There will be a video playing on channel 68 tomorrow every hour from 8:00 until 3:00. Watch the video. Talk with your Learning Teams and respond to the blog with your thoughts. Frame your responses with this question, "What would YES look like if each one of us made the decision that no student failed?" In that I mean, did not fail a test/quiz/assignment, a class, make an F on a report card...
(Keep in mind, this is not an indictment of our practices. Just a question. Focus on things we can do at school - not what should happen at home. How would our school have to change? What would instruction look like? - just a few ideas to prompt discussion.)
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22 comments:
I have been thinking. As the State Board looks at making the SCS more narrow, yet deeper, some things will be eliminated from the curriculum.
Are their things we do in our day to day practice that don't contribute to educating students? Are their things we need to stop doing? It's a radical thought, since we seem to keep adding things to do. Are there things we need to stop doing?
We believe in order to see a radical change the ENTIRE staff at YES from Administration to support staff to classroom teachers need to be engaged in student learning, remediation, and student well being. If we are to have no failure then we can not have any down time. While the students are here we should be working with them. Paper work, meetings and social time should take place before or after school. Instruction time should be sacred and not abused. (kindergarten/speech)
In order to prevent failure, the EC PLC believes it necessary to teach each child on his/her present achievement level. Unfortunately, the expectations dictated by state and federal guidelines do not allow teachers much flexibility in teaching the special needs students who do not "fit the mold." Therefore, it is left up to us to find a solution within the school. This may require grouping children by their ability level, where the instruction is based on their individual needs. It may require examining schedules to make sure that the schedule is "child friendly." It may be necessary for teachers to team teach in order to share the responsilbility for student achievement. This may require intermingling students from various classrooms on the same acheivement level. This may also involve using support staff throughout the school to assist. We are aware of one school that utilizes even the cafeteria and custodial staff to reinforce concepts for certain students. Cards with sight words or math facts are flashed as the students pass through the line in the cafeteria and in the hallways. We agree that instructional time should remain sacred. We need that time also.
We believe this type of achievement would require extremely close collaboration among ALL staff. Grade levels would work together to create a set of common goals. Then, work with support staff to develop non- traditional ways to reinforce those goals. By working closely with grade levels, support staff can meet both their objectives and enrich students' understanding in math, reading, social studies, and science as well as provide real world connections.
After much thoughtful discussion, second grade has decided to take a new approach with our homework program. In order to more effectively utilize our assistants, we are eliminating traditional homework. Our observations have been that homework is ineffective with our students who have no support at home and only reinforces their misconceptions. This nine weeks, assistants will spend all class time working with students on their specific learning needs. Any homework sent home, beyond spelling, will be individualized according to students' needs.
This would allow us to jettison the rules that we enforce that are merely for adult convinence and not related to our mission.studies have repeatedly shown that as many as seventy percent of elementary and middle school students need dim light,informal design and to chew when being introduced to new and difficult information.
Jump back,Second Grade Team thats an excellent idea!This is why I like technology,its easy and convienent to share ideas.(of course it makes it impossible for me to take crsdit for it later.)
We first must believe that this is possible. Without faith then this idea is only a concept. As individuals we must begin to think about what we are doing. Are we as effective as we can be? We must be continually reflecting upon our practices in order to achieve success. What can we do differently in order to achieve one more degree?
I love second grades thoughts. It is very hard with older kids whose parents feel they are old enough to work alone, those parents that have never worked with their kids OR Parents who are so involved that they over see every step actually doing the homework for them. I would love to do this....Can we get student assistants (this really means a real person) to help so we utilize our block scheduled time efficiently?
This is a very controversal topic....Something most folks would not stick out their necks for. I applaude second grade for their efforts and hope I can get myself there soon.
One more question. When you say no homework are they still reading each night and if they have a test, they study? What you are talking about is truly an extension of the classroom and not just "here do this"?
In preschool we are limited as to what we can expose our children to. We have been instructed by preschool administration that some learning materials, such as number and letter recognition, should be left to higher learning. We feel that all children should be challenged regardless of their educational level. As parents of preschool children we are disappointed in the current curriculum used by the Yadkin County Preschool Program. Preschool is the beginning of a child's learning career. We as a preschool cohort, are striving to prepare our children as life long learners.
The motivational video has a mixed message as far as education is concerned. The winners from the varied sports events presented, had internal motivators and a desire within themselves to be the best they could be and to win the race set before them. As educators, we can respond to the positive reminders that by pushing ourselves just a little more, we could see big differences in the results. We must remember that while the driver started his race with a chosen, top-notch pit crew and a car in perfect running order, the students do not come to us all qualifying to start the same race at the same starting line. That leaves us with a race to complete that is better compared to an obstacle course with pop-up surprises along the way. We move forward at a steady pace, comparing ourselves to the timeless example of the tortoise, only to realize that there are those along with us that are a real challenge to wake up and to encourage to not give up. We are the external motivators for our race and we do not get to choose our crew, therefore we are only the coaches and the trainers. We must be the invisible force behind the student successes that we do achieve.
We used lots of sport analogies in our discussion: "The team is only as good as the coach." "Even a winning race car can't take the checkered flag without a driver willing to go the extra mile."
We must decide that we will put forth the extra effort needed to assure student success.
We think that our school would look less stressed. No running around cramming three days of content into one class period. No moving ahead just because the standard course of study says we have to have "xyz" covered. Our school would then have to have a different structure in the classroom. It might actually take on a Montessori approach where children move ahead only after mastery.
The second grade team is planning to send home a parent letter explaining our plan to do away with traditional homework on a trial basis for the 2nd nine weeks. Because spelling is already done on an individualized basis we will leave it as is. We will contiue to encourage the students to read at home. They may record books read on a log and earn prizes when reaching the class goal. However, we will ask parents to check the homework folder each night to check the behavior log and for any specific homework that will provide additional support in weak areas. These areas will be determinded through daily small group work and assessments. At the end of the nine weeks our team will thoroughly discuss the results of this "trial" and determine how to proceed in the future.
What I am getting from this is that we need to go the extra mile with all of our students. Don't be complacent about where we/they are - push for more so that they can achieve to their fullest potential. Not all students achieve at the same levels, but it is our job to make them "all that they can be". Get away from the standard, humdrum "stuff" and be creative, make learning ore fun and challenging for ALL students (AIG, EC, regular ed, ELL, etc.)
"One extra degree of effort in business and life separates the good from the great." To insure that no student failed....we must decide that we will put forth the extra effort to make sure they succeed. In the classroom, this means changing our instruction from whole group to more individualized instruction. In the classroom, we would need small group instruction, specific lesson plans, interventions, and higher order thinking. First, teachers must decide that they will go BEYOND what is expected of them and have HIGH expectations for all students. When we limit our thinking, our instruction, our expectations....we limit our students!
We tend to move through content fast because we feel obligated to teach a curriculum that seems to suggest that more is better. We must decide what is absolutely necessary for the children to learn before they go on to the next grade or level. We must take time to teach varied lessons and implement interventions to help students that learn more slowly. Students can also help each other learn and study. I think we would move from a school mostly interested in test scores to a school truely interested in student learning.
Perhaps I am going out on a limb here, would not be the first time but....As a society we have some educators that do not like children and until we have teachers that truly care about the students and enjoy teaching instead of just being a body and getting a check will we get to this this perfect place? Many of those teachers are leaving, thank goodness. As for deeper understanding, students need to be able to make connections with new ideas and if they here the material only once then can those connections really be made. I often find it strange that we can discuss, do hands on, small group, and write about it and then they still can not make connections. Is the curriculum really matched with their cognitive abilities at certain grade levels and does the great EOG's really test the curriculum we teach? I have noticed some things seem way out of line. Just a thought..More is not always better in my opinion.
The video reminded to to give just a little more. It did not make me think of radical changes. It could relate back to the 4 questions Dr. Benfield asked us to keep in mind this year. What AM I doing.... Even if it is just one extra thing for one student each day. It could make a dramatic impact in his/her life. We do not comprehend the power we have to influence children and their futures.
I feel like some of the things we are doing right now in our curriculums could be changed to meet more of the individual student needs. Each student should be able to learn where they are to be able to succeed.
I agree that it is important to teach children at their present achievement level in order for them to be successful in our classes. However, I also believe that the students must be exposed to the curriculum in some way at the grade level for which they will be tested in May. If we don't teach the grade level curriculum to the children we are setting them up for failure. This is obviously not our intended goal. I wonder how testing will be changing with the new administration in Washington. This could be interesting...
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