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Middle school class teaches research skills
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Literacy Skills teacher Jan Kirns showed off some recent projects and important skills her students learn in her class. Behind her is a photo project where the students googled a phrase and collaged the images they found. To the left of Kirns is a chart that shows the process that her students must follow to find trustworthy information, online or otherwise.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .The work in Poland's 21st Century Literacy Class has the students mostly at computers. Jessica Weaver (right), helped some fellow students on last minute revisions to their survey project.
By SARAH FOOR
The name “21st Century Literacy Skills” makes the new class taught at Poland Middle School sound quite mysterious, but teacher Jan Kirns says the purpose of the class is quite simple, and also necessary.
“We’re an all-encompassing subject and our curriculum crosses paths with social studies, arts, and science,” Kirns explained. “Our class teaches critical thinking and critical reading in the digital age. Important information is available on the Internet, but you have to muck through a lot of misinformation to get there. We’re teaching the kids to find the right ways through the mess.”
The class was created by Kirns and fellow teacher Peggy Price, to meet new state regulations regarding proper computer literacy. Price and Kirns completely created the curriculum of the class, and oddly enough, are looking forward to when the class is no longer offered.
“We created the class expecting it to be dissolved in a few years. The students will be self-sufficient, and what they’ve learned will hopefully just be an every day part of their other subjects,” Price explained.
In the inaugural semester of the class, students have analyzed political cartoons, analyzed and sourced online photos, created PowerPoint presentations on social issues, and surveyed the middle school on the subject of video games, where the students had to balance the good and bad of the issue.
Student Jessica Weaver already sees what she’s learned in 21st Century Literacy useful.
“I started our survey project only thinking that video games are bad. Having to argue the positive side, too, I can see that some aspects are beneficial. This class has really helped me open my mind and be more balanced.”