CARE Awards Archives | BSD Education

5 Ways To Make Your Students More Adaptable

Posted on September 15, 2022November 2, 2022 by Beth

Are you a new teacher looking for ideas to teach technology in your classroom? Then, you’ve come to the right place! This blog post will discuss five ideas you can use now. These ideas are fun and engaging and will help your students learn about technology in a new and exciting way.

Focus on Interdisciplinary Learning

While the traditional education system focuses on teaching students in separate subject areas, an interdisciplinary approach takes a more holistic view. This method emphasizes the connections between different disciplines and how they can be used to solve real-world problems. For example, a student might learn about biology, chemistry, and physics to understand how to develop new medical treatments. Or a student might study economics, psychology, and sociology to better understand human behavior. By taking an interdisciplinary approach, students can develop a deeper understanding of their world. In addition, they can learn to think creatively and to see problems from multiple perspectives. As a result, interdisciplinary learning can play a key role in preparing students for success in the 21st century.

Teach Resilience

Teaching resilience has been shown to positively affect students’ ability to adapt to different situations. Resilience is the ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. It is a key life skill that can be taught to students of all ages. Teaching resilience to students has many benefits, including better academic performance, improved social skills, and increased psychological well-being.

It can also help students cope with stress, overcome challenges, and make successful life transitions. There are several ways to teach resilience, such as using positive reinforcement, teaching problem-solving skills, and providing support and encouragement. By teaching resilience, we can help students to be more adaptable and successful in whatever life throws their way.

Promote Self-Regulation

As any teacher knows, student adaptation is key to a successful learning experience. Not only do students need to be able to adapt to new material, but they also need to be able to adapt to different classroom environments and situations. One way to promote student adaptation is to promote self-regulation.

Self-regulated learners can monitor their own emotions and behavior, and they are better able to cope with stress and adversity. In addition, self-regulated learners are more flexible and adaptable, meaning they can better adjust to classroom changes. As a result, promoting self-regulation can help students become more adaptable and successful in the classroom.

Dispel the Fear of Failure

One of the best things educators can do for their students is to dispel the fear of failure. In a world where success is often measured by numbers and test scores, it’s easy to forget that mistakes are an essential part of learning. When students are afraid to make mistakes, they become less willing to take risks and try new things.

As a result, they miss out on valuable opportunities to learn and grow. Instead of viewing failure as a sign of personal inadequacy, educators should help students see it as a natural part of the learning process. When students are more willing to embrace failure, they become more adaptable and innovative thinkers. In the end, this leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

Encourage Continuous Learning

The ability to learn new things quickly and effectively is a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives. There are many ways to encourage continuous learning, but one of the most important is to provide practice opportunities. Encouraging students to take on new challenges and then giving them time to reflect on their experiences will help them to develop the skills they need to be successful lifelong learners. We must also model continuous learning for our students by continuing to learn ourselves.

When we show our students that learning is a lifelong process, we encourage them to view it as an exciting journey rather than a chore. By encouraging continuous learning in our students, we give them the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Your students will be engaged and excited to learn, and you will be able to keep up with the latest technology. So, what are you waiting for? Start using these ideas in your classroom today!

How To Teach Adaptability In Your Classroom

Posted on July 27, 2021February 3, 2023 by Beth

Did you know as of 2021, 65% of our students will be in jobs that don’t even exist yet? At BSD Education, we talk a lot about preparing students for “the future of work”. But the reality is that many of us don’t know what that future necessarily looks like. So how can we prepare students?

By cultivating adaptability in the classroom.

Our students’ natural adaptability was put to the test during COVID as their education was hit by an evolution of technology overnight. While the unpredictability of education in the 2020/21 school year was often criticized, it’s also a reminder of the uncertainty our students are facing. Especially when they look ahead to their futures – from kindergarten to senior year.

Building more skills in adaptability while they are still in school will provide them with long-term benefits when the time comes that they need to pivot their skillsets and learn new technology at a moment’s notice.

This level of adaptability is an immeasurable resource for your student and teachers are uniquely placed to help build confidence in this area as a crucial skill they will need in the future.

Not only does it help them adapt to new situations and develop new skills more quickly, but adaptable students also are more likely to have higher self-confidence and satisfaction in their lives.

Teachers have a collective responsibility to prepare their students to embrace and adapt to challenge and change. To better prepare them for the future of work, we’ve collected a few of our favorite strategies for fostering adaptability in schools.

Teach Resilience

Adaptability and resilience go hand in hand! Resilience is the ability to overcome challenges with a positive impact, but it’s also a mindset that should be developed early in life.

If something negatively impacts your student – whether it’s falling behind on grades or later on, not getting into the college they were hoping for – they always fall back on their resilience and find creative ways to push forward and improve. In a world where technology changes on a dime, this skill will be incredibly beneficial to your students.

As their teacher, you can help to foster this by encouraging them to find creative solutions to their problems and provide a safe environment to explore new ideas.

Promote Self-Regulation

Students as they grow into adulthood will need to learn how to manage their emotional thinking, especially when faced with challenges.

This is a teachable skill that gives them the ability to handle unexpected situations without obvious frustration. Teachers can reinforce this skill by educating students on how to set achievable goals, scaffolding, and other classroom activities.

Dispel the Fear of Failure

No one likes to fail and for many people, the idea of failure is absolutely devastating and debilitating for students and adults alike. There is always the risk of failing when a situation starts to change. It’s really a fear of the unknown and not wanting to do something that won’t be as successful as keeping the status quo.

But it’s important to remember – and teach students from a young age – that success comes from failing and learning from it. This can be taught through recognizing effort, building community among peers, asking questions, taking risks, and self-reflection.

By not being afraid of failure, students will be more motivated to learn and find interesting solutions to changes in an uncertain future.

Encourage Continuous Learning

Learning and developing new skills is something we experience throughout our lives, but when applied to a future workspace where change is rampant, this willingness to learn is what keeps you a few steps ahead.

Teachers can build this excitement for education with their students by indulging their curiosity and even displaying their own enthusiasm in a subject. Taking the metrics of education out of it can often encourage students to see a lesson in a new light.

This is something that they will carry with them throughout their lives and help foster critical thinking and creative problem-solving.

It’s impossible to prepare students for every eventuality. However, educators can foster adaptive skills and teach students how to respond to challenging, changing situations in positive ways. With this skill, students will grow into adulthood able to keep pace with unexpected situations and be more successful in future careers.

CARE Award Nominees Lead Way in Tech Education

Posted on April 30, 2021October 4, 2023 by user

To say 2020 was a difficult year for teachers is an understatement. All educators have overcome a variety of challenges, from general safety to maintaining engagement this year. At BSD Education, we would like to recognize those that have gone above and beyond. BSD is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2021 CARE Awards!

These teachers’ passion for their students has directly contributed to classroom success by integrating digital skills.

BSD Education is passionate about providing students with the technical capabilities and ethical practices to use digital tools for good. The CARE Award nominees come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. However, each represents one or more of BSD’s four core values: Curiosity, Adaptability, Resilience, and Empathy.

The public will choose CARE Award winners, and voting will take place from May 3-14. Meet this year’s CARE Award nominees below, then go cast a vote here.

Curiosity Nominees

Alicia Johal (San Diego Jewish Academy, California, US)
– In 2020, Alicia decided to combine BSD’s real-world coding projects with her school’s community service and mindfulness initiatives. The use of BSD Education to teach digital skills in the classroom while maintaining the school’s mission qualifies Alicia for a Curiosity nomination.

Chelsey Williams (International Community School, Singapore)
Chelsey’s classroom is never boring since she always tries new things and gives her students new experiences. Chelsey went above and beyond in 2020 to design fresh content and exciting activities for her Grade 6 and 8 students using BSD’s platform.

Nick Gurol (St. James School, Pennsylvania, US) –
Nick not only pushes his students to try new things and develop digital skills, but he also uses BSD Education’s platform to teach coding in the classroom. Nick has worked hard to develop his coding skills and deserves to be nominated in the Curiosity category.

Faizaa Fariya Hridi (Upskill, Bangladesh) – Faizaa spends time strengthening her own digital skills, which directly impacts her students’ improvement in the classroom. Faizaa wants to develop her students’ web and app development skills so they can prosper in our rapidly evolving digital world.

CARE Award Nominees: Adaptability

Meghan Baskerville (Ss. Colman-John Neumann School, Pennsylvania, US) – Meghan has taken on the challenges of teaching digital skills with BSD’s backing in 2020. Meghan has embraced new projects and teaching methods when introducing the coding curriculum, demonstrating her adaptability.

Richard Burkhill (The Rugby School, Thailand) – Richard shows adaptability by anticipating his students’ needs. Richard inspires creativity in his students by allowing them to modify their wor樂威壯 k using BSD, creating a learning environment.

Larisa Curran (South Island School, Hong Kong) – Larisa customizes her lessons to her students’ interests, enhancing classroom participation. Larisa, a gamer herself, uses BSD to teach her Y10 and Y11 students about real-life game development and media.

Tasha Birtha (Chester Charter Scholars Academy, Pennsylvania, US) – No coding experience? No problem! Tasha began using BSD with no prior coding expertise and is now confident enough to assist her students in building their own projects using real code.

CARE Award Nominees: Resilience

Erich Smith (Hopeworks, New Jersey, US) – In an unexpected year like 2020, Erich managed to keep tech education a priority. For his dedication to encouraging students to develop projects and use BSD’s platform to learn digital skills, Erich is a candidate for the Resiliency Award.

Deb Licorish (Haddonfield Middle School, New Jersey, US) – Deb is a hands-on code teacher who uses BSD to reinforce concepts with her students and help them learn ones. In no time, Deb adopts a new curriculum, giving her students digital abilities.

Dalia Alhaddad (Modern Knowledge School, Bahrain) – Dalia, an art and design teacher by training, has learned to code to implement a new technology program for her school. These abilities can help pupils prosper in today’s digital world.

Shasta Quilala (Good Samaritan College, Philippines) – Shasta, a teacher at Good Samaritan Colleges Philippines, has assisted her colleagues and students for over three years by helping them use BSD to teach coding and digital skills. She ensured that teachers were ready to help their students throughout the school closure.

CARE Award Nominees: Empathy

Vinita Saluja (AIT International School, Thailand) – Vinita has used her knowledge in technology and computer science to motivate and guide her colleagues to introduce coding into their classes using BSD. Getting digital skills has never been easier with such help.

David Ford (Cornerstone Christian Academy, Pennsylvania, US) – BSD helps any teacher in any subject to integrate digital skills into their curriculum and help their students be ready with 21st Century tools. As an example, David incorporated coding projects into his music class for students to showcase their favorite musicians, their studies of influential African American artists, and quiz each other on music trivia.

Jackie Mandel (Baldi Middle School, Pennsylvania, US) – Customizing projects and making them relevant for students keeps students engaged, and Jackie takes it to another level. She encouraged her students to develop significant connections to their assignments, even those who were first hesitant.

April Jean-Patric (Singapore International School, Hong Kong) – Some April students couldn’t attend live sessions due to school closures and internet access limitations. April went above and beyond to ensure these students were not left behind and provided them with advice and assistance.