fred Mednick is a teacher changemaker, global educator, thought leader, and founder of Teachers Without Borders. Awarded the Champion of African Education Award, the Luxembourg Peace Prize, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for Peace. Professor Emeritus from Johns Hopkins and Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Jake & Nathan have an incredible conversation about the idea of the classroom—your classroom—as a laboratory of democracy. This educator calls Dr. Jane Goodall a close friend and mentor, and his new book In the Small Places: Stories of Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency describes the stories of local heroes who are working on some of the world's most challenging issues: education in emergencies, peace and human rights education, and the education of girls.

With a title borrowed from the following quote, this book portrays teachers as the human center of social change—"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." - Eleanor Roosevelt

Resources mentioned in the episode:

⁠In the Small Places: Stories of Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency⁠ Amazon Link⁠

In the Small Places: Stories of Teacher Changemakers and the Power of Human Agency Website

Teachers Without Borders

Pat Yongpradit is a nationally recognized computer science education advocate and thought leader working at the policy level to make sure ALL students have the opportunity to learn computer science. You can't talk CS in education without talking CODE.org! Pat has been at CODE since the beginning and is currently the Chief Academic Officer.

Before CODE, Pat was a high school computer science teacher. At CODE, he made it his mission to reshape the way that computer science is taught. He has been instrumental in developing the computer science curriculum that is used by tens of millions of students worldwide. He has dedicated his career to making computer science education accessible to all students, regardless of their background.

We discuss the current state of K-12 computer science education, why it's so important for all students to have the opportunity to learn CS, and what parents, teachers and policymakers can do to continue expanding access as AI tools fundamentally change the way we educate.

While we talk some valid concerns and potential pitfalls, our focus is on the future. Together we can create edtech-infused classrooms where students are empowered to use AI tools with teachers to enhance their learning. We need to work as a "vanguard" team of innovative educators and lead the way. Stay to end to hear about Pat's secret mission!

... and come say "Hi!" to Jake & Nathan, Pat from CODE.org, and Bill Nye the Science Guy (!!!) at the ASU+GSV AIR Show in San Diego, CA — April 13th-15th. It's a FREE event! REGISTER HERE to attend!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

CODE.org

CODE.org's AI Resources

Teach AI — Sign up for their mailing list!

AI for Education — AI implementation resources for teachers and school districts!

EduProtocols Community | Facebook Group