Our presentation on powering learning with critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication!

2. The 4 Cs of Powerful Learning
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
jonathanmilner.org

3. Tags
• Your Name
• Years Teaching
• Content
E nglish
S cience
M athematics
SS ocial tudies
F oreign Language
A rt
EL ementary
Admin istrator
? Unsure – hope to figure that one out today
L ost – just walked in off the street. Free coffee. People seemed nice.
• Name of best student ever*

4. Mission
• Who was your best* student last year?
• What word best sums up the kind of teacher you are?
• What is one thing you have learned from teaching?
• Besides summer vacation what’s your favorite thing about your
vocation**?
*You decide what best means. Remember, we are doing all this hard work, growth, and improvement
for them. So keep that shining light in your mind as we work together today.
**Vocation comes from the word calling © 2015 Jonathan Milner

6. Term Define it for
Aunt Maude
Give an example
from your class
Rank (1-4, 1=Best)
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
The 4 Cs of Powerful Learning

7. What happens without the 4Cs

9. Infographics & 4Cs
Term When did this
happen?
How could you add
more of this?
Rank (1-4, 1=Best)
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity

10. Infographics & 4Cs
Questions
What’s the best thing about the infographics?
What did infographics teach you about the 4Cs?
Infographics work great for any class. What topic in your content
area would be especially well suited to an infographic?
Extensions
Teams use data to make infographics about their own class content.
Share with class.
At Piktochart it’s quick, free, & easy to make your own infographics.
http://piktochart.com/

11. Data Quest & 4Cs
Term When did this
happen?
How could you add
more of this?
Rank (1-4, 1=Best)
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity

12. Data Quest & 4Cs
Questions
What’s the best thing about the data quest?
What did the data quest teach you about the 4Cs?
Extensions
Data quests work great for any class. What topic in your content area
would be especially well suited to a data quest?
Teams use data to make a data quest about their own class content.
Share with class.

13. 1-Free Daily Infographics
Light a spark in your classroom. Challenge,
delight, & excite your students every day.
Project your infographic and let the
curiosity & exploration begin.
https://www.jonathanmilner.org/starters/

16. Guide to Making Infographics
• Choose a topic –Demographics
• Narrow it down-US population changes
• Find an infographic on the narrowed topic

18. Write a compelling question– What race will be US majority in 2050?
Write five analytical (critical) questions* about the topic
Critical questions go beyond description: who, what, where, when; towards
analysis: why, does it matter, therefore; and into evaluation: what do you think?
1. What trends do you see in the charts?
2. If you had to draw in a chart for 2095 what would it look like?
3. What is causing the changes in the charts?
4. What are two consequences of the changes?
5. Explain whether these changes will be good or bad for the US:
Allow students to write (create) 1 critical question of their own:
Extend – Push students to learn - Learn more about American demographics at the
Pew Research Center and to act on their knowledge -
Investigate how demographics have changed at your school or in your
community over the past half century through interviews & research.
Share - Have students work in teams to find the best answer (collaborate) and
share their answers (communicate).

20. Data Quest: How Do We Vote?
Use your knowledge of US politics, the internet,
and any other resources to answer the
questions below. Predict how each person
below will vote in the 2016 presidential election:
D=Democrat; R=Republican. Highlight each
demographic feature of each person and put the
letter D or R above each feature. Extra: Write
the % likelihood of that person’s vote. Use the
2008 Exit Polls and the 2012 Exit Polls to
complete this assignment.

21. 2008 Election Results

22. 1. I am a female Jewish lawyer who lives in New York City.
2. I am a white male Protestant banker who lives in Charlotte, NC.
3. I am a male Catholic Latino consultant who lives in Miami, FL.
4. I am a male Muslim African-American teacher in Cleveland, OH.
5. I am a white male rancher who lives in Cody, Wyoming.
6. I am a 72 year-old retiree living on Social Security in Denver, CO.
7. I am a white male entrepreneur from Jackson, MS who earns more than
$250,000 a year.
8. I‘m a White pizza delivery high school dropout from Philadelphia, PA.
9. Create your own strongly partisan person here:
Bonus
• Do you think a Republican can win the presidency in 2016?
• Using the demographics of the American electorate and your creativity,
create the perfect candidate and the worst possible candidate. Run the
perfect candidate for president by making them a campaign slogan, a
campaign ad, and then participate in a mock election in class.

23. FISHBOWL
Autonomous Research, Communication & Action

24. Engage Students with a compelling contemporary Issue
Students pick a topic for the fishbowl

26. Students research the topic, form an
opinion, then share their research in
class or online.

27. Students write an editorial on the topic.

28. You’ll find this and other professional development
materials & support at jonathanmilner.org
Contact Jonathan at milnerjonathan@gmail.com