Inside the Staffroom
Using the 4Cs to improve teacher performance
By Chassie Selouane
21st Century learning skills and Professional Learning Communities ( PLC ) are current buzzwords in education . Collaboration , creativity , critical thinking and communication are the foundations of a 21st century classroom . They are also an integral part of agendas of PLC ’ s throughout the world . Often when we think about PLCs , we think of a professional partnership with our colleagues within our own school . We see it as a valuable resource to develop and share instructional best practices .
Author , Todd Whitaker states that , “ Outstanding educators know that if a school has great teachers , it is a great school .” He goes on to suggest that two sure ways to foster significant school improvement are get better teachers or improve the capacity of the current teachers .
Placing focus on the development of teachers and making an investment in modeling best instructional practice are pathways that lead to overall school improvement .
How can schools implement and model this ?
Through the understanding of the importance of modeling the 4 Cs not only in the classroom practice but also among educators .
Communication , collaboration , critical Thinking and creativity are skills that are essential to achieving meaningful and effective partnerships . In the past decade , these four skills have taken on even more significance for students and educators due to globalization and the rise in the use of technology . Expressing thoughts clearly , crisply articulating opinions , communicating coherent instructions , being able to problem solve efficiently , all while being able to motivate others with original ideas , are crucial skills .
These skills have always been of value in any workplace . In the education sector , the 4 Cs are essential because they are inherent in the nature of how successful teams and partnerships are effectively formed .
Author Michael Fullan suggests that partnerships should focus on wholesystem reform based on learning the best practice of others .
An important way to expand our PLC network is outside of our immediate colleagues and into the wider community . In the GCC , this used to be a difficult task because there was a lack of sharing and collaboration but this is rapidly changing thanks to the efforts of both private schools and government . It is also important to note that many schools in the past felt that sharing their best practice with other schools might not be the best business practice . Fortunately , times are changing , especially in the UAE , with the implementation of the National Agenda and Vision 2021 . KHDA , ADEC and the other Educational Zones have now highlighted the importance of creating partnerships with other schools .
There is now a buzz and a real excitement in the Middle East as schools form partnerships , allowing their staff to communicate , collaborate and think critically about how they can offer their students the best possible learning experiences .
36 | Nov - Dec 2016 | | Class Time