Comments on: Small Learning Communities Redux http://www.edwize.org/small-learning-communities-redux Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: firebrand http://www.edwize.org/small-learning-communities-redux/comment-page-1#comment-3344 firebrand Sun, 27 Nov 2005 13:47:55 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=194#comment-3344 Ha! Creating "lead teachers" SHOULD work. That would be ideal. However, what really happens, and I believe it's not just going to happen in my school but most schools, is the creation of the position really creates monsters. I mean the "lead teachers" not the children. We have already had to devote 30 minutes of our chapter meeting to the fact that teachers are spying on each other and reporting back to several APs in my school and the "lead teacher" position hasn't even been created yet. I hope that horse**** never comes to fruition. Ha! Creating “lead teachers” SHOULD work. That would be ideal. However, what really happens, and I believe it’s not just going to happen in my school but most schools, is the creation of the position really creates monsters. I mean the “lead teachers” not the children. We have already had to devote 30 minutes of our chapter meeting to the fact that teachers are spying on each other and reporting back to several APs in my school and the “lead teacher” position hasn’t even been created yet. I hope that horse**** never comes to fruition.

]]> By: jelfrank http://www.edwize.org/small-learning-communities-redux/comment-page-1#comment-3321 jelfrank Fri, 25 Nov 2005 14:40:02 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=194#comment-3321 Hi, Yes, we are reorganizing into "Academies". I have been around long enough to remember Houses and their fizzling out. I have also taught in the suburbs and have visited schools in Stockholm. I feel, therefore, qualified to comment. Most of what has been said I agree with. Our school is 700+ over capacity. Reorganization is taking place without general staff input. There have been a few touchy-feely workshops were teachers were invited to participate in some vague discussion and sharing. My question is: How is it a "small learning community" when you still have over 3000+ students in the building designed to hold up to 2400 and classes remaining at 34 students each? I agree common prep periods between teachers sharing the same students would help. However, it's not possible because of programming and physical space limitations. When your school has no wiggle room you can't divide up the school in a way necessary to have, say a common lunch period for the whole school and everyone's science lab at a given period so it doesn't conflict with double periods, etc. There's only one lunchroom, the bulk of computer labs are on two of six floors, which also exacerbate these issues. When I taught in the suburbs we had a common lunch period for the entire school. It was one hour and we had club meetings many days. We also had double periods every other week. This was only possible because we weren’t multi-session and overcrowded. The only better circumstances I have seen are in schools in Stockholm. Even in their worst schools. Perhaps the “Stockholm Effect” is perplexing to Americans because we don’t live in as civilized a nation that builds such a capacity for compassion- even for those who do wrong. While most Swedes are atheists, their outlook on life is somewhat Buddhist in this regard. Indeed, if we had the Swedes’ sense of what’s fair and what everyone is entitled to we wouldn’t be teaching in over-crowed and under-resourced institutions. John Elfrank-Dana Murry Bergtraum High School www.elfrank.com Hi,

Yes, we are reorganizing into “Academies”. I have been around long enough to remember Houses and their fizzling out. I have also taught in the suburbs and have visited schools in Stockholm. I feel, therefore, qualified to comment.

Most of what has been said I agree with. Our school is 700+ over capacity. Reorganization is taking place without general staff input. There have been a few touchy-feely workshops were teachers were invited to participate in some vague discussion and sharing.

My question is: How is it a “small learning community” when you still have over 3000+ students in the building designed to hold up to 2400 and classes remaining at 34 students each?

I agree common prep periods between teachers sharing the same students would help. However, it’s not possible because of programming and physical space limitations. When your school has no wiggle room you can’t divide up the school in a way necessary to have, say a common lunch period for the whole school and everyone’s science lab at a given period so it doesn’t conflict with double periods, etc. There’s only one lunchroom, the bulk of computer labs are on two of six floors, which also exacerbate these issues.

When I taught in the suburbs we had a common lunch period for the entire school. It was one hour and we had club meetings many days. We also had double periods every other week. This was only possible because we weren’t multi-session and overcrowded.

The only better circumstances I have seen are in schools in Stockholm. Even in their worst schools. Perhaps the “Stockholm Effect” is perplexing to Americans because we don’t live in as civilized a nation that builds such a capacity for compassion- even for those who do wrong. While most Swedes are atheists, their outlook on life is somewhat Buddhist in this regard. Indeed, if we had the Swedes’ sense of what’s fair and what everyone is entitled to we wouldn’t be teaching in over-crowed and under-resourced institutions.

John Elfrank-Dana
Murry Bergtraum High School
http://www.elfrank.com

]]> By: NYC Educator http://www.edwize.org/small-learning-communities-redux/comment-page-1#comment-3320 NYC Educator Fri, 25 Nov 2005 02:21:02 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=194#comment-3320 "The real world of the urban high school: five classes a day and at least 150 student a week..." And coming this February, thanks to you and your party, six classes a day and 160 "student" a week. How dare you criticize this "real world" after having done nothing to improve it when you had a chance? "Continue doing what didn’t work before." Continue voting for Unity. “The real world of the urban high school: five classes a day and at least 150 student a week…”

And coming this February, thanks to you and your party, six classes a day and 160 “student” a week. How dare you criticize this “real world” after having done nothing to improve it when you had a chance?

“Continue doing what didn’t work before.”

Continue voting for Unity.

]]> By: media-teach http://www.edwize.org/small-learning-communities-redux/comment-page-1#comment-3308 media-teach Tue, 22 Nov 2005 23:54:37 +0000 http://edwize.org/?p=194#comment-3308 Here's what doesn't work. Take 1 failing middle school, where violence and low test scores are the norm. Re-invent it was a *new small school* with 2 academies. Use edu-terminology such as backwards design, advisory, common planning periods, academic rigour, community, project-based curriculum, and then hire new teachers based on these practices. Then ignore all of the above. Continue doing what didn't work before. It helps if the administration actually understands all the philosophies, and not just how to type out the words on paper. Here’s what doesn’t work. Take 1 failing middle school, where violence and low test scores are the norm. Re-invent it was a *new small school* with 2 academies. Use edu-terminology such as backwards design, advisory, common planning periods, academic rigour, community, project-based curriculum, and then hire new teachers based on these practices.

Then ignore all of the above. Continue doing what didn’t work before.

It helps if the administration actually understands all the philosophies, and not just how to type out the words on paper.

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