This neighbor island tournament was both a speech and debate competition and our team had students in both categories. Taylor Thibodeaux, Kayla Uchida and Thomas Stokes all competed in speech categories. Taylor participated in impromptu speaking, Thomas in humorous interpretation and Kayla in program reading. Jacob Croall and Segan Trunick were one of our participating debate teams and Kalena and I were the other debate team. We both competed in Public Forum Debate.

Although many of us had competed in other non-qualifying tournaments, this tournament taught each of us important things about ourselves. Thomas said, regarding the experience, “Since joining this prestigious speech and debate team, I have learned that some people might actually like to hear what I have to say… contrary to popular belief. It has helped me to communicate with others without using phrases such as “um” or “like” every other word.”

Similarly Kayla said, “I feel that the Parker tournament was such a great learning experience. I learned that it takes a lot of courage to stand up in front of people and talk. I’ve also learned how to be comfortable while speaking in front of many people. Being expressive was never something I was strong at but, through the Speech and Debate Team, I’ve learned to project and enunciate my words while adding emotion to my voice when I present my speeches.”

Segan, a debate participant said, “From being on the speech and debate team, I’ve learned about how being prepared ahead of schedule and organizing one’s time can be crucial to providing quality work and peace at mind. Whenever our team went to a tournament, I always stressed out at the last moment. I often began to doubt myself and my evidence and therefore made everything harder than it needed to be. In order to do well at these competitions, I’ve learned that confidence is the key and that it is what makes the experience enjoyable.”

I also learned a lot through this experience: I learned a lot about research and acquiring reliable sources, speaking with a steady voice and staying organized. Debate is an extremely complicated competition, but, once you get the hang of it, it is extremely rewarding. Kalena, my debate partner, had similar thoughts, she said, “I thought it was rather difficult than what I would have expected. A lot of people had a lot of information, but we were pretty prepared.”

This past tournament allowed everyone in the debate team to bond and learn a lot about each other. We all stayed in a gorgeous rental house in Waimea, near Parker School, with Ms. G and Ms. Abrigo. Thomas said, “We had a “swanky house” to stay in (in the words of Ms. G)…The trip gave me a lot of opportunities to witness speeches and debates of epic proportions. It was basically the stuff of legend.” Kayla said, “Visiting another island for a two-day Speech competition provided a rare opportunity to bond with the other members of the team as well as other schools.” From playing, hanging out, and telling stories in the rental house, to meeting other students and competing at Parker School, this tournament provided all of us with great memories.

At the end of the last day of the tournament, our team attended the award ceremony. Taylor placed second and qualified for states in impromptu speaking and Kalena and I placed second in Beginning Public Forum Debate and qualified for states as well.  We were all thrilled to hear Myron B. Thompson Academy’s name called by the emcee.  We look forward to more excitement for the rest of the season.

By Julia Shotwell
Student

Our students have been able to participate online in international Mathematical competitions offered by the United Nations. They have also effectively used various online assessments internally and externally. The internal assessments are mainly in-school assessments while the external assessments are the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) and the American Diploma Project Exam (ADP).

We teach our mathematics students to critically evaluate available resources and sway away from utilizing unscholarly or non-credible online sources. Furthermore, to instill in our students the concept of professionalism, we stress the importance of citing sources used and of the consequences of plagiarism. We always thrive towards a laser-like focus on students’ mathematical learning by effectively and ethically using all the technological resources that the 21^st century world is offering.

By Mr. Bocar Wane
Department Head of Mathematics

Learning to help and work with others is the nature of a community contributor.  Through teacher guidance and observation, we hope to relate the following 6 TRAITS of being a community contributor:

1. Respects people’s feelings, ideas, abilities and cultural diversity

Children learn to respect others’ feelings by listening and considering other points of view; asking questions for clarification and understanding; using appropriate voice and tone to others; using eye contact, facial expression and attentive posture to indicate respect and interest to others.  More importantly, learning to respect cultural differences and differing values and beliefs is a goal for all children.

2. Cooperates with others in group situations through help and encouragement

Children learn to stay on task, share materials and ideas and help others to focus on the goals of the group.

3. Understands and follows rules of conduct

Children learn to follow class and school rules.

4. Analyzes conflict and applies methods of cooperative resolution

Children learn to recognize a problem and help resolve it by contributing ideas and possible solutions.

5. Demonstrates responsible and ethical behavior in decision making

Children learn to demonstrate self-control and make decisions with integrity. They display moral and ethical behavior.

6. Responsibly implements a solution

Children learn to fulfill their responsibility in following a group solution.

Quality is a difficult word to define. “Quality” often describes something as good or possibly excellent, but is more of an evaluation with an emphasis on value. The saying that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” applies to a discussion of quality. Students often ask if their products are “good enough.” How do you define “ good enough”? In educational settings, we often see a range of standards. Who defines these standards? Who accepts and adopts them? Standards are often stated nebulously. How is a student to gain an ability to recognize quality performance and products? A student needs to conceptualize a standard of quality before the student can meet or exceed this standard.

Education can help with this. Students explore examples of quality performance and products in the various disciplines they study. Students analyze historical works from various subjects and instruction emphasizes good “qualities.” Current progressive research from various fields also address developing standards of quality realized with new discoveries or additional supportive information gained from the research. Students engaging in a peer-review process gain valuable feedback from peers. The teacher is no longer the exclusive subject-matter expert as previously defined in traditional education systems. The teacher adds valuable experience to shape the students’ definition of quality by providing rubrics and feedback to add examples for students to incorporate into their developing perception of quality.

How does a system, such as the one used at the Myron B. Thompson Academy, combining traditional classroom instruction with online learning methods aid in this process? Although the ground portion of these “blended” learning systems are comparable to traditional learning systems, the online modality adds learning possibilities that transcend time and space. Students can engage in learning experiences at times during the day when they are the most receptive and productive. Students also ride the wave of virtual social networking to help build their standards of quality.

Ultimately, the student lays the foundations of quality that becomes the basis for recognizing and producing quality performance and products. In an interview in an NBC documentary, “NBC Titans,” John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple Computers shared a memory of Steve Job’s, the late co-founder of Apple. A programmer worked for several days on a new operating system for Apple technology. When Steve asked the programmer if this is his best work, the programmer replied that it was pretty good. Steve dismissed the programmer and told him to return when he had done his best work. Is it possible that if this programmer had demonstrated the General Learner Outcome of a Quality Producer and stated, “yes, this is my best work”; Mr. Jobs may have found himself pleased with the programmer’s product. Two of Mr. Jobs famous quotes are, “Don’t settle” and “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” These echo Steve’s expectation of quality from himself, his company, and the products produced by Apple. This is the epitome of a Quality Producer that we encourage Myron B. Thompson Academy students to be.

 “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)

By Mr. Garret Yoshimura

• To listen carefully to others while respecting perspectives different from one’s own;
• To use technology as a tool to conduct research and as a vehicle to collaborate with others;
• To develop a clear argument and to support that argument with evidence and analysis to substantiate your opinion; and
• To engage in thoughtful reflection and revision providing students with opportunities to become better self-evaluators.

As MBTA moves towards the integration of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS), our students will continue to examine, analyze and produce quality work using various methods of effective communication.

To meet these expectations our 8th graders take an Oral Communication course, where they learn about and analyze famous speeches throughout history, as well as learn how to develop their own.  They also complete a Debate course during the 4th term.  This school year we are offering a brand new speech and debate team for 9-12 grade students.

Effective communication can have such a profound impact in a student’s life, from moving on to higher education, to preparing for the workforce, or to simply interacting with other people.  How well we communicate with those around us not only shapes the present, but it can determine our future.

At MBTA our goal is to help our students identify these preexisting skills and learn how to fine-tune them in order to become successful inside and outside of an academic setting.

By Sabrina Ehmke, Elizabeth Gianfrancisco & Jacey Waterhouse
Secondary Language Arts Department

• Self-Directed Learners: The ability to be responsible for one’s own learning
• Community Contributors: The understanding that it is essential for human beings to work together

• Complex Thinkers: The ability to be involved in complex thinking and problem solving
• Quality Producers: The ability to recognize and produce quality performance and quality products
• Effective Communicators: the ability to communicate effectively
• Effective and Ethical Users of Technology: the ability to use a variety of technology effectively and ethically.

In order for students to demonstrate proficiency in these areas, departments and individual teachers must build learning experiences that demand these outcomes. The next few blog posts will focus on each of the General Learner Outcomes.

In Social Studies, our goal is to achieve some sort of relevancy. Our activities and assessments allow students to relate their own thoughts and experiences to the people and events of their surrounding world. Whether we’re investigating the highly influential societies of ancient Eurasia, tracing the paths of our Founding Fathers, or diving into the Polynesian ancestors of our own Hawaiian Islands, students gain an understanding and tolerance of other cultures, while exploring the histories of their own.

Students learn to work independently and think critically. Resources and teacher assistance are available at every turn, but the student is always the center of his or her own learning.

To be an MBTA student is to be a self-directed learner.

By Mr. Dan Copp
Social Studies Department Chair

At the 8^th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, M. Scriven and R. Paul defined critical thinking as “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief and action.  In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth and fairness.”   Simply put, critical thinking is reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.  Critical thinkers are active, ask questions and analyze. They approach texts and spoken remarks with skepticism and often apply tactics and strategies to uncover meaning or assure their understanding.

So let’s go back to our story about the Pig Brothers and Mr. Wolf.  The Pig Brothers were sent out into the world to seek their fortune.  First on the agenda was to build a house to fulfill their need for shelter and safety.  The strategies used by each Pig Brother varied tremendously.  Straw used by Pig #1 proved the least effective and was easily blown away by Mr. Wolf whose desire was to quickly destroy the structure and devour the pig.  If you recall the story, Mr. Wolf announces his arrival shouting “ Little pig, little pig, let me in.” Pig #1 replies “Not  by the hairs of my chinny chin-chin,” which then results in Mr. Wolf’s response “Then I’ll huff and I’ll puff and blooooowwww your house in.”  Had Pig #1 applied critical thinking skills, he would have: 1- considered using better building material for his home that could resist anything short of a tornado; and 2- quickly taken leave of the house through the back door instead of engaging in conversation with his predator.  Fortunately, Pig #1 was able to escape the throes of Mr. Wolf and run to his brother’s house made of sticks, a far more sturdy building material.

Pig #2 was soon visited by Mr. Wolf who proceeded to harass his “dinner” and demonstrate his powerful lung capacity.  Pig #2, like his brother Pig  #1, found himself homeless and on the run.  His critical thinking skills were a bit more refined but certainly not fully tested with contingencies that would guarantee his survival.  Mr. Wolf, although quite successful at damaging two homes, had not been able to realize his goal which was to devour a pig.  Were his critical thinking skills lacking?  Certainly, Mr. Wolf should have: 1- assessed the situation and environment of each pig (i.e. condition of home; intelligence of pig; speed of escape, etc.); 2- not spend time announcing his arrival; and 3- use a variety of methods to break into the home and devour his prey.  Using the same modus operandi was not the most effective strategy.

The final Pig Brother #3 appears to have developed a number of critical thinking skills.  He not only took the time to design a house with solid construction and strong materials but remained calm as Mr. Wolf approached his home with the same threats of bodily harm and heavy blowing.    Mr. Wolf had not changed his strategy and by now, although desperately in need of sustenance, could not do anything novel or innovative except to climb onto the roof of the house and drop down the chimney.  We all know how the story ends.

Do you suppose Pig #3 was able to analyze possible data presented him by his brothers?  And, was he able to develop contingencies for any possible challenges?  Let me remind you that the level at which we develop our critical thinking skills will determine if we will be prepared for any challenge that awaits us OR be ill-prepared for the next disaster that will catch us unaware.

By Mrs. Diana Oshiro
Principal

Each event provides its own unique challenges, but all will encourage students to think critically, address an audience, and work together in a competitive environment. The “practice” tournaments that do not contribute to school rankings will begin in October. Beginning in January/February, students who are invited to continue with the second part of the speech/debate course will participate in ranked tournaments. Ranked tournaments allow students to compete for coveted national competition slots.

Due to the costs associated with travel and student participation, we will be holding several fundraisers throughout the year. Keep an eye on Moodle and announcements on the ethompson.org web page to support our new teams! We look forward to sharing our successes with you in the coming months.

I will be the Head Coach for our Speech and Debate team. If any of you have judged tournaments before, or would like to learn how to do so, please let me know as we are in need of parent volunteers for tournament participation. (All upcoming tournaments are scheduled for selected Saturdays.)

By Ms. Elizabeth Gianfrancisco

My thoughts, however, also go out to my students: children who were at most, three or four years old, when the attacks occurred, and may not have any memory of this significant event in their nation’s history. Their memories of this event may be limited to a discussion with a family member or a vague image from the television screen. Although it strays a bit from our current unit of content, I feel that it is part of my responsibility as a teacher of history to help my students understand this tragic event.

Currently, my eighth grade students are completing an assignment called “Days of Infamy,” adapted from the 9/11 Memorial Foundation with generous appreciation for their extensive educator resources. The assignment asked students to first consider their own “days of infamy:” for example, a new sibling born, a move across the Pacific Ocean, or a special birthday. Once students had an understanding of their own “flashbulb memory” (a psychological term indicating a memory that is so vivid that the person can recall almost everything about the event), they were then instructed to ask a person at least ten years older than them to discuss their own “day of infamy.” Finally, students completed a comparison of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor speech and former President George W. Bush’s 9/11 speech, completing a final reflection on the country’s reaction to these two speeches.

I once heard that “An event can’t be called ‘historic’ unless it is older than 20 years.” I respectfully disagree with that statement. For my current students, their history does not include more than 13 or 14 years of life, and it would be a disservice, in my opinion, to avoid discussing such an important day in America’s history with my students simply because it isn’t yet 20 years old. I find that my students are much more engaged when they feel that they can make a connection to the material that we study. As I read through their completed assignments, it is clear to me that this assignment allowed them to gain a better understanding of this modern “day of infamy,” as well as their own personal “days of infamy.” Many thanks to the 9/11 Memorial Foundation for providing excellent resources to help students understand this truly historic event.

By Ms. Sabrina Ehmke