Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Robotics Team - Michigan State Championship Results
Congratulations to the Freeland Middle School robotics team for earning runner-up at the Michigan State Championship for FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC). The team performed exceptionally by winning all of their qualification matches during the 2-day event at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, held December 15-16th. They earned the 2nd rank captains spot in the Edison Division of the tournament. Each of the divisions, Edison and Franklin, consisted of 48 teams from across the state of Michigan. These 96 teams were the best-of-the-best from more than 400 teams in Michigan competing in the 2017-2018 FTC Relic Recovery game. After selecting robotic alliance partners from Kalamazoo and Troy, Freeland proceeded into the divisional playoff rounds. Their alliance won every match including a win against the #1 ranked divisional alliance. Those wins secured their alliance's spot in the final match against the Franklin Division winner, which was lead by 2-time state champion, The HexaSonics of Allendale. The Fabricators' alliance lost the first match of the finals, but rebounded quickly by winning the second. Going into the sudden death final match, Freeland's finest put up a great effort, but their partner from Kalamazoo had difficulty with a scoring element, and their opponents had just too much offense. Freeland finished as runner-up in the event. However, their performance in the Michigan State Championship did earn them a nomination to the next level of competition. That event, the FTC North Super Regional, will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 15-17, 2018. The team will be busy the next several months raising the necessary funds to make the trip, as well as improving their robot. They will be competing against high school and middle school teams from across a 12-state region. Best of luck to the Freeland Fabricators. Thanks to all students and mentors for their dedication and hard work!
Friday, December 15, 2017
Tackling the big question... what will my child's future look like?
I am not sure if you have noticed recently, but our schools are changing. The focus is no longer on memorization tactics and how to get an "A" on the next science test. Instead, you should see some of the following things happening in your child's classrooms.
1) More focus on collaboration. Students are being put into various groups, for many different purposes, and are asked to solve problems together rather than in isolation.
2) Critical thinking is now the primary focus instead of just memorizing facts. Our students are being asked to think about the big questions in a classroom instead of attempting to become a human encyclopedia. Questions like "why" and "how" are much more common in our classrooms today.
3) Creativity is king. Our students are being asked more and more to think outside the box about solutions to real-world issues. Whether it is tackling constitutional rights in social studies, or analyzing a phenomena in science, our students must have the creativity to think of solutions, and work through problems in their current classroom setting.
4) Today, our students must learn how to effectively communicate to be successful. We are working on communication through our project based learning experiences where students have to present to authentic audiences on an ongoing basis throughout their projects. Additionally, teachers work on communication skills through day-to-day digital communication with Google apps and email, and we are even working with our students on becoming effective communicators through various technical support lines that support our students in the use of their digital tools.
The big question is... why the change? Freeland Middle School, and Freeland School District firmly believes that we need to continue to promote the "4 C's" of 21st Century Learning. In this ever changing world, our students need to be able to effectively communicate, create, critically think, and collaborate to truly be successful. Our world is changing quickly, and we are currently preparing students for jobs that do not exist yet, and our educational setting needs to represent an institution that is thinking forward into the 21st century. Our system does not look like it did 20 years ago, but that's the point isn't it? We should continue to adapt and change to meet our student's needs to ensure they will be able to tackle their future with confidence and success.
I know that time is a precious commodity, but if you have five minutes, please take the time to read this article, (and the inspiration for my blog post today) "Students Must be Prepared to Reinvent Themselves" which has a focus on the world our children are about to enter, and what we can do to help support them with planning for their future.
Happy Friday!
1) More focus on collaboration. Students are being put into various groups, for many different purposes, and are asked to solve problems together rather than in isolation.
2) Critical thinking is now the primary focus instead of just memorizing facts. Our students are being asked to think about the big questions in a classroom instead of attempting to become a human encyclopedia. Questions like "why" and "how" are much more common in our classrooms today.
3) Creativity is king. Our students are being asked more and more to think outside the box about solutions to real-world issues. Whether it is tackling constitutional rights in social studies, or analyzing a phenomena in science, our students must have the creativity to think of solutions, and work through problems in their current classroom setting.
4) Today, our students must learn how to effectively communicate to be successful. We are working on communication through our project based learning experiences where students have to present to authentic audiences on an ongoing basis throughout their projects. Additionally, teachers work on communication skills through day-to-day digital communication with Google apps and email, and we are even working with our students on becoming effective communicators through various technical support lines that support our students in the use of their digital tools.
The big question is... why the change? Freeland Middle School, and Freeland School District firmly believes that we need to continue to promote the "4 C's" of 21st Century Learning. In this ever changing world, our students need to be able to effectively communicate, create, critically think, and collaborate to truly be successful. Our world is changing quickly, and we are currently preparing students for jobs that do not exist yet, and our educational setting needs to represent an institution that is thinking forward into the 21st century. Our system does not look like it did 20 years ago, but that's the point isn't it? We should continue to adapt and change to meet our student's needs to ensure they will be able to tackle their future with confidence and success.
I know that time is a precious commodity, but if you have five minutes, please take the time to read this article, (and the inspiration for my blog post today) "Students Must be Prepared to Reinvent Themselves" which has a focus on the world our children are about to enter, and what we can do to help support them with planning for their future.
Happy Friday!
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