Our goal is to increase Arts Based Learning within the 

Reading Public Schools through Project Based Learning, 

Creative Scheduling and Alternative Assessments.by Chery l Wing, Kristin Killian, Aaron Clark and Diane Davis

...the aim of education ought to be perceived of as the preparation of artists...we mean individuals who have developed the ideas, the sensibilities, the skills, and the imagination to create work that is well proportioned,skillfully executed and imaginative regardless of the domain in which an individual works.                                Elliott Eisner

"The future belongs to young people with the education and imagination to create"       ---Barack Obama

What Is Project Based learning?

• Hands-on• Interdisciplinary• Real-world applications• Focus on depth of learning/enduring knowledge• A shift from teaching to collaboration

We are teaching people who can think holistically.----Daniel Pink

Why use Project-Based Learning? The reality is that when many of our children come home from school, they are uploading and downloading videos; they are creating their own websites and collaborating with peers.                        Alan November 

 

Our goal is not simply to have students know a lot of stuff--it's to have them know stuff in service of being able to to think effectively.                  Daniel T. Willingham

It is all about making connections among history, politics and science...But we need to be viligant in upholding the teaching of art and music and literature because they too are essential for innovation.                                  Thomas Friedman

 

Arts Based Learning vrs. 21st Century Skills

Alternative Scheduling Ideas

• The Reading Public Schools need to explore and apply creative scheduling idea to accommodate project based  learning

• This will also allow for more educational options during the school day.

• Flexible Scheduling allows schools to optimize time, space, staff and facilities and to add variety to their curriculum offerings and teaching. (Canady and Rettig, 1995)

 “It no longer matters where we are in physical space. What matters is that we can find and connect in some way and begin conversations about thing we really want to learn about.”                                         -Will Richardson

Option 1:  Creative School Structures

Does school have to run from 8-3?•  Sutton Centre in Nottingsham England divides the day into

3 blocks, morning, afternoon and evening.  All teachers and students must work 10 blocks a week

•  In Washington State students are on for 9 weeks and off for three for a total of 4 12-week blocks during the school year.  Student blocks are staggered by three weeks so not everyone is off at the same time.

• The Baxter School in Melbourne Australia developed a"seven week plan".  The 7th week of each 13 week quarter is devoted to an elective activity such as a musical,scuba diving, running a business and many others.

Option 2 introducing a Flex teaching schedule

• The Glynn Academy in Brunswick, GA is introducing Flex Scheduling in the HS level.

•  These classes can be taught by high school staff, administators or outside community members

•  Potential college credit could be offered by pairing up with local colleges

• Upper level middle school children can take HS level classes

• These classes would be taught either before school, after school on Saturdays

• Staff who would teach these classes would either start their day late or leave early

 Glynn Academy Flex Schedule

Assessment  

The primary purpose of assessment is to inform instruction in order to bring all students to proficiency.  AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT INCREASES STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT!!Our assessment tools need to motivate our students to want to do better; give our students useful information for improvement, and inform our teachers in making mid-course corrections in their teaching.

    ASSESSMENT

Our new "flat world" calls for collaborative, creative, criticalthinkers and problem solvers. Our assessments and report cards need to reflect what is happening in our classrooms and the world

around us.

"A standards- based report card allows teachers to report on the adequacy of students' academic 

 

"A standards-based report card allows teachers to report on the adequacy of students' academic achievement, as well as their attitudes, efforts, participation, and work habits. it provides parents with a more detailed picture of their child's academic performance in school as well as their school-related behaviors"                                          Guskey and Jung

4 = meets the standard with distinction3 = meets the standard2 = progressing toward the standard1 = does not meet the standard

Developing a new report card is more a challenge in effective communication than simply documenting or quantifying student achievement.• What information do we want to communicate?• Who is the primary audience for that

information?• How would we like that information to be used? 

Although schools have moved towards standards-based curriculum and instruction, grading practices and report cards have remained largely unchanged. We must strive towards a report card that is more meaningful for teachers, parents, and more importantly, our students.Guskey and Bailey's book (published in December 2009) guides educators in providing more detailed reports of children's learning and achievement, a STANDARDS-BASED REPORT CARD.

Report cards will need to be informative but time efficient for both teachers and parents. it is important to "remember that grading and reporting aren't essential to instruction." (Guskey, 1994) FUNDING IS NEEDED FOR:

• Education our parents while involving them during this shift towards standards-based report cards.

• Teacher training. Few teachers receive adequate training in grading or reporting as part of their college education.

Implementation• Arts based learning will be available at every school,

and through alternative scheduling, allow each student an opportunity to participate in a variety of art forms

• Each student will have their own computer, and teams will share additional technology equipment  

• Additional inservice days will be added for technology training, with flex scheduling so that all teachers may take advantage of the information

•  Alternative assessments will be used to measure 21st century skills in project learning

BibliographyFriedman, T. L. (2007). The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. New York, NY: Picador. (Original work published 2005)

November, A. C. (2008). Web Literacy for Educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Pink, D. (2006). A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Boston: Riverhead Trade.

Richardson, W. (2008). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. California: Corwin Press Inc.,U.S..

Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why Don't Students Like School: A Cognitive Scientist Answers Questions About How the Mind Works and What It Means for the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. YouTube - Project Based Learning (2008, October 7). YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgA1wZhW5TE

Baker, D. E. (n.d.). Implementing High School Flexible Scheduling. Glynn County, GA Board of Education. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from helpdesk.glynn.k12.ga.us/goals/2009/ga3.6.pdf

Beare, H., & Caldwell, B. J. (1989). Creating an Excellent School (Educational Management). London: Law Book Co Of Australia. Kohn, Alfie. “From Degrading to De-Grading.” High School Magazine (March 1999).Hu, Winnie. “Report Cards Give Up A’s and B’s for 4s and 3s.” New York Times (March 2009).Guskey, Thomas R. and Jung, Lee Ann.  “The Challenges of Standards-Based Grading.” Leadership  Compass: Vol.4, No.2 (Winter 2006).

Bibliography (continued)Arandel, D. (2008, January 21). Artist Palette Acoustic Rock Guitar on Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Welcome to Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://flickr.com/photos/extraordinarytourist/2225980870/

Building 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - Home. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=2

Eisner, E. W. (2004). What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. The Arts and the Creation of Mind (New Ed ed., pp. 70-92). New Haven: Yale University Press.

Eisner, E. (2008, August 26). Learning in a Visual Age, National Art Education Association. Home, National Art Education Association. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://www.arteducators.org/learning/learning-in-a-visual-age

Obama, B. (n.d.). Advocacy, National Art Education Association. Home, National Art Education Association. Retrieved December 5, 2009, from http://www.naea-reston.org/advocacy

Hughes-Hassel, S., & Wheelock, A. (2001). The Information-Powered School. Washington, D.C.: American Library Association.Gower, Robert and Saphier, Jon. The Skillful Teacher: Building Your Teaching Skills. MA: Research for Better Teaching, 2007.Guskey, Thomas R. “Making the Grade: What Benefits Students.” Educational Leadership,52(2), 1994, 14-20.Richardson, W. (2007, December 7). YouTube - Personal Learning Networks. YouTube  -Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mghGV37TeK8&feature=related