In education today, there are so many driving forces behind the skills we teach and why/how we teach them. Like the “Canada Shifting Mind Model,” we focus on building life long learners, problem solvers, and strong collaborators. In today’s world led by social media, education has to take a long hard turn towards using technology and social media in order to draw students in and want to learn the skills they need to be successful adults. Because communication is more complex and often happens between people who have never met, learning how to communicate safely, and clearly while being able to analyze and integrate information learned while on social media is vital for successful students today.
One way to reach more students is the use of a Response to Intervention Program (RTI). Using RTI to help build creative students who are able to think for themselves and build a deep understanding of the elements and process we are teaching in the classroom can be a great program. However, it has been my experience that teachers are not provided with the training and resources they need in order to be successful at implementing RTI programs in rural Oklahoma. In my current school district, we have been trying to implement a quality RTI program with very little guidance and understanding as to what this really looks like. I would love to see a true RTI program in action and learn how to utilize it in order to help students be able to think for themselves, build strong characteristics that lead to strong leaders, and build ethical citizens with an educational foundation to be successful in the real world.