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Postcard from USA & Canadian
Elementary schools 2010
In September and October
2010 a NSW Primary Principal
, David Abbey (pictured right )
from Kingswood Park Public
School , visited 3 USA
Elementary schools and 5
Ontario Canada Public
Schools conducting action
research into what were the
most successful Reading
practices for Indigenous and
minority group Grade 3
students.
It was of no surprise that in
many of the observed schools
some were receiving National School Improvement Awards, featured on morning TV Education
interest reports , highlighted in Worldwide fact finding research studies or having teachers
recognised in state or provincial Quality Teaching ceremonies and publications.
The research question was framed to determine the significant factors that impact on teaching and
learning in USA and Canadian Elementary schools with a Grade 3 emphasis to keep the research and
lesson observations focussed and manageable. Recent key educational authors and studies are also
quoted with their educational principles relevant for schools like Kingswood Park Public School
with its particular needs as a Priority School low Socio Economic community . Kingswood Park also
receives Federal
government funding
for high Indigenous
student population
and National Literacy
Partnerships for
School Improvement.
The USA and Ontario-
Canada schools were
also chosen as having
similar sized student
populations to those
at Kingswood Park of
180 students.
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A. The School is for me ; Fair Go project 2007 conducted by the NSW DET South Western Sydney
region established the following principles for schools with significant Indigenous and low socio
economic (SES)poverty minority groupings.
1. Concentrate on pedagogy as a process ;not just a product with only teacher intentions but
where the pedagogy played out in the class with students and teachers making authentic ,
productive , quality learning p8
2. Be Proactive with Low Socio Economic students by shaping classroom practices to set high
learning expectations to overcome students resisting high level tasks by only complying with low
level tasks p9
3. Provide professional learning challenges for teachers to change fromdisengagement ,defeat ,
struggle and giving up to Engagement - High thinking, feeling, negotiation, empowerment p12
and demonstrated in ;
a) Higher cognitive/ thinking Quality teaching deep knowledge and understanding
b) High affective /feeling -conversations teacher /student negotiate for learning to stimulate
enjoyable class work
c) High operative /doingcompetent and empowered learners across all Key Learning Areas
d) High reflective learning community.
4. Promote the Insider class where students have a place and a say in their learning with
Engaging messages we see connection and meaning , we are capable,have high expectations
We can do this together/share resources , its great to be a student in this class ...ownership
We share teachers and students reflective self assessment, reciprocal roles p12
B. Quality Teaching Framework DET NSW (2000) strongly collaborates the School is for mefindings including Intellectual Quality, Connectedness and Supportive Environment/Recognition
of Difference as the 3 key components of successful learning in schools.
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C. The McKinsey Report (2007) commissioned by the OECD into what do high performing school
systems ( like Finland, Australia , New Zealand, Hong Kong , Singapore and Ontario-Canada) and
rapidly improving school systems ( New York, Boston , England) have in common .This report into 25
educational systems throughout the world found these 3 principles mattered the most;
1. Getting the right people to become teachers
2. Developing teachers into effective instructors
3. Ensuring that their educational system was able to deliver the best possible instruction for
every child
D. Star teachers of Children in Poverty (1995) University Wisconsin identified that ;the best
teachers planned for and expected challenges in their classrooms behavioural , social , academic
These teachers did not complain and eventually give up but saw themselves as part of the solution
seeking to expand student teacher dialogue , co-operative lesson planning , student ownership and
responsibility for learning.
E. Michael Fullan Whats Worth Fighting for in the Principalship 2008 sets up key
responsibilities of leadership Principals need to implement for successful teaching and learning ;
Principals are in the midst of a battle to stir their schools students ,staff and parents mindful
emotions in effective directions, to establish conditions , cultures and commitment on a large scale
to engage continuous improvement all the time! p ix
F. John HattieAuckland University What makes the difference to learning ? 2005.Researched
over 1000 studies into effective teaching and concluded that the Highest effect(impact) size was
Teacher reinforcement and feedback the best teachers have continualand immediate positive
dialogue with their students p 2
G. Shirley Gilbert University Western Sydney focus on connectedness and recognise culturaldifferences when working with Indigenous students - Lecturer in Aboriginal studies 2010
H. Reading Fluency Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat Ontario Schools 2010 directs teachersto assist students who do not demonstrate adequate reading comprehension if identifying
words is not automated and decoding (phonological awareness) requires significant cognitive
resources to be diverted to that task then comprehension is likely to suffer. Their studies
identified Automaticity (automatic word recognition) , Phrasing (use syntactic clues to read
phrase by phrase) and Expression ( from monotone to varied voice using visual text clues) as key
to reading fluently.
I. Daily 5 Read RoutineDallas ISD -Texas Elementary Schools 2010 A whole of reading approachfor Students to read to self,others , listen to others read, work with words and write.
Action Research in the schools visited
In the 8 schools visited ,with similar size and characteristics to Kingswood Park , the Principal ,Vice
Principal or Assistant Principal, Teachers and Parents were interviewed with permission and 3
questions were asked;
1. Which improvements has your school achieved in Reading ?
2. What did your school do to achieve this ?
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3. How and why have your teachers contributed to this success ?
Several opportunities also occurred to attend Executive , School Improvement Team and
Professional Learning Meetings.
Grade 3 classes were visited in every school and Reading lessons observed.
All schools made their results available including school policy , procedures and other teaching and
learning materials .
The enormous amount of data collected would be analysed to triangulate or group together three
pieces of collaborating evidence that substantiated / demonstrated a key learning Principle or
action in line with the Reading Research question relevant to the student needs at Kingswood Park
Public School.
James B. Bonham Elementary School is located in inner city Dallas-Texas and hasachieved Above State Average Reading Results and System Recognition/Awards for the past 9
years(Dallas Independent Schools Board 2010 website) .
It has 15 classes Preschool Grade 3 with 265 student population consisting of high NESB/ESL ,low
socio economic community within an inner city urban environment.
Principal since 2007 Sandra Fernandez was interviewed and believes the Exemplary Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills ( TAKS) Grade 3 Reading results over 90% achievement 2001-
2005 and 100% achievement 2006-2010 was possible through high literacy focus and expectation,
school wide phonemic awareness daily lessons , strong Teacher Librarian collaboration and parent
literacy promotion, several bilingual teachers across each grade to assist literacy in Spanish to
English and most strategically outstanding staff commitment .
The staff commitment was witnessed during the 4 day visit in many voluntary ways: before andafter school tutoring , Saturday morning school tutoring for Grade 3 students to improve their
Reading , School Improvement Leadership Team (pictured below right ) after school planning with 8
staff , assisting each other taking students from other classes for lessons in their class.
Sandras teachers demonstrated team
building at every level and she believes that
her school has the best teachers as 80% are
alternate certification ( retrained into
teaching after completing alternate degrees
and employment later in life ). These teachersbring an enthusiasm and skills set from
Banking, Finance, Accounting , Marketing ,
Science, Journalism, Social Work, and Criminal
Justice building and maintaining a premier
school that prepares all students to learn and
graduate with the knowledge and skills
preparing them to become productive and responsible citizens ( James B. Bonham Mission ). They
go beyond the 8am -3pm hours that society generally perceives teachers as working and see their
day finishing when the job is finished indicating a strong internal accountability and collective
responsibility. Many have or are studying their Masters degrees and Administration Certification (
to be eligible for Executive appointment) with Sandra Fernandez working towards an Education
Doctorate .
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Grade 1 Teacher Mentor Rogelio Garcia (pictured top left corner) has been at Bonham 10 years
and related a time when the school was struggling with low results and poor community reputation .
It was turned around through a succession of Principals and committed staff dedicated to school
improvement all the time and doing whatever it took to get there. Rogalio, who had retrained from
Juvenile Detention Officer and previously worked in a low performing school, was recently
recognized as an Outstanding 2010 teacher by the State of Texas and received a grant of $25000.
Parent Sandy has a Grade 1 daughter, is a member of the PTA and believes Bonham teachers really
care about everyone. Another parent Antonio Bhardwaj is impressed with the great inclusion for his
child after recently arriving from India and quickly sensed that the teachers are very committed to
students learning.
The school will continue their relentless focus on learning and have added the Dallas ISD Daily Five
Reading routine of read to self, read to or with others , listen to others read , you write about your
reading , you do work about the words you are reading.
James B. Bonham received the 2010 Blue Ribbon Award for Schools that make big academic gains
and significantly close achievement gaps from the US Department of Education in Washington DC
on November 15 last year. Only 200 schools across the whole USA nation of 300 million population
received this coveted honour .
Eliot K-8 school is in downtown Boston and has posted significant MCAS gains(Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) with double digit increases in the percentage of
students passing and achieving in all or nearly every subject of every grade level for two
consecutive years( Boston Public Schools Guide for Parents and Students 2010 website)
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Principal Traci Walker Griffith (pictured third from the left) reported in her interview that when
she was appointed in 2007 to replace the previous Principal she arrived at a school with 39
suspensions (mostly African American) for only 175 students and MCAS scores of only 12%
achievement Grade 3-8.She identified that the social and emotional climate and culture of the
school would need change before embarking on instructional improvements. Fifteen new staff
arrived in 2007-08 with some existing teachers challenged to be part of the solution or seek
employment elsewhere.
Important learning focus started with Kinder in 2007 and staff training began with Literacy and
including Reading pedagogy , interventions , Individual Education Plans and special
accommodations for students with significant learning needs. Teachers felt must better prepared to
teach Reading said long serving Assistant Principal Lydia Torez . A culture of high expectations was
begun with staff contributing to open staff meetings and more accountable and responsible for
their professional learning. Community engagement grew as the parents and local
residents/businesses welcomed the turnaround from Eliot school.
Student Brian in Grade 3 reported reading makes a movie theatre in my mind as he completed
his daily reading workshop with his teacher . There was obvious evidence that all classes display the
lesson outcomes and expectations for every lesson every day ( pictured below ).
2010 MCAS results at Eliot school produced a 67% achievement at State Reading benchmarks for
all Grade 3-8 students with a 76% improvement in Reading results from 2008.
Francis Stevens Campus P-8 is located a short distance from the White House ,Washington DC and would have the Barrack Obama girls as their local students if the President
wished .The new Preschool to Grade 8 campus was developed in 2008 after lower student numbers
at nearby Stevens Elementary and Francis Junior High forced closures.
Currently 244 students attend with the schools results on the improvement. New Principal Maurice
Kennard arrived in 2008 and together with Assistant Principal Jewell Hill ( 7 years at Francis HS )
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both are very proud African Americans and determined to see all students including the 66%
African American student population meet and exceed Washington DCs learning standards.
When the new Campus
began much time was spent
on dealing with disruptive
students resulting in less
time on learning
opportunities . 2009 saw a
school wide positive
discipline system
introduced and a focus on
increased learning
opportunities with teachers
giving 1 lunchtime per
week , morning or after
school for extra tuition for
students with Reading
difficulties. City Link
Community program provided 8 High school/Tertiary Education graduates working for 1 year as
extra Teachers aides and a local business Law firm allowed 3 lawyers ( pictured above ) to mentor
Grade 6-8 girls in career planning a half day per week.
Professional learning focused on increasing rigorous academic instruction and Assessment to
meet high academic outcomes by beginning with assessment cycles every 6 weeks. 2008 Grade 3-6
Reading results were slightly improved 47% at State level compared to Maths 42% (District of
Columbia Public Schools website). However Principal Kennard is not pleased until the whole school
shows consistent improvements over
several years. Grade 3 teacher
Rebecca James says staff are working
hard amidst a challenging
environment including the new merit
based bonus to staff who receive a
Highly Effective rating from their 4
performance assessments in a
year.Rebecca saw great
improvements in oral Reading
assessments from her studentsinvolved in daily peer reading with
Grade 7 students (pictured left) .
The visits to 5 Elementary schools in Ontario Canada were possible through the Leading Educators
Around the Planet (LEAP) Principal Exchange Program with my Principal Exchange colleague Lynda
Pressey .Lynda is the Learning Supervisor for Thames Valley Schools Board, London/Ontario and is
responsible for Student Literacy and staff professional support and training in over 180 schools.
Wilfrid Jury P-8 school is located in the city of London, Ontario with over 500 students.
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Vice Principals Corey and Scott summarized the school culture we have increasing numbers of new
settlement students from overseas (ESL 13 %) together with mental health, disability and special
education students (25%)that are all requiring significant learning support. Wilfrid Jury seeks
stronger links with their
community (parents income
below national average) and is
committed to higher level
literacy outcomes in reading
knowledge , questioning skills
and use of technology. Growing
levels of student self
assessment were evident in
class visits ranking themselves
1- didnt know 2-did some 3-did
all 4-did more .Data charts
illustrated student learning
progress in every class.
Education Quality Accountability Office (EQAO) is Ontarios independent agency administering the
report card results for Ontarios Elementary schools .Reading for Grades 3-6 in 2007 saw 43%
Wilfred Jury students meet Ontario minimum standards , 59% in 2008 and 46% in 2009.
Port Burwell Public School is a smaller rural school of 172 students with parentincomes significantly well below the national average. Principal Tina Vander Woollen-Harvey has
23% Special Education students and 19% ESL and finds this a growing challenge to meet Provincial
standards as well as facing the possibility of school closure for low student numbers by the Thames
Valley School Board .It was ranked 2612 out of 2742 schools in Ontario with Reading Results Grade
3-6 in 2007 38% achieving minimum standards , 39% in 2008 and 50 % in 2009.
Antler River 1st Nations Preschool to Grade 8 with 108 students isadministered by the Chippewas of the Thames 1st Nations Board. Federal funding is provided for the
Indigenous Aboriginal peoples to administer their land as determined by the local 1st Nations
people including Health , Housing , Transport , Education , Police , Fire , Council services etc.
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Principal Joanne Henry was excited to return to her local area and work to increase the educational
outcomes for her people. I see so much potential but until the local community is more involved
that potential will remain unfulfilled- parents can assist in the learning at home and at school they
are getting training .The need for greater parent ,community and School Board support was also
identified by an Evaluation visit in 2006. Since 2007 Joanne and the school board have planned
greater community connection opportunities in Art, Culture , Language , Technology , Student
recognition and Positive welcome to school life before a meaningful focus on higher teaching and
learning started .Recent results in Grade 3 are improving however the older grades are way behind
in comparison to the other Ontario schools results.
The Board has strongly invested in the facilities- Smart Boards and FM audio systems in all rooms ,
state of the art buildings with quality furniture , carpets and displays. Retention of teachers and
continuity of instruction is an ongoing challenge as the Chippewas Board has a lower pay rate that
other teachers in Ontario . Quality teachers appreciate a starting opportunity at Antler River but
soon move to other Ontario schools with this experience and receiving higher pay .
Corvette Junior Public K-6 is located in the lower socio economic suburbs of Toronto
where the parents income is below the national average.The school receives significant ProfessionalLearning Support from the Ontario Government and Principal for the last 4 years Helen Wong is
starting to see improved results. Whilst our Reading scores are still below the Province( 50% below
in Grade 6 2009) a better comparison is that in Grade 3 those same students were 54% below
within the school our cohorts are improving their reading scores.
Helen identified the increase in the School Leadership Team from 2 to 10 has influenced whole staff
professional learning growth . Teachers feel more ownership , are secure and safe , the school
culture is clearly aiming to higher student expectations and the local community is involving
themselves more in after school art programs , a school musical and before school breakfast.
Teaching and Learning Critical Pathways were introduced across Ontario in 2006 developed from
Fullan , Hill and Crevolas work with students individual learning journeys .Corvette Teachers
received training from Literacy Coaches to gather evidence of student need, design specific
instruction pathways for students and assess the impact.
At Corvette Junior teachers have a set Literacy 2 hour morning block for the 30 classes and three
Year 3 classes were visited .
Assistant Principal Sandra Quintal begins with her Grade 3 students sharing rich listening and
speaking opportunities . It was inclusive of all students from 16 different nationalities with formal ,
direct instruction also providing scaffolds to support students with varied learning needs.
Ana Halls class when visited was modeling high level discussion to solve a responsibility question .
The whole class instruction then moved to small group solving of the problem with all group
members allocated a role and contributing .When the groups reported back their answers Ana was
encouraging each groups usage of rich and specific language .
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Michelle Prices
Year 3 /4 class were
clearly well taught
in moving from
whole class to
paired elbow
partners in sharing
possible answers to
a whole class
challenge question.
It was very evident
that these teachers
were planning
together to
establish high level
Literacy sessions to
achieve improved
Literacy Learningoutcomes for all
their students.
First Nations School of Toronto was established to enroll only Indigenous studentsunder the Toronto School Board and Curriculum but allowing specific language and cultural lessons
to also take place . New to the Principalship in 2010 Lisa Zwicker has found her position a
challenging one with students from all over Toronto travelling to experience the Ojbway language
and culture. Students receive daily cultural awareness (pictured below) and indigenous language
lessons. EQAO Results show 1st Nations students achieving at Provincial Reading standard of 7% in
2008 , 9 % in 2009 and 8 % in 2010. Grade 4/5 teacher Trina Elise is in her first year of teaching and
has found it both rewarding and demanding these students have so many learning needs to cover
,. Reading is low yet they have hearts that greatly respect the strength of their culture.
50% of Staff have an indigenous background which is great for the students but we also seem to
have a lot of staff changes each year lamented School Counsellor Cheryl MacDonald .
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Reading Lesson Observations, Assessment Data and Learning
Resources used the following Strategies ; 1. Individual fluency assessment
2. Daily Five Reading habits 3.Whole Literacy immersion blocks 4.Peer Reading
5.Guided Reading 6.Group Reading 7.Reading workshops 8.Phonemic Awareness
9. Withdrawal support teacher 10. Critical Pathways 11. Culturally connected reading
Conclusions ; There are numerous successful Reading practices for Indigenous
and minority group Grade 3 students as evidenced ,by percentage, in the 8
schools visited and supported in research ;
A strong triangulation between Principal , Teachers and Community on the moral motivation forschools to make a difference in students lives through reading- 100% schools
Strong reading planning and school improvement of staff involvement and commitment to qualityprofessional learning - 88% schools
Quality teaching of reading is universal with high academic expectation , supportive learningenvironment and the teachers significant role in student learning. - 88 % schools
Staff implement chosen reading strategies including fluency emphasis 75 % schools Extra involvement; Sat school, before/after school ,lunch tutoring for reading 50 % schools Authentic parent and community relationship , ownership with their school- 75 % schools High level classroom interpersonal dialogue , discussions/individual feedback in Reading
Lessons 63 % schools
Acknowledgement/recognition of cultural difference ; bi-lingual teaching , culturalArtifacts ,values spoken and displayed , student first language taught 75 % schools
Clear expectations of student achievement in reading lesson outcomes 63 % schools High aspirations for student engagement and success 75 % schools Student accountability and responsibility for learning 75 % schools Care , compassion and interest in each student 100 % schools Maximum use of resources; IWB/Smart Boards, document projectors , support staff,
community groups 100 % schools
Balanced approach to achieving Provincial/State mandated Reading result minimumBenchmarks 75 % schools
The opportunity to visit other international education systems and their schools is particularly
meaningful in three ways.
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Firstly you learn new approaches to teaching and learning .
Secondly you compare these new approaches with many of our current teaching and learning
understandings to rigorously determine .under scrutiny, which ones we still need to keep.
Lastly you reflect on both teaching and learning approaches (the newly observed and your currently
reinforced practices) and continually determine the best improvements for your students.
Kingswood Park Primary is now embarking on a School Improvement Leadership Team , increasing
Community Reading Tutoring involvement and increasing our focus on Reading fluency whilst having
our current practices in teaching low socio economic and Aboriginal students strategies confirmed.