My Essential Survival SkillsMy Essential Survival Skills
The first survival skill I have is the global citizen skill. In the bilingual immersion schools I have worked for 7 years, one of the most important 21st century skills we promise to provide to our students is the bilingualism and biculturalism. After learning Mandarin and Spanish from K-8 program, students will be able to fully understand the second and third language and its culture and be able to use it to communicate with people in the world. I have taught Mandarin immersion for a long time, bilingualism and biculturalism are the global citizen skills I have. By having these essential survival skills, I was able to have my profession and career, I was able to communicate with not only people from my culture, but my colleagues, friends and people in the U.S. and be able to see the world. Another survival skill I have is collaboration across networks and leading by influence. “Collaboration is an essential skill for us,” “kids just out of school have an amazing lack of preparedness in general leadership skills and collaborative skills. They lack the ability to influence versus direct and command” (Wagner, 2014, p. 26). I’m always flexible and be able to collaborate; however, it took me long time to get the skill of leading by influence. Educated in China 20 years ago, I admitted I have been lack the ability to influence but like to be a follower under the command. Until I become a teacher in the U.S., I found out teachers are an active leader, has to be an excellent leader to positively influence students, facilitate students to go to their direction. With colleagues, I need to actively express my opinion and made contribution to the group discussion and work. Nobody was born with those skills, we all have to learn. From Wagner’s seven survival skills, I reflect I also have agility and adaptability. As a language immersion classroom teacher, we have to be very flexible. English and Mandarin teachers share classrooms, teach to the same standards. We have to cooperate a lot and and easy to adjust our schedule, timeline to meet the needs of students based on the same guideline and standards. We meet all the time, before/after school, lunch time, walk in the hallway, in the classroom, anytime during the day, or msg each other after school. Critical thinking and problem solving is the most critical skill for the 21st century. Before we teach our students with this strategy, we have to master it ourselves. For me, I learned to always think but not just follow up with what others say, initiate my own thinking is the first step, the result is to solve problems. Using this strategy, we could better solve problems. Talking with colleagues, we contribute our own opinion with critical thinking, it will help the whole group look at the problem wearing a different eyeglass, then we will solve the problem using a better way. I learned to have this skill and I have to continue learning it and use it in the teamwork. Other 21 century skills are some from the 7 habits or highly effective people. This is the character building curriculum for my previous school. Be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first; think win-win; seek first to understand, then to be understood; synergies; sharpen the saw. (Covey, 1998). In my previous school, this is the behavior and character model for all students. As a teacher, I believe I had the 7 habit skills and I have tried very hard to be the role model of my students. I also believe these are my essential survival skills for the 21st century. For me, the essential survival skills are above. As I grow with my students, I will grow more skills and may think the essential ones are different. I will be the Mandarin teacher at ISB this year. I have been one of the pioneer and lead teachers at Mandarin immersion schools here at San Diego for 7 years and have had a lot of dual language teaching experience. I'd like to contribute my experience to ISB as I will lead the Mandarin curriculum change at elementary school with the help of all teachers and ICT support staff. To measure my success, first I'm report to the elementary school principal, she will assist me with the guideline, the standards, the connection within the language program. Second is the feedback from my colleague teachers. The most important measurement is students and parents' feedback. References Covey, S. R. (1998). The 7 habits of highly effective people. Provo, UT: Franklin Covey. Wagner, T. (2014). The Global Achievement Gap. New York: Basic Books.
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