Monthly Archives: February 2012

“Flipped Classrooms” the new model for classroom instruction?

With all this talk about differentiation in the classroom, teachers are searching for ways to have more one on one time with students. Time that is needed to support tiered lessons, collaborative learning, enrichment and remediation.   There is a promising new classroom model called “flipping your classroom“ that is creating just that, more time for teacher interaction and collaboration with students.

In this model, students watch video lessons before coming to class, leaving the teacher with more time in class to differentiate lessons and allow students to work collaboratively.  There has been some very positive feedback from students, teachers and parents alike.  Teachers say they’re putting more responsibility on students for their learning, coming to class prepared, and working collaboratively with peers. This model has also make classrooms using the new model more interactive.

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Student Achievement through Parental Involvement

In every child’s life there are two main educators, their parents and their teachers. Educational research consistently shows that parental involvement is the number one factor in student achievement through the school years and beyond.  Several studies show a positive correlation between increases in parental involvement in elementary and middle school years and increased student achievement.

Children who have actively engaged parents tend to have higher overall academic achievement, increased motivation, better self-esteem, fewer behavior problems, fewer absences, higher graduation rates. Research also shows that a home environment that supports and encourages learning is even more important than the parents’ income, educational level, or cultural background.

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iPads in the Classroom

As digital technology, iPods, iPhones, iPads, tablets, Kindles and the like become more available making these devices available in the classroom and choosing appropriate apps a daunting task for parents and educators alike.

If I were to poll the students in our school, I would find that a vast majority of them have access to a Kindle, tablet, laptop, iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone they could use in their classroom.  Many schools are moving to a BYOT  (bring your own technology) platform to allow schools to integrate the use of these items into the classroom environment in a cost effective manner.  This is creating a whole new learning curve for classroom educators who are being forced to integrate these devices into their curricular programs.

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Common Core: State Standards Initianitive

If you are an educator you have probably heard of the “Common Core” standards movement.   The United States is one of the few nations that does not have national standards for students, making it very difficult to compare student achievement across states. Competency levels vary from state to state, what constitutes mastery in one state, may not constitute mastery in another.

“The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.  Source: http://www.corestandards.org/.

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Tech Tips for Tots

If you are a parent or grandparent of a toddler you may be asking your self how much technology should you expose your child to? How can we build computer skills and at the same time limit the overall amount of time our children spend isolated from others and  interacting one on one with technology.

Statistically 90 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 use computers, 97 percent of children at the kindergarten and first grade level have access to computers at school or at home and use them on a regular basis.

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What Parents Want from Schools?

When talking with parents about what brought them to our school a couple of common themes are wanting that feeling of community, that creates a safe and nurturing environment and at the same time offers a quality education. They are also almost always interested in class size.  They feel that the smaller class size offers more time for the teacher to focus on individual students, and have more time to get to know students better. One of my observations has been that the closer student centered environment allows students to more intimate bonds that last a lifetime.

In addition private schools have the ability to make decisions based on the needs of their students rather than on what the school district, state or federal government philosophies dictate.  Private schools are less focused on test results only, using them as on measurement of students success.  This focus allows private school more time to focus on liberal studies in the fine arts including music, art, foreign language, as well as focusing on critical thinking, collaboration, and technological applications.

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What Parents Beleive about School Leaders

  • I read an article recently comparing and contrasting what parent’s want in their children’s school and what they perceive as the goals of politicians in education.  As a private school superintendent we have to opportunity to pay attention to the wants and needs of parents and students and at the same time being concerned with the academic progress of the whole child.
  • Parents can tell you the name of a favorite teacher who inspired their child, the book their child loved and couldn’t stop talking about and the topic of a report they worked so hard to complete.  Parents can tell us which teachers gave to much homework and how that impacted their lives as a family.
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My Philosophy of Education

As an educator I annually review, revise and refine my personal philosophy of education. It is a reflective practice that has helped me more clearly articulate my beliefs about students,  learning, and pedagogy and has had a direct impact on my professional activities inside and outside the classroom. Below please find my latest attempt is articulating what I believe about education.

My Personal Philosophy of Education

As we journey further into the 21st Century I find that through technology our world is changing faster than no other time in history.  Our students have a wealth of information available to them twenty-four hours a day. Because of the availability of information it is vital that our schools create a learning environment that encourages social interaction, is less concerned with the past and “training the mind” and more focused on individual needs, contemporary relevance and preparing students to be Christian community participants in God’s ever changing world.

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Highly Qualified V/S High Quality Teachers

A growing body of research shows that student achievement is more heavily influenced by teacher quality than by any other factors including class size, school size, students’ race, class, or prior academic record.

High-quality teachers have clear instructional goals and can tell you not only what they are teaching but why they are teaching what they teach.  They are purposeful about what they teach.  Instruction is focused on specific learning goals and they monitor student progress towards these goals. Instructional goals are always clearly aligned with standards and assessments to ensure students are prepared  the next grade and the 21st century work force.

High-quality teachers utilize powerful teaching strategies that are research-based and have a proven tract record in increasing student achievement.  They are well versed in “Best Practices” and are up to date on current educational research, are creative, dynamic and well-informed in finding instructional strategies that work for each of their students.

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“Teacher-Centered” V/S “Student-Centered” Classrooms

As a school administrator, I have had the good fortune to visit a significant number of classrooms on a regular basis. I have also had the opportunity to serve on accreditation teams that allow me to see classrooms in other schools.   Over the years, I have been witness to bad or indifferent teaching, as well as witnessing top notch professionals leading learning in “student-centered” classrooms. I watched educational practice grow and change as technology has developed.

Having begun teaching in the early 1990’s at the middle school level, my approach in the early years was very traditional. I ran a well-organized “teacher-centered” classroom where students learned primarily through teacher-led direct instruction with some cooperative learning and project based instruction thrown in.  It was in the September 1996 issue of Educational Leadership that my traditional beliefs were first questioned,  Alfie Kohn turned my thoughts full circle. It was at that time he released his version of “What to Look for in a Classroom.”

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