MS1+Questions

__The 2 Strands We Want to Merge__ Identify and interpret the topic, main idea, supporting details, theme, and point of view in grade level appropriate passages across the content areas and from a variety of sources.
 * KCK Strand 10R070120

Learning and Innovation
 * 21st Century Literacy to Apply

__OUR 5 BIG GUIDING QUESTIONS__

1. How do we make learning more fun and memorable for students and teachers? 2. How do we assess a deeper content understanding for main idea? 3. How do we teach main idea in the context of problem solving and global learning? 4. How do we strategically incorporate collaboration and communication into each day's lesson? 5. In what ways will we push students to use creativity and innovation to understand the main idea from a variety of sources?

__BRAINSTORMING OF QUESTIONS:__
 * How do we maintain pacing while doing challenge based learning?
 * Will teachers receive education on the use of technology in the classroom? What will this look like?
 * How do we make learning more fun and memorable for students and teachers?
 * How do we judge who is a successful teacher and who is a successful student?
 * Where does intrinsic motivation fit into our curriculum?
 * How should we put students interests/needs above their test scores?
 * Is creativity truly viewed as a priority in our district?
 * How do we embed creativity into preparing kids for standardized assessments?
 * If we want to switch to challenge based learning, what kind of learning are we currently employing?
 * Is student based learning in direct opposition to test preparation?
 * What is the meaning of life?
 * How do we support main idea through rigorous instruction?
 * How do we teach main idea in the context of problem solving and global learning?
 * Why is KCK so far behind with technology at the middle and elementary school levels?
 * Why are we spending millions of dollars to hire someone to raise test scores?
 * What evidence do we want to gather from kids in challenge based learning?
 * How long does a challenge based learning lesson take?
 * Have we assessed where we are in the 21st century literacies?
 * How do we lower the stress level and foster true collaboration in the workplace?
 * We say we want to create life long learners, but how do we truly do this (without using a multiple choice format)?
 * It seems like we keep adding more, but are we evaluating what we should take out?
 * Why are we phasing out Read 180? It doesn't seem like we had long enough to measure long term effectiveness.
 * Do we send the message that improvement doesn't matter and only cut scores do?
 * How do we support below grade level learners in the college readiness curriculum?
 * When you try to merge too many things in a rush, do you get a traffic jam?
 * How do we teach kids the coping skills, career skills, and life skills they need?
 * Are we cutting out memorable experiences and courses from our schools? Is it worth it in the end?
 * How do we develop a deeper content understanding on such a shallow pacing guide?
 * Do the kids view school as academically challenging and interesting? How do they view school?
 * Do the teachers view school as academically challenging and interesting? How do they view school?
 * Is data used to punish rather than inform instruction?
 * Can we strike a balance between accountability and creativity?
 * Beyond checkpoint assessments, how do we evaluate whether kids understand the KCK/ACT standards?
 * What does deeper content understanding look like, and specifically, what does a deeper content understanding look like for main idea?
 * How do we strategically incorporate collaboration and communication into each day's lesson?