BLC17

Over the past few years a great deal of attention has been given to '21st Century Skills'. However, we often neglect the very problems that demand these new skills. In addition to all of the knowledge and resources that are now readily available, there is an unprecedented opportunity for student to collaborate in working on authentic problems at every age and in every subject area.

This workshop is focused on ‘'authentic problems': what they mean, how to identify and scaffold them for our students, and how to help students be problem finders as well as problem solvers. We will discuss the meaning of authentic, real-world, and relevant, as well as the differences between educational experiences, questions, and problems. We will look at a number of examples from different subject areas and ages and see how authentic takes on different meaning in different contexts.

For the second part of the workshop, we will use design thinking tools to think outside the box and find innovative ways of teaching lessons. We will look at ways to scaffold problems that seem too complex, be a part of global collaborative problem-solving, and reinvent projects and assignments so that they gain new relevance to students.