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All the questions about " Redesigning High Schools to Personalize Learning " that have been answered are listed below. To search for specific questions, enter one or more search terms. There are 7 questions currently posted in the database that match this query. Displaying question 1 through 7 Question: How do smaller Learning Communities tie into Professional Learning Communities? it seems as though they are very similar. Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : Smaller Learning Communities, Professional Learning Communities Answer : The explicit intent of the Smaller Learning Communities Project is to create conditions in secondary schools for teachers to reorganize themselves into professional learning communities by design. That is, small groups of practitioners -- with time to meet together on a regular basis -- engaging with one another in reflective dialog about what they are doing in the classroom is the single most successful structure for improving relationships with one another and students, considering feedback on student performance, and developing multiple strategies for instruction and more rigorous and relevant curriculum.There is a growing experience with and literature on "communities of practice" -- both face-to-face and virtual -- in an increasing number of fields. Indeed, many SLC school and district staff and regional educational lab technical assistance providers regard themselves as extended and networked communities of practice that focus on any number of topics and issues. See also the the NWREL SLC TA website: http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sslc/services/ , and Google "communities of practice" or "learning communities" for more information. In fact, this Ask an Expert feature of the Knowledge Loom creates a kind of virtual professional learning community every time someone uses it! Good luck, Gregg Sinner, Program Planning Specialist and Northeast SLC TA Project Leader, TEA @ Brown University Answered by : Question: What suggestions do you have for improving high school education, especially for low performing students and schools? What schools are excellent models for having done so? I believe that students, teachers, parents should have stronger voice in how to improve their education, that education should be more individualized, that low-performing students should be assessed/their education plan be individualized, not required to succeed in a "cookie-cutter" plan for which they are not prepared (for ex. pass Algebra if they are on 6th grade math level) and especially I believe students who cannot/will not attend college should be prepared in high school for successful job placement/training in trade. Could you refer me to relevant research/successful programs, etc. Debby Presson Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : high school reform, personalization, curriculum alignment, leadership, student voice, community connections, reform models, small schools Answer : Dear DebbyIn 1996, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) published Breaking Ranks?: Changing an American Institution, a groundbreaking report about the need to reform American high schools. Amid the many recommendations for change, the authors highlighted a number of ways that schools were impersonal and that steps had to be taken to break large schools into smaller units. The 1996 report was further refined to become a field guide for change with the release of Breaking Ranks II?: Strategies for Leading High School Reform in 2004. This important publication was informed in large part by work done in high schools by researchers, coaches, and staff of The Education Alliance, and helped form the strategies, refined recommendations, and suggestions for implementation of whole school reform. What we have found through our research is that there are three major components for high school reform that are critical to the success of students. Personalization; a focus on challenging and relevant curriculum, instruction and assessment (CIA); and creating collaborative leadership structures that empower school communities to work in new ways. We have found evidence to support your belief that by individualizing education for students, particularly low-performing students, they will perform better in high school and graduate ready to move on to a variety of post-secondary options which could include college, vocational and/or technical schools, or meaningful employment. We invite you to browse through the many links of this spotlight to become acquainted with the research around small schools, interdisciplinary teaching and exploring new ways for school leaders to collaborate with staff, students and family/community members to provide meaningful and relevant education to ALL students. You will find links to a variety of programs and reform models such as the Breaking Ranks Process - provided by the Secondary School Redesign program here at the Education Alliance, High Schools That Work from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the federally funded Smaller Learning Communities program, and initiatives sponsored by organizations like the Carnegie Corporation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to create and support building new, small, innovative high schools to support individualized learning. Schools that you might want to check out include The Met in Providence, RI (www.bigpicture.org), New Tech High School in Napa Valley, CA (www.newtechhigh.org), and individual schools belonging to the Coalition of Essential Schools (www.essentialschools.org). These schools represent some of the most innovative and personalized school communities in the country. Best wishes, Denise Wolk Program Associate, Secondary School Redesign The Education Alliance at Brown University Answered by : Question: As a future high school math teacher, I wonder how you would suggest a school could redesign its math curriculum to make it more student-centered learning? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : math, curriculum, student-centered, integrated, backwards design Answer : The single best method I know to design any curriculum, and one that I have used many times with schools, is the backwards design model. Understanding by Design is a great resource for this, and the book by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, distributed by ASCD, is the bible on this (at least as far as I'm concerned.) The original workbook is available through ASCD at http://shop.ascd.org/productdisplay.cfm?productid=103056 and a second edition will be available soon.Another great resource is Changing Systems to Personalize Learning: Teaching to Each Student. This workshop helps high school change teams engage in professional development that immerses staff in the reality of personalized teaching. Through experiential activities, study and action planning, participants learn to reorient classroom teaching to allow students with different skills, aspirations, and interests to succeed in meeting uniform standards. The workshop includes topical discussion materials, graphic organizers, exercises, protocols and facilitator guidelines so that a school team can work together to create a student-centered curriculum. In terms of process, I recommend working with a facilitator to help a curriculum design team via a conversation sorted in the categories of the planner in Teaching to Each Student. This process has worked well for us in many schools. Go to http://www.alliance.brown.edu then click on site contents, then the publications tab and scroll down to Changing Systems to Personalize Learning: Teaching to Each Student to download free of charge. As I've worked in curriculum design with school teams, we would create interdisciplinary connections. My book Teaching for Depth: Where Math Meets the Humanities, provides further resources for creating those connections. In the book, a team of teachers and staff developers tell of the transformations of their practice as they read and write in math classrooms, introduce mathematical history and ideas into their social studies and English classrooms, design interdisciplinary projects, and assess students' learning more thoroughly. The book also offers models of literature and curriculum planning to help teachers develop their own programs. It was designed to be a practical contribution in the current standards-based reform effort to make students' experience of middle and high school more relevant, meaningful, and productive. The book is available online from Heinemann Publishing at www.heinemann.com/shared/products/E00245.asp and the website also provides a link to an annotated bibliography I created on the subject. I hope this information helps you in the creation of more student-centered content for your classes. Dale Worsley Breaking Ranks Coach Answered by : Question: What is the most effective way to promote a strong world lanaguage program when using block scheduling? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : block scheduling, foreign language instruction Answer : Well, like most educational changes, block scheduling can be a vehicle for high school improvement, but it isn't always. It depends on how it's done--Does the faculty buy in to the change? Is there professional development that supports the reconfiguration of how lessons are to be offered? Is there ongoing monitoring of changes in teacher/student interaction? These are real concerns, and they matter across the content areas.If these issues are answered in the affirmative--there is buy in, there is adequate PD, there is monitoring so that little wanderings off course don't become big jeopardizing ones--then foreign language education is particularly well-poised to take advantage of block scheduling. As you may know, it takes a little while in a typical immersion-style foreign language classroom to get students to switch over from the language they use most of the day (typically English) and the target language (be it Spanish, French, German, or Mandarin Chinese). If, for purposes of conjecture, we say that it takes 5 minutes to get settled and 10 minutes to switch over to most efficaciously paying attention in Spanish or in French, then in 90 minutes of instruction split into two 45 minute periods, optimal learning conditions will obtain for 60 minutes (=(45-5-10)+(45-5-10)) whereas in a block environment optimal conditions will obtain for 75 (=90-5-10). That said, to use the optimal 75 minutes well may require different planning than the old, short-period format offered, but the prospect for ultimately getting to devote more time to effective instruction is very real. Block scheduling also makes bolder foreign language pedagogical strategies more viable. For example, if a foreign language teacher and an ESL teacher wanted to pair students from their respective classes for an activity, there is logistic concern of time lost moving students to be in the right rooms. The upside is potentially high for both groups of students (authentic interaction with native speakers), but only if there is substantive time to be together. Arriving, getting settled, going to the next classroom, and getting settled again, eats up a big portion of a 42-minute period. Lost transition time is proportionately smaller if it is followed up by a decent time-span for successful interaction such as that afforded by a block. Here again, the opportunity only has favorable impact if creative pedagogy allows it to be taken, but the opportunity is there. Neither of these points holds exactly for a Classical language classroom (e.g., Latin) where instruction is offered mainly in English, there are no native Latin speakers, and the task is often one of intentional translation. But block scheduling can be helpful in a Classical language environment too as getting the rhythm of translation takes some warm-up time. Having more instructional time where students are in the translator's groove (having warmed up) rather than needing to start over again with another warm up ultimately should allow learning to proceed faster and get farther. There is only a risk here if the instruction is not very good to begin with and a tedious lesson no longer ends as quickly. In that pessimistic scenario, of course, block scheduling is not the problem. Ted Hamann, Ph.D. Research and Evaluation Specialist The Education Alliance at Brown University [Answer posted by Allison Brettschneider on Dr. Hamann's behalf.] Answered by : Expert's keyword(s) : block scheduling, foreign language Answer : Here are some related resources that may prove useful:1) There's often discussion of the topic of class time/Scheduling on the list/discussion group called FLTeach. To subscribe, send to Internet address LISTSERV@listserv.acsu.BUFFALO.EDU leaving the subject line blank, send the following message: subscribe FLTEACH 2) Here is a useful site for foreign language teachers: Ņanduti. It's devoted to early foreign language learning (K-8) and resources. http://www.cal.org/earlylang 3) There is an entire series of books dealing with this subject, called "Teaching in the Block." There are at least 4 books available already--one by Deborah Blaz--Teaching Foreign Languages in the Block [$29.95]; another called Supporting Students with Learning Needs in the Block; Supervision and Staff Development In the Block, by Sally J. Zepeda and R. Stewart Mayers; and Teaching Mathematics in the Block. Contact: Eye on Education at 6 Depot Way West, Larchmont NY 10538; call (914) 833-0551 or visit the Web site at: http://www.eyeoneducation.com/block.html I had some difficulty navigating through the various pages and sites, so be warned. Perhaps a telephone call is the best way to contact this publisher. 4) NCSSFL [National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages] has a White Paper "Background on Block Scheduling and Foreign Languages" at this URL: http://www.ncssfl.org/papers/index.php?blockscheduling 5) A bibliography, called "Block Scheduling, School Schedules, and Use of Time in School," includes direct links to a wide array of information on the topic. The URL for this bibliography is: http://www.ctserc.org/library/bibfiles/blocksched.pdf You may want to use that library's search engine to look for "block scheduling"; entering that phrase will pull up some additional [commercially sponsored, admittedly] links, such as this one for something called "Questia": http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=block_scheduling&OFFID=se1&KEY=block_scheduling 6) Title: The Effect of Block Scheduling on Foreign Language Learning. Author(s) Wallinger, Linda M. Source: Foreign Language Annals, v33 n1 p36-50 Jan-Feb 2000 Publication Date: 2000 Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143) Examined qualitative data available on block scheduling and foreign language learning and conducted a study wherein end-of-course tests were administered in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to 60 classes of students in French I. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL) 7) Title: Block Scheduling for Language Study in the Middle Grades: A Summary of the Carleton Case Study. Author(s) Lapkin, Sharon; Harley, Birgit; Hart, Doug Source: Learning Languages, v2 n3 p4-8 Spr 1997 Publication Date: 1997 Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143) Summarizes a study on block scheduling for second-language programs among Canadian middle school students. Results show that students studying French on a block schedule (e.g., one-half day instruction over a 10-week period) performed better on standardized tests than did control students who received standard 40-minute per day French instruction. (ER) 8) Title: Surviving Block Scheduling. Author(s) Haley, Marjorie Pages: 18 Publication Date: November 1997 Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (31st, Nashville, TN, November 20-23, 1997). Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: Reports--Descriptive (141); Speeches/meeting papers (150) Geographic Source: U.S.; Virginia A discussion of block scheduling for second language instruction looks at the advantages and disadvantages and offers some suggestions for classroom management and course organization. It is argued that block scheduling may offer a potential solution to large classes, insufficient time for labs, too little individualized instruction; few team-teaching opportunities, too-short class, lunch, and planning periods, and too many dropouts. Specific advantages for teachers include: greater immersion in the target language; fewer classroom interruptions; less clerical work; and in some cases, fewer students per class. Special concerns for teachers are continuity, content and methodology, and standardized tests. Students may benefit from longer time frames, more remedial and advanced instruction, increased opportunity for success in a smaller number of courses, and enhanced quality and quantity of time spent with the teacher. Several models of block scheduling are described, and the pros and cons of each are outlined. Tips for effective planning and teaching focus on best use of the longer class time, exploitation of multiple intelligence theory, and alternative forms of assessment. Two sample lesson plans are included. Contains 10 references. (MSE) If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Dr. Craig Packard Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th St., NW Washington, DC. 20016-1859 (202) 362-0700 ext. 504 E-mail: Craig@cal.org [Posted by Allison Brettschneider on Dr. Packard's behalf.] Answered by : Question: What is the most effective way to promote a strong world lanaguage program when using block scheduling? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : block scheduling, foreign language instruction Answer : Well, like most educational changes, block scheduling can be a vehicle for high school improvement, but it isn't always. It depends on how it's done--Does the faculty buy in to the change? Is there professional development that supports the reconfiguration of how lessons are to be offered? Is there ongoing monitoring of changes in teacher/student interaction? These are real concerns, and they matter across the content areas.If these issues are answered in the affirmative--there is buy in, there is adequate PD, there is monitoring so that little wanderings off course don't become big jeopardizing ones--then foreign language education is particularly well-poised to take advantage of block scheduling. As you may know, it takes a little while in a typical immersion-style foreign language classroom to get students to switch over from the language they use most of the day (typically English) and the target language (be it Spanish, French, German, or Mandarin Chinese). If, for purposes of conjecture, we say that it takes 5 minutes to get settled and 10 minutes to switch over to most efficaciously paying attention in Spanish or in French, then in 90 minutes of instruction split into two 45 minute periods, optimal learning conditions will obtain for 60 minutes (=(45-5-10)+(45-5-10)) whereas in a block environment optimal conditions will obtain for 75 (=90-5-10). That said, to use the optimal 75 minutes well may require different planning than the old, short-period format offered, but the prospect for ultimately getting to devote more time to effective instruction is very real. Block scheduling also makes bolder foreign language pedagogical strategies more viable. For example, if a foreign language teacher and an ESL teacher wanted to pair students from their respective classes for an activity, there is logistic concern of time lost moving students to be in the right rooms. The upside is potentially high for both groups of students (authentic interaction with native speakers), but only if there is substantive time to be together. Arriving, getting settled, going to the next classroom, and getting settled again, eats up a big portion of a 42-minute period. Lost transition time is proportionately smaller if it is followed up by a decent time-span for successful interaction such as that afforded by a block. Here again, the opportunity only has favorable impact if creative pedagogy allows it to be taken, but the opportunity is there. Neither of these points holds exactly for a Classical language classroom (e.g., Latin) where instruction is offered mainly in English, there are no native Latin speakers, and the task is often one of intentional translation. But block scheduling can be helpful in a Classical language environment too as getting the rhythm of translation takes some warm-up time. Having more instructional time where students are in the translator's groove (having warmed up) rather than needing to start over again with another warm up ultimately should allow learning to proceed faster and get farther. There is only a risk here if the instruction is not very good to begin with and a tedious lesson no longer ends as quickly. In that pessimistic scenario, of course, block scheduling is not the problem. Ted Hamann, Ph.D. Research and Evaluation Specialist The Education Alliance at Brown University [Answer posted by Allison Brettschneider on Dr. Hamann's behalf.] Answered by : Expert's keyword(s) : block scheduling, foreign language Answer : Here are some related resources that may prove useful:1) There's often discussion of the topic of class time/Scheduling on the list/discussion group called FLTeach. To subscribe, send to Internet address LISTSERV@listserv.acsu.BUFFALO.EDU leaving the subject line blank, send the following message: subscribe FLTEACH 2) Here is a useful site for foreign language teachers: Ņanduti. It's devoted to early foreign language learning (K-8) and resources. http://www.cal.org/earlylang 3) There is an entire series of books dealing with this subject, called "Teaching in the Block." There are at least 4 books available already--one by Deborah Blaz--Teaching Foreign Languages in the Block [$29.95]; another called Supporting Students with Learning Needs in the Block; Supervision and Staff Development In the Block, by Sally J. Zepeda and R. Stewart Mayers; and Teaching Mathematics in the Block. Contact: Eye on Education at 6 Depot Way West, Larchmont NY 10538; call (914) 833-0551 or visit the Web site at: http://www.eyeoneducation.com/block.html I had some difficulty navigating through the various pages and sites, so be warned. Perhaps a telephone call is the best way to contact this publisher. 4) NCSSFL [National Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages] has a White Paper "Background on Block Scheduling and Foreign Languages" at this URL: http://www.ncssfl.org/papers/index.php?blockscheduling 5) A bibliography, called "Block Scheduling, School Schedules, and Use of Time in School," includes direct links to a wide array of information on the topic. The URL for this bibliography is: http://www.ctserc.org/library/bibfiles/blocksched.pdf You may want to use that library's search engine to look for "block scheduling"; entering that phrase will pull up some additional [commercially sponsored, admittedly] links, such as this one for something called "Questia": http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp?CRID=block_scheduling&OFFID=se1&KEY=block_scheduling 6) Title: The Effect of Block Scheduling on Foreign Language Learning. Author(s) Wallinger, Linda M. Source: Foreign Language Annals, v33 n1 p36-50 Jan-Feb 2000 Publication Date: 2000 Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143) Examined qualitative data available on block scheduling and foreign language learning and conducted a study wherein end-of-course tests were administered in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to 60 classes of students in French I. Results are discussed. (Author/VWL) 7) Title: Block Scheduling for Language Study in the Middle Grades: A Summary of the Carleton Case Study. Author(s) Lapkin, Sharon; Harley, Birgit; Hart, Doug Source: Learning Languages, v2 n3 p4-8 Spr 1997 Publication Date: 1997 Document Type: Journal articles (080); Reports--Research (143) Summarizes a study on block scheduling for second-language programs among Canadian middle school students. Results show that students studying French on a block schedule (e.g., one-half day instruction over a 10-week period) performed better on standardized tests than did control students who received standard 40-minute per day French instruction. (ER) 8) Title: Surviving Block Scheduling. Author(s) Haley, Marjorie Pages: 18 Publication Date: November 1997 Notes: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (31st, Nashville, TN, November 20-23, 1997). Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. Document Type: Reports--Descriptive (141); Speeches/meeting papers (150) Geographic Source: U.S.; Virginia A discussion of block scheduling for second language instruction looks at the advantages and disadvantages and offers some suggestions for classroom management and course organization. It is argued that block scheduling may offer a potential solution to large classes, insufficient time for labs, too little individualized instruction; few team-teaching opportunities, too-short class, lunch, and planning periods, and too many dropouts. Specific advantages for teachers include: greater immersion in the target language; fewer classroom interruptions; less clerical work; and in some cases, fewer students per class. Special concerns for teachers are continuity, content and methodology, and standardized tests. Students may benefit from longer time frames, more remedial and advanced instruction, increased opportunity for success in a smaller number of courses, and enhanced quality and quantity of time spent with the teacher. Several models of block scheduling are described, and the pros and cons of each are outlined. Tips for effective planning and teaching focus on best use of the longer class time, exploitation of multiple intelligence theory, and alternative forms of assessment. Two sample lesson plans are included. Contains 10 references. (MSE) If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Dr. Craig Packard Center for Applied Linguistics 4646 40th St., NW Washington, DC. 20016-1859 (202) 362-0700 ext. 504 E-mail: Craig@cal.org [Posted by Allison Brettschneider on Dr. Packard's behalf.] Answered by : Question: Do you have examples of high schools who have successfully detracked? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : detracking, heterogeneous grouping Answer : Thank you for your question about detracking. If you haven't already, I'd suggest that you read the story about Noble High School that appears under the practice "Adapting School Organization to Promote Student Success." For more details about the detracking process, you may want to contact Pamela Fisher, the former principal of Noble who now directs the Great Maine Schools Project at the Mitchell Institute in Portland (pfisher@mitchellinstitute.org). Good luck!Answered by : Question: Will it be necessary to change from a traditional schedule to a block schedule to promote student-centered learning? If a school earned a CSR grant through Brown, is changing the schedule to a block schedule of some type necessary to retain grant monies? Asked by: Expert's keyword(s) : block scheduling, Comprehensive School Reform grants, Education Alliance Answer : The Education Alliance at Brown University doesn't award Comprehensive School Reform grants. We are often used as a technical assistance provider by schools who are applying for these grants, which are issued by the US Department of Education. When applying for a CSR grant, the applicant school must provide some idea of how they plan to redesign the school, and although block scheduling is a very effective means for creating a more student-centered environment, it is not currently a requirement. If you have questions about the technical assistance that The Education Alliance at Brown can provide, please contact Joe DiMartino, Director of Secondary School Redesign via e-mail at joseph_dimartino@brown.edu for more information.Answered by : |
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