leadership in high schools

 Faculty Promote 21st Century Approach To Education
Faculty from the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES recently joined dozens of teachers from throughout the region to promote new educational approaches that incorporate cutting-edge technologies and meet the needs of a rapidly changing society.

At the fourth annual High School’s New Face conference, which was held on Thursday, July 16 at Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, N.Y., four E2CCB teachers presented on four different topics that addressed the same fundamental theme: developing 21st century skills in the classroom.

Jaime Monaco, special education teacher at the E2CCB Hewes Educational Center in Ashville, discussed the use of iPods in the classroom as a way of motivating students and augmenting their education. The popular devices can be used to administer quizzes, as a creative method of instruction, as a study tool, as a book, as a reward, and more, she explained.

James Hedlund, another special education teacher at the Hewes Center, discussed the Young Adult Advancement Initiative, which provides students with real-life, work-related experience. Through a collaboration with Chautauqua Works, a non-profit organization that offers various workplace resources for employers and job seekers alike, students are provided real employment opportunities that help them develop the workplace skills and behaviors they will need to be successful later in life through the program, Hedlund told participants.

Julie Sek, alternative education teacher at the E2CCB LoGuidice Educational Center in Fredonia, discussed the incorporation of blogs into the curriculum and she used a real-life lesson as an example. Her students, she explained, would visit her blog and answer a preliminary question about sustainability. They would then read a brief summary of the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), who squandered their resources to the detriment of their civilization. The students would then develop their own definition of sustainability without simply memorizing a definition from a textbook.

Finally, Jason Delcamp, career and technical education instructor at the LoGuidice Center, discussed the incorporation of various technologies and resources into the automotive repair curriculum. One of his students, he said, used his Blackberry to build a relay and develop an understanding of complicated electronics concepts. Delcamp also uses hand-held computer devices to stay up-to-date with the latest in automobile technologies and repair methods.

The E2CCB delegation to High School’s New Face was led by Una Raimando, special education supervisor at the Hewes Center, and assisting the delegation was Kim Texter, staff development specialist.

The purpose of High School’s New Face is to bring educators together every year to discuss ways to develop 21st century skills in the classroom. The following are all seen as skills that are essential for students to be successful in the 21st century economy: critical thinking and problem-solving skills; the ability to collaborate across networks and lead by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurialism; effective oral and written communication skills; the ability to access and analyze information; and curiosity and creativity.