Deeper Learning - A Critical Need For Our Students

It is not surprising that the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)  showed that United States 15-year olds are medicore in performance.  What is troublesome is that our U.S. children are not learning to make critical decisions and applying what they have learned to tackle complex problems.  This is what is meant by deeper learning.  An earlier post entitled Comprehension Plus eluded to this too.  It is important not only to learn a skill but to think critically and apply it to other situations and problems.  This article describes the need for deeper learning that we all are trying to achieve in our Title I classes.  What it does not do is advise teachers with strategies to accomplish that.  But given the talent of our staff, we know what to do.  Our kids will be much better thinkers!

New international exam results show U.S. must back changes to help students develop deeper learning.  Bob Wise and Barbara Chow.  1.15.14. The Hechinger Report
http://hechingerreport.org/content/new-international-exam-results-show-u-s-must-back-changes-to-help-students-develop-deeper-learning_14384/

The Big Picture To Encourage Deeper Learning

This is an interesting article from a larger perspective - that of systems, leadership, intellectual missions, the use of technology, state policies, new school models, better tests, and habits of mind, among others.  If you are looking for specific strategies that encourage deeper learning in your Title I classes, you will be disappointed because that is not the focus of this article.  However, if you are interested in a different paradigm that will facilitate deeper learning to improve our education offerings, then it's a good read.
Note:  I almost didn't post this article because of its generality and probable non-interest to our LE staff.  I could very well be wrong so I am offering it here for you to make that judgment.
Any Comments?

10 Strategies to Promote Deeper Learning. Tom Vander Art. 10.17.12. Education Week
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2012/10/10_strategies_to_promote_deeper_learning.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2

What is Deeper Learning? Can We Assess It?

In a study released by the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science in Washington, deeper learning was examined carefully.  (See The National Academies Press http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13398)

The study focused on what skills are important to learn for the world outside school and how we can teach students to use deeper learning to apply what is learned in one situation to another.  James Pellegrino one of the authors of the report defines the 3 areas of competence as: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal.
I have posted similar articles on this subject, so you might want to explore more Common Core articles.
The questions to ask in our Title I classes are key:  Are we relevant?  Are we giving enough students enough time to explore meanings and relationships?  Are we connecting concepts to process?  Are we asking probbing questions?  Is teamwork or other means of collaboration offered?
As we experiment with these adaptations this year, please offer your thoughts.

How Do We Define and Measure "Deeper Learning"?  Tina Barseghian. 9.13.12.  Mind/Shift
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/09/how-do-we-define-and-measure-deeper-learning/